Location:
The Solent and Southampton Water SPA is located on the south English coast. The area covered extends from Hurst Spit to Hill Head along the south coast of Hampshire and from Yarmouth to Whitecliff Bay along the north coast of the Isle of Wight. The site comprises a series of estuaries and harbours with extensive mud-flats and saltmarshes together with adjacent coastal habitats including saline lagoons, shingle beaches, reedbeds, damp woodland and grazing marsh. In summer, the site is of importance for breeding seabirds, including gulls and four species of terns.
The Solent and Southampton Water SPA is located on the south English coast. The area covered extends from Hurst Spit to Hill Head along the south coast of Hampshire and from Yarmouth to Whitecliff Bay along the north coast of the Isle of Wight. The site comprises a series of estuaries and harbours with extensive mud-flats and saltmarshes together with adjacent coastal habitats including saline lagoons, shingle beaches, reedbeds, damp woodland and grazing marsh. In summer, the site is of importance for breeding seabirds, including gulls and four species of terns.
Roseate Tern History
One or two pairs of roseate terns nested in most years between 1967 and 1978. An average of two pairs nested between 1993 and 1997 and one or two pairs nested each year between 2002 and 2006. Since then, roseate terns have continued to be seen on passage, with no subsequent record as a nesting species. As such, there have been no confirmed records of breeding by this species in this SPA within the last 8 years.
One or two pairs of roseate terns nested in most years between 1967 and 1978. An average of two pairs nested between 1993 and 1997 and one or two pairs nested each year between 2002 and 2006. Since then, roseate terns have continued to be seen on passage, with no subsequent record as a nesting species. As such, there have been no confirmed records of breeding by this species in this SPA within the last 8 years.
Breeding Bird Species:
The LIFE Project is predominantly focusing in the Western Solent and the 2018 censuses of breeding tern colonies near Lymington Harbour (based on a peak count of active clutches) revealed 94 breeding pairs of common tern, 90 Sandwich tern and 8 little tern. The number of nesting common terns in 2018 is slightly lower than the 5-year peak mean of 101 pairs. The number of little breeding pairs of little tern also decreased compared to a peak mean of 11. Conversely, sandwich and little terns showed increases compared to 5-year peak mean of 70 pairs. Its worth noting that the coordinated little tern count revealed 17 adult birds flying but some of these could be non-breeders or double-counts (Brown, 2018).
The LIFE Project is predominantly focusing in the Western Solent and the 2018 censuses of breeding tern colonies near Lymington Harbour (based on a peak count of active clutches) revealed 94 breeding pairs of common tern, 90 Sandwich tern and 8 little tern. The number of nesting common terns in 2018 is slightly lower than the 5-year peak mean of 101 pairs. The number of little breeding pairs of little tern also decreased compared to a peak mean of 11. Conversely, sandwich and little terns showed increases compared to 5-year peak mean of 70 pairs. Its worth noting that the coordinated little tern count revealed 17 adult birds flying but some of these could be non-breeders or double-counts (Brown, 2018).
Sandwich tern nest in the Western Solent (Photo by Chantal Macleod-Nolan)
Sandwich Tern, pair at nest feeding chick by Chris Gomersall (rspb-images.com)
Partnership:
This work is being carried out in partnership with organisations including Hampshire County Council, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Lymington Harbour Commissioners, National Trust, Natural England and the RSPB.
The break-down of the key areas each organisation is responsible for:
This work is being carried out in partnership with organisations including Hampshire County Council, Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, Lymington Harbour Commissioners, National Trust, Natural England and the RSPB.
The break-down of the key areas each organisation is responsible for:
- Lymington Breakwaters: These are under the overall control of the Lymington Harbour Commissioners. Their main function is to protect Lymington Harbour from erosion.
- Lymington-Keyhaven Nature Reserve: This is owned by Hampshire County Council and used for nature conservation.
- Keyhaven-Pennington Marshes: These are owned mostly by the Crown Estate but are managed for nature conservation by the Hampshire and Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, who outsources direct management and monitoring to the HCC.
- North Solent NNR is owned by the Beaulieu Estate and is managed by Natural England
- Titchfield Haven National Nature Reserve is owned and managed by Hampshire County Council.
- Newtown Harbour NNR is owned and managed by the National Trust
No Access signs on the cheniers in the Western Solent (Photo by Matt Brown)
Presence of the LIFE Project:
Tern colonies have declined both on Hurst Point and in the Lymington area largely due to disturbance, predation and habitat loss/sea-level rise. However common and Sandwich terns still breed there annually. The LIFE project will establish for the first time an effective tern wardening operation to cover both sites and increase the management of disturbance and predation impacts.
We will also create suitable tern breeding habitat within a predator-proof fenced area of Hurst Spit, through the capping of a new breakwaters at Lymington Harbour with shingle, and by building up shingle islands in the saltmarsh at Lymington. Predator management will be significantly increased, and human disturbance will be tackled through increased public awareness work. The overall aim is to re-establish secure, productive tern colonies in this area within the period of the LIFE project.
Tern colonies have declined both on Hurst Point and in the Lymington area largely due to disturbance, predation and habitat loss/sea-level rise. However common and Sandwich terns still breed there annually. The LIFE project will establish for the first time an effective tern wardening operation to cover both sites and increase the management of disturbance and predation impacts.
We will also create suitable tern breeding habitat within a predator-proof fenced area of Hurst Spit, through the capping of a new breakwaters at Lymington Harbour with shingle, and by building up shingle islands in the saltmarsh at Lymington. Predator management will be significantly increased, and human disturbance will be tackled through increased public awareness work. The overall aim is to re-establish secure, productive tern colonies in this area within the period of the LIFE project.
Trialling a shingle recharge on an eroding chenier- tern nesting site (Photo by Matt Brown)
Creating nest bunds on the breakwater of Lymington Harbour to provide safe tern sites (Photo by Matt Brown)
Deployment of tern rafts in Lymington-Keyhaven (Photo by Matt Brown)
Bibliography:
Brown, M. 2018. Western Solent breeding tern report. Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project. RSPB unpublished document.
LIFE (2015) LIFE Nature and Biodiversity Technical Applications Forms. Part A - Administrative information. EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project
Macleod-Nolan, C (2016) Review on Roseate Tern LIFE Project SPAs. EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project. RSPB unpublished document.
Brown, M. 2018. Western Solent breeding tern report. Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project. RSPB unpublished document.
LIFE (2015) LIFE Nature and Biodiversity Technical Applications Forms. Part A - Administrative information. EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project
Macleod-Nolan, C (2016) Review on Roseate Tern LIFE Project SPAs. EU LIFE Roseate Tern Recovery Project. RSPB unpublished document.