Latest RSPB report shows how giving nature space can help boost nesting success of a number of the UK’s birds

Latest RSPB report shows how giving nature space can help boost nesting success of a number of the UK’s birds - RSPB

Lapwing Vanellus vanellus, adult female on nest in rushy pasture, Northumberland, May (Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)) — Lapwing *Vanellus vanellus*, adult female on nest in rushy pasture, Northumberland, May (Andy Hay (rspb-images.com))

A number of species have benefitted from careful management of dedicated spaces and being given a wide berth, including during the breeding season in 2021, on the RSPB's 222 nature reserves.

The RSPB, who manage almost 159,000 hectares of land across the UK for nature, have revealed how wildlife is faring on its nature reserves, finding that a range of species have increased rates of breeding success when given safe spaces to nest and raise their young.

Covering all 222 RSPB nature reserves throughout the UK, the report reveals the ups and downs of the 2021 bird breeding season, as well as other wildlife, and highlights the importance of both nature reserves and targeted conservation work across a range of habitats in order to support individual species.

Thanks to the dedicated spaces that nature reserves provide, wading birds such as lapwings, whose camouflaged nests are found in shallow scrapes in the ground amongst short vegetation, and redshanks, which favour grass or rush tussocks, fared well at a number of RSPB reserves last year.

Bucking declining trends nationally, the highest ever number of both lapwing and redshank were found in the Greater Thames area at RSPB Rainham Marshes and RSPB Wallasea Island in 2021. Both RSPB Loch Gruinart in Scotland and RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands in Cumbria also celebrated the highest ever numbers of breeding redshank, with the latter nature reserve having one of the highest densities of breeding waders in the UK last year.

Similarly to wading birds, terns also nest at ground level and are often found on beaches and high tide lines. At risk of abandoning their nests and chicks if they are accidentally disturbed by beach goers and their dogs, these birds are particularly vulnerable in the face of climate change and rising sea levels.

While the odds may seem as if they are stacked against terns, RSPB Coquet Island, a sanctuary for seabirds on the Northumberland coast, saw a bumper year in 2021, with record-breaking numbers of roseate, Sandwich and common terns recorded.