How a 40-year project helped save little terns

A brown speckled little tern chick nestled among pebbles on sand

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBCImage caption,

Little tern chicks are camouflaged among the sand and pebbles on Norfolk beaches

ByDebbie Tubby and Laura Devlin

Published10 July 2026, 05:11 BST

Updated 35 minutes ago

Hidden in the scrapes, this little tern chick is camouflaged - and vulnerable - on a Norfolk beach.

But it is surrounded by a record 700 other ground nests due to a project set up to protect the threatened species 40 years ago.

With the help of local volunteers and wardens, who monitor breeding sites 24 hours a day, the future of the little tern is looking much brighter than it did back in 1986.

"I think without all the concerted effort of many, many people there's no way that the numbers would be increasing in the way they are now," said Finn Duncan, the community and volunteering officer on the RSPB Tern Around project in Norfolk and north Suffolk.

"Year by year now, we're getting more little tern fledglings off and away back to Africa - so that's really amazing."

Little terns travel 3,000 miles (4,828km) from west Africa to breed on the UK coast, but once here they face high tides, natural predators and the risk of being trampled by beachgoers and their dogs.

A white bird with a black head and grey wings stands on a sandy beach with a sand eel - a silver grey long creature - clasped in its yellow beak.

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBCImage caption,

Little terns feed on fish, particularly sand eels

An adult little tern, a white sea bird with a black head, flies above the beach as a brown chick walks along the sand. In the background is a plastic net-style fencing and clumps of green marram grass.

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBCImage caption,

Fencing is up on parts of the beach to protect the ground-nesting birds

So far in 2026, 81 volunteers have already donated nearly 2,000 hours of their time, the charity said.

From spring to late summer, they patrol beaches, check on fencing protecting nests and remove any predators such as hedgehogs.

Importantly, they speak to visitors - and particularly dog walkers - about the project to spread the word and ensure they keep their distance.

Among those who help is Mick Davies, who said he was "hooked" on looking out for the birds, despite the presents they leave him.

"I just can't get enough of the noise because they don't stop chatting.

"They take a little while to settle down, but they're very feisty.

"You might see a few white dots on me because I get pooed on nearly every day being down here."

A man smiling at the camera in a head and shoulders image. He is wearing a blue polo shirt and a beige baseball cap.

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBCImage caption,

Mick Davies said he had loved birds since he was a child

Two Little Tern adult birds with white bodies, grey wings and black heads, stand on the sand either side of a brown speckled fluffy chick

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBCImage caption,

The adult terns teach the chicks how to fly and feed

Fellow volunteer Nora Dobson said: "Because you're here for a long space of time, you can watch the way they feed, you see them mating, you can see them just getting involved in life," she said.

"You learn loads and there's so many volunteers here that are so experienced."

Davies said fledglings would "glide like a kite" once they lost their fluff and got their primary feathers, and were shown the ropes by the older generation.

"Then they'll do small flights and they'll be pushed down near the sea," he added.

"The adults will show them where the fish come from and how to fish, so they'll be dropping food out into the sea for the youngsters to come and collect."

A woman smiles at the camera in a head and shoulders image. She is wearing a blue polo shirt with a round RSPB badge to the left of her chest, featuring a black and white avocet. The woman has grey hair and sunglasses perched on top of her head.

Image source, Shaun Whitmore/BBCImage caption,

Nora Dobson said she joined the volunteer team as a way of meeting new people

The RSPB said, on average, the number of breeding pairs over the years have been secure and steady thanks to the project, but the birds faced ongoing threats from human disturbance, predators, high tides, poor summer weather and beach development

"It's not just us and the other volunteer - it's the local people, it's the public, you know, really being respectful of what we're doing," added Dobson.

"It's a real privilege to be part of it."

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