LITTLE terns, one of the rarest seabirds in the UK, thrive on the east coast thanks to a project driven forward by Inca.
Last year, the birds had another successful year, with 44 pairs nesting on the beach at Crimdon, in east Durham, producing 55 chicks, making it one of the most important little tern sites in Britain.
The birds nest within a fenced enclosure on the beach and their protection is part of a project overseen by Inca in conjunction with local police and Easington and Hartlepool councils.
Financial support has come from NWET landfill tax, English Nature, Durham County, Durham Bird Club and, over recent years, from Conoco Phillips Petroleum and Transco.
Last year, Kevin Spindloe, a naturalist from Darlington, was engaged by Inca to co-ordinate the project and, supported by a number of local volunteers, guard the birds throughout the breeding season.
The colony needs the protection because in the past, it has been disturbed by beach users, lost all its eggs to an illegal egg collector in 1999, and has been preyed on by foxes.
Published: 30/03/2004
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