Big hopes for Little Terns at the Point of Ayr

Little Terns are the UK’s smallest species of tern. Weighing as little as a tennis ball, this diminutive seabird migrates thousands of miles from West Africa each spring to nest on sand and shingle beaches around the UK’s coast.

Since the 1980s, Little Terns have declined by 39% across the UK and Ireland, and they’re now our second rarest breeding seabird. In Wales, Little Terns only breed on a small stretch of the north-east coast. There is an established colony at Gronant, managed by Denbighshire County Council and, in recent years, a small satellite colony has also formed at nearby Point of Ayr, part of the RSPB Dee Estuary Reserve.

This year the reserve is hoping to recruit a team of volunteer beach wardens to protect these tiny seabirds as they rear their chicks. The success of Little Tern colonies can be dramatically improved when protected from disturbance, and volunteers play a critical role in supporting this effort. For example, RSPB volunteers helped 455 Little Tern chicks to fledge in 2025 at Eccles in Norfolk, the highest since 2002. The Point of Ayr project will also be supported by the RSPB’s Species Volunteer Network (SVN), a team dedicated to recruiting and training volunteers working on our important species recovery work across the UK.

RSPB volunteer Gordon Graham has been a beach warden at Point of Ayr since 2023.

The Little Tern colony at Point of Ayr has been developing over the past five years. The most successful year so far was 2022 when there were 34 nests and 66 fledged chicks.

There has been mixed success over subsequent years, with crow predation becoming more of an issue recently. Despite this, thanks to invaluable volunteer support, including nest monitoring, maintaining site infrastructure and people engagement, and together with the efforts of some feisty Little Tern adults, the colony has seen chicks fledge successfully in all but one year.

The RSPB Dee Estuary reserve will be increasing management resources at the Point of Ayr colony for the 2026 season. This will include recruiting more volunteers to become beach wardens. The hope is for the area to be manned dawn to dusk, seven days a week throughout the breeding season. There will also be a new hide constructed near the Little Tern breeding area.

Volunteer coordinators have an important role to play in projects such as these, and this year Gordon has undertaken a new volunteering role.

“With the large number of volunteers required for this project and having first-hand experience as a beach warden, I was approached by the reserve for the position of the Little Tern Volunteer Coordinator for Point of Ayr. In January, I transitioned from my previous role as Volunteer Coordinator at RSPB Burton Mere Wetlands to commence recruitment for the upcoming summer season at Point of Ayr

“Since then, my volunteer work has kept me busy with various tasks, such as designing new bilingual job role profiles and posters. I have also been reviewing applications as they come in, conducting Q&A and induction sessions both online and in person. I will be managing the volunteer rota throughout the season and hope we have enough keen and willing volunteers to make this task a little easier!

“There is still plenty to do before the Little Terns arrive, and when they do, I will return to the Point of Ayr to see them. In addition to my ongoing role as Volunteers Coordinator, I have already signed up for warden duties on the rota!”

Thank you to all our volunteers who play a vital role in the RSPB’s species recovery work. If you are inspired to get involved this year at Point of Ayr or want to find out more about this role please see Little Tern Beach Warden Volunteer opportunity.

For our other volunteering opportunities please go to our Volunteering hub.

If you can’t find the sort of volunteering role you’re looking for from our listed opportunities, please do get in touch so we can help find the right role for you. Whilst we cannot always guarantee a role on a specific project, you can contact us directly at SpeciesVolunteerNetwork@rspb.org.uk and we will get back to you as soon as possible.