Champions for shorebirds on the NNR

Another shorebird update!

With the help of external funding we have a new shorebird warden who started this week. Richard has joined us for the summer season and in additional to staff and volunteers will be out and about around the NNR talking to visitors and making sure shorebirds are given the room they need to breed. He will be joined shortly by another warden, Laura, who will be taking up the gauntlet later in the month. Say hi to them if you see them out on the beach and help make their job a little easier by being aware of sensitive breeding areas whilst on the beach. Download our leaflet 'Sharing Our Beaches with Birds' for loads more info.

Sorry not a picture of the Richard the new warden - I'll get one of them out and about for the next blog!

Fences go up

Over the last week staff and volunteers have been putting up temporary protective fencing around the reserve. The fencing will allow shorebirds on the NNR to have a little bit of the Northumberland beach just for them without the threat of disturbance. 

Whilst out and about we had Ringed Plovers already incubating eggs. The eggs are so small and camouflaged it is easy to see how they could be trampled. 

Ringed Plover footprints on the beach. If you see a lot of these in an area it could indicate activity. 

We've been putting up outer fences with blue rope and signs - please don't go past them.

Sharing Our Beaches With Birds

 We are a partner of The Northumberland Little Tern project and we've been  putting together some information in a leaflet on how to enjoy the beach responsibly. The hope is the leaflet will help visitors to our beautiful coast enjoy their time whilst also ensuring shorebirds have the room they need during the breeding season. There’s also a nifty shorebird I.D. guide to take with you on your walk. It's been part funded by EU LIFE+ as part of the national Little Tern Recovery Project.

The front cover of our free new leaflet. Photo of little tern by K . Simmonds

We are just putting the finishing  touches to it and will be officially launching it in the next few weeks so watch this space.

Hopefully we’ll be getting the leaflets into a whole host of places including Tourist information centers which will give visitors a chance to read them before they arrive. If you are local business or give information out  and are interested in pre-ordering some copies then please get in contact with the reserve office and we can sort out getting some to you.  

Shorebirds in the press again

Great to see fences for shorebirds going up further down the coast at Druridge Bay - it's getting to the time of the year where we'll be dusting off the electric fences and doing the same up here.

http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/making-space-for-birds-on-northumberland-beach-1-7215062

Volunteers helped sort and store fencing from last year.