Metapopulation dynamics of roseate terns: Sources, sinks and implications for conservation management decisions
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As part of the Roseate Tern LIFE project, we have analysed ringing and recovery data for the three main roseate tern colonies in NW European metapopulation i.e. Rockabill and Lady’s Island Lake in Republic of Ireland and Coquet in the UK. French colonies could not be included for the lack of sufficient data. The aim of the study was to determine which demographic parameters were responsible for the growth of the colonies.
 
The study, which was published late October 2018 in the Journal for Animal Ecology, was led by Adam Seward and Mark Bolton from RSPB Centre for Conservation Science and funded by EU LIFE Programme and Natural England.

​Despite the reliance of the Coquet Island colony on immigration from Rockabill, Coquet Island has played an important role in maintaining the species in the UK, achieving yet another record of 118 nesting pairs in 2018. Having an additional nesting colony, the UK and Irish population as a whole is better protected against catastrophes like severe weather events, disturbance or disease that might hit any one colony. Moreover, since the research was carried out, it appears that the Coquet Island roseate terns are now beginning to sustain their own numbers. In 2016, 50% of terns nesting on the island had been hatched there, and this year the number had climbed to 60%.

​Without demography data, it is tricky to choose and invest into sites, where roseate terns could eventually disperse to. We now know that where coastal colonies of other tern species, such as common terns, are doing well and feeding predominantly in the marine environment, there is probably enough food and safe nesting areas for roseate terns to thrive there too. The next step is to look for such potential nesting sites and consider 'Coquet-style management' to give Roseate Terns a helping hand to colonise them. 

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Seward A, Ratcliffe N, Newton S, et al. Metapopulation dynamics of roseate terns: Sources, sinks and implications for conservation management decisions. J Anim Ecol. 2018;00:1–16.
https://doi. org/10.1111/1365-2656.12904 

Calling all photographers - we need your HELP!

The Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project is planning on creating an online Tern Prey ID Resource for our UK and Irish wardens/rangers to use during chick provisioning studies. Prey identification and size is a tricky task even for the most experienced surveyors. While distinguishing between sandeel, clupeids and other type of prey is relatively straightforward, further distinction between sprat and herring is more relevant than ever in the light of the observed and foreseen changes caused by climate change. And what about estimating prey size if half of it is obscured by the bird’s head?
 
We hope that for both new and experienced wardens this will be a useful addition to their toolkit. By providing multiple images to support the prey (e.g. fish, crustaceans, pipefish, squid) identification, it will also provide a better perspective of how it looks in the tern bill (compared to how it is portrayed in a fish ID book). This is especially important as wardens only have limited time to identify the prey species.
 
To this end, we would like to ask you to send in photos of any UK/ Irish breeding tern species holding various prey items to help making this resource more comprehensive. We will of course credit any image used. Please send the images to Chantal.Macleod-Nolan@rspb.org.uk by 28 February 2019. 

Photo Credits: Chantal Macleod-Nolan