Our Visitor Warden, Sharon, tells us about the challenges our shorebirds face throughout the year at Teesmouth, the diversity of species to be seen, and how we can help them survive during their most vulnerable seasons.
Teesmouth National Nature Reserve with its intertidal sand and mudflats, dunes and saltmarshes which are of huge importance both nationally and internationally, when it comes to shore birds. During spring and early summer, we see a lot of ground nesting birds breeding and raising their young, while during the winter months we see a lot of migratory birds which arrive at the site for a rest and good feed as they travel from the cold of the arctic regions to the warmer southern climates. Many travel thousands of miles to get here and still have many more left to go. It is not just the birds which travel from other countries to Teesmouth, I was fortunate recently to meet visitors who had travelled from Ukraine to see the birds on the nature reserve. It is always a pleasure to meet visitors, both Avian and non-Avian.
What birds you may see at Teesmouth depends upon the season along with tides. During the spring/early summer when ground nesting birds are breeding and raising young, we need to pay particular attention to where we are walking so we don’t destroy nests and eggs, and so we don’t disturb the birds. Following signage and remaining on the paths is imperative. One of my favourite memories is witnessing a Lapwing walking its brood onto the grazed pasture to feed. Watching that Lapwing keep its young in check and together was impressive. Another favourite of mine is the Ringed Plover, which chooses a rocky sandy area in which to lay its eggs. If you get too close to its nest or chicks, you will see this striking bird feign injury to draw you away from the area. The eggs are not always easy to spot so extra care is needed. During the winter months, you are likely to see Arctic Terns and Dunlin, enjoying a rest or picking the shores for food as they pass through on their migration.
When birds arrive at Teesmouth, they are often tired and very hungry. They have faced many dangers to get to our shores such as Bad weather. Storms at sea, can force the birds down into the waves where they drown and once birds arrive on site, they need to feed immediately so something like a late snowfall can result in disaster for them. Also, the extra energy a bird expends on its journey due to strong winds, needs to be replaced immediately or the bird will not survive. Other dangers include predators, collisions with man-made structures such as wind turbines or oil platforms, loss of “stop over” sites such due to climate change, development or agriculture to name but a few. Migration is a dangerous part of a bird’s life and if this is the first time a bird has taken part in migration, the dangers are exceptionally high.
The biggest risk to shorebirds is disturbance. Bird disturbance can come in many forms such as those brought about by people (walking/running too close to the birds, kite surfing, kayaking and paddle boarding for example) dogs which are not under control or on a lead, industries and shipping to name but a few. At Teesmouth, we regularly perform bird disturbance surveys where we collect data on the birds using our site, how they are feeding and if they experience disturbance, what is the source of the disturbance. This data is then collated, and plans are made to reduce and prevent this from occurring. An example of how this works, we recently identified that the biggest cause of bird disturbance was dogs which were not under control and allowed to chase the birds when feeding, roosting or raising their young. As a result of this, we implemented our Dog Ranger scheme, we engaged with visitors to highlight the issue and highlighted the issue on all our social media accounts. We have continued to carry out the bird disturbance surveys to assess the effectiveness of our actions so far and should we need to make any changes, then we can identify the issues and act rapidly. There are several byelaws in place across the reserve which can result in prosecution and criminal record for the perpetrator preventing all wildlife disturbance on the reserve.
When on the nature reserve, the first thing we would ask all our visitors to do is give space for shorebirds, we recommend a minimum of 50m. Watching the shorebirds feed is truly magical and the best way to watch them is by using binoculars, a scope, or even a zoom lens on your camera. If you have a dog with you, please always keep them on a lead and/or under close control. Encourage other dog owners to do the same.
Other issues faced by the shorebirds, includes pollution. We urge all visitors to take their litter home and dispose of dog waste in the bins provided. If all visitors were to do this, it reduces the risk of entanglement. We also experience ghost fishing gear being washed up on the beach and we urge visitors to let us know if they spot this by calling 0191 5860004 so we can remove this at the earliest opportunity.