VOLUNTEERS and a conservation body are celebrating another successful breeding season for a vulnerable group of little birds on Chesil Beach which they have helped to protect.

The little terns on Chesil Beach - on Portland and around the Fleet near Ferrybridge -  are the last remaining colony in south west England.

This summer a minimum of 41 pairs, up from last year’s 38, successfully raised and fledged at least 37 chicks.

The RSPB said this is a hatching success rate of up to 71 per cent - just three years ago only three fledglings survived.

(Image: Angela Thomas at the Chesil and Fleet Nature Reserve) The little tern is one of the UK’s smallest and most vulnerable seabirds, weighing no more than a tennis ball, and the UK population has been in steady decline since the 1980s.

They face multiple pressures in the UK, including coastal flooding exacerbated by climate change and rising sea levels, declining food availability, disturbance from people, dogs, and predators.

They arrive at Chesil Beach in April after making an exhausting 4,000-mile journey from West Africa.

The colony’s success in Dorset is thanks to a team of volunteers. From April to August each year they give up their time to protect the nests and chicks, as part of the Chesil Little Tern Recovery Project.

The project is led by the RSPB, in partnership with Dorset Council, Crown Estate, Portland Court Leet, Chesil & Fleet Nature Reserve, Dorset Wildlife Trust, and Natural England.

(Image: Tara Watson/RSPB)RSPB Volunteer Georgina Shaw said: “Volunteering with the project is so fulfilling; it feels like our work makes a difference. Because the colony is in an exposed position on Chesil Beach, if we weren’t there to help protect them during the breeding season, they simply wouldn’t be able to breed successfully, due to the levels of disturbance they’d face."

Each breeding season volunteers carry out crucial tasks to safeguard the colony, including protecting the birds from human disturbance on the beach.

They do this by talking to beach visitors about the project, raising awareness about the plight of these birds, and explaining how they can help by heeding signs and enjoying the birds from a distance, and keeping dogs on leads near the colony.

(Image: Tara Watson/RSPB)Volunteers also safeguard the bird’s eggs and chicks from potential predators mainly via maintaining a fence around the colony each summer (pictured above). This is the first year the fence has been fully powered by solar energy. Some volunteers help to undertake egg and chick counts.

Julie Sims, RSPB Senior Conservation Officer, said: “The protection of the colony takes a huge amount of time and effort.

"We engage in this work because there simply isn’t enough undisturbed coastal habitat for this species in the UK anymore.

"Colonies such as this one are very vulnerable and we work hard to carve out a little undisturbed patch for them to nest on."

Christopher Goding, RSPB Project Officer for the Chesil Little Tern Project added: “I would like to thank the project partners and volunteers, whose dedication and knowledge is crucial to the success of these rare birds in Dorset."

To find out more email: chesil.tern@rspb.org.uk