Rare tern hatches chicks for first time in decade
BRITAIN’S rarest seabird has successfully bred on a remote Welsh island for the first time in 10 years.
Roseate terns almost became extinct after their feathers were used as a fashion accessory in women’s hats But nature-lovers are celebrating after two chicks hatched successfully – and one has already flown the nest.
They were only born after a major conservation project by the RSPB on the Skerries islands, off Anglesey.
RSPB warden Ian Sims said: “This news cannot be overstated.”
The chicks’ progress is being monitored by two wardens who have gone to extreme measures to help the terns breed. They designed nest boxes for the terns and used lures playing roseate calls and with the aim of attracting passing roseate terns.
They also warded off potential predators including gull scarers with loudspeakers and monitor the island for rats.
Mr Sims said: “We have been working to protect the seabirds on the Skerries for many years and when it comes to breeding roseate terns, they have quite a variable history.
“In 2016 one pair bred, but did not fledge any young. Before that they last bred in 2006 – when a pair fledged one chick.”
The Skerries – although inhospitable for humans – are crucial for breeding terns who migrate each spring from western Africa to just a handful of colonies in the UK and Ireland.
The coastal birds, with pale plumage with slight rosy flush, a black cap and a black beak, arrive at their breeding colonies from mid-May.
There are only 116 breeding pairs of Roseate terns in the UK, restricted to just Coquet Island in England.