Little Tern Colony in North Wales
The Little Tern, scientific name Sternula albifrons, is a small migratory bird that nests on shingle beaches around the UK during the summer months. There are a number of summering colonies around the British coastline. They eat fish or crustacean by plunge-diving just off-shore. This is the bird I chose to write my dissertation on, focusing specifically on a colony in Prestatyn, North Wales. I decided on this project due to a recent interest in birds after the field trip to Southern Spain. After learning more about the birds I’d seen I decided I wanted to specialise in that area of study, which led me to choosing a bird related project.
My project is to determine, using data and literature analysis, whether the colony is a source or a sink colony. To do this, I first had to collect the data. The data was taken by placing GoPros near nests that contained eggs. The cameras were placed and retrieved by the wardens during their daily nest counts to reduce stress to the birds. The birds flew away when the Wardens entered the pens but flew back to the correct nests shortly after the wardens left the pens. They had no adverse reactions to the cameras.
The cameras were set to take a photo every 2 seconds. After this footage was copied to my own computer, I along with some of the volunteers, sifted through the photos trying to identify the ring number or colour on each individual bird’s leg. We made a note of many factors, such as; were both birds definitely seen; were any tags metal or coloured; if they were coloured what colour and what was the number on the tag, etc. These were all collated onto a google document that was available for anyone who observed footage to input or for those who were curious.
By using this data, alongside the yearly reports, I will be able to create a demographic model showing whether the colony is supporting itself and if it will continue to do so based on the trends of the past and the present.
Gronant dunes, Prestatyn, North Wales
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