‘Terning’ the tide for seabird decline in Lancashire - Natural England

Natural England and partners have launched an innovative habitat restoration project designed to create safe spaces for seabirds within the Lune Estuary.

Environment organisations in the North West have been building a raft of hope for one of the UK’s beloved bird species – the common tern.

Natural England, alongside partners including Environment Agency, Fylde Bird Club, Lancaster University, RSPB, Lancaster & District Birdwatchers Society and Lune Rivers Trust have been working hard to do a good ‘tern’ for these delightful silvery-grey and white birds which are affectionally known as the ‘sea-swallow.’

Just outside of Lancaster and Morecambe in the Lune Estuary, breeding pairs of common terns were once a regular sight but lost habitat, disturbance, lack of food and increased threats from predators caused the colony of several hundred pairs to disappear in 2008. To encourage their return, they needed a helping hand.

Terns like to nest on bare shingle or sand, creating scrapes in the stones to lay eggs that are camouflaged to look like pebbles.

To ‘tern’ the tide against their decline Natural England has funded work to reprofile the islands and channels and to repair the tidal sluice.

In addition, an adapted floating pontoon, donated by Aquavista Glasson Dock, was installed in the pool at Conder Green in 2022 to add to a tiny raft floated a couple of years earlier.

Organisations ‘wanted to do more’

Three breeding seasons have completed, and numerous chicks have been successfully raised on these rafts, but the respective environmental organisations wanted to do more.

On the 19th November 2024, a team of willing volunteers from Natural England, Fylde Bird Club, RSPB and Lancaster University rolled up their sleeves to construct and launch another purpose-built nesting raft funded by the Environment Agency and made by Green Future Building Ltd.

Just like the first two, the third raft aims to improve and boost the nesting space and support the growing colony of common terns.