Nesting Ringed Plover Project 2023

 

In early April I saw a social media post asking for volunteers to assist with a conservation project at a local coastal area. It was to help protect the beautiful little Ringed Plover birds and their very vulnerable nests so I had to get in touch to register my interest.
A few weeks later on May 10th Mr H and I popped down to Souter Lighthouse for a training event where we saw a presentation about the Ringed Plover and then headed down to the beach to survey the site where the birds were likely to nest.

It was only in December of last year, after over 3 and half years of living here, that we discovered this lovely little beach so to find out more about it was brilliant. Not only that but being involved in something so important as a nesting project was really special. 

Over the months we have popped down to the beach whenever we could and kept an eye out for the Ringed Plover and any nesting activity. Here are some of the photos I've taken during this time.

The above images were taken on the day of our induction/training. If you look closely at the photo below the one of the Heron, we were actually very lucky to spot (from a distance) the very bird we were there for! A stunning little Ringed Plover.

The last time I saw Ringed Plover was probably over 7 years ago on a beach in my home town, Berwick Upon Tweed, so this was a very exciting moment for me!

That being said, I wasn't prepared for what happened on a visit a couple of weeks later...

These photos were taken on May 24th.
Approximately 11 Ringed Plover, alongside around 14 Sanderling at the North end of the bay!!! And 1 lone RP in the fenced-off area where nesting was expected! So exciting, especially to get such great photos - I'm so thankful to Mr H for getting me a new long lens this year!

We then had a few busy weeks where we were unable to visit due to many life events including losing our beloved little man Argo and our camping trip to the Rhinns of Galloway. It would, unfortunately, end up being over a month later that we would return to Jackie's beach.

When we finally did get to return on June 28th we looked and watched for ages without any sightings.
Luckily Mr H seems to have a gift for being able to pinpoint these tiny little camouflage experts and we did get to spot one Ringed Plover moving to and from the fenced area toward the shoreline feeding. 
Relying on eyesight and the length of my camera lens alone to play eye spy while staying a good distance away and avoiding disturbance is no mean feat! 

Annoyingly there was a man with a dog who walked directly towards the bird (which he must have been able to tell was there as we were pointing at it and photographing it) but being the socially anxious, non-confrontational people we are, we weren't comfortable talking to him. It's sad and disappointing, but not everyone has respect for nature and wildlife and there's nothing that can be done about that. Hopefully, projects like this with other fantastic volunteers who do interact with the public, alongside signs etc will help to increase knowledge and interest in our precious natural world. 

As you'll see from the other photos this was actually a pretty good day for wildlife! 
We saw a Cormorant, some Common Terns and lots of Butterflies, Bees and Hoverflies, as well as the Herring Gulls with their babies on the rocks.
On the walk along the cliffs back to the car, we were treated to the sight of seals! Growing up by the coast, I saw seals on a regular basis but I've never seen them in this area before. There were about 3 adults feeding in the sea and then we spotted the baby lounging on the rocks!!
You'll see I made a heart with some small pebbles too - I very cautiously chose them and I returned them straight back to where they came from as soon as I took the photo. This was during The Wildlife Trust's 30 Days Wild and a suggested activity so I took part.

And that brings us to these last few, Ringed Plover-less, photos. July came and went in a blur of health stress, medical appointments and Mr H working 6 days a week meaning we sadly missed out on spying a little chick who we were glad to hear had fledged the nest!

We did make the effort to pop down later in August to see if we would have the pleasure of spotting the chick and/or family for the last time this season to no avail. As we visited on a Sunday (we never usually go anywhere on a weekend but it's currently Mr H's only day off) it was busier than we were used to. Men were fishing from the rocks of the low tide line, many people walked their dogs and countless bikes passed back and forth along the upper footpath, which didn't make for prime bird spotting conditions. 

We were lucky to see a juvenile Pied Wagtail, Curlew, Terns, Herring Gull and a meeting of Cormorants as well as rock pools full of life. It seems like for years the rock pools have been empty, but today there were tiny fish and bright Beadlet anemone! There was also an abundance of (sadly dead) crabs littered across the high-tide line and very annoyingly some discarded fishing hooks. We spent time unravelling it from rocks and digging the line out of the sand to bin when we got back to the car. As vegans, it's no surprise we despise fishing but to find rusty hooks littering a beach where it could not only cause immense harm to wildlife but also to people or dogs is infuriating. 


It's strange to think that this breeding season is now over. After a failed nest where eggs were heartbreakingly trampled, it is wonderful to know the project was successful and has helped one beautiful little chick into the world. Fingers crossed the little one has gone from strength to strength and may one day return to nest itself. 
I hope this post has encouraged you to take more care while you explore our coastlines. Put your dogs on leads and be careful where you tread during breeding seasons. Don't move or take stones, don't create stone piles or towers. If you have litter with you take it home, if you see any while you are out and about pick it up and take it to a bin! 

We are so incredibly lucky to have the stunning nature and wildlife we do and we must do everything we can to protect it. And I feel extra lucky to have had the opportunity to join this project.