Plea to protect Hartlepool's little terns after reports of youngsters pelting rare birds at Seaton Carew

The legally protected little terns have again taken up residence on a stretch of beach at Seaton Carew after nesting there for the first time last year.

Hartlepool Borough Council has clearly marked and roped off the nesting area close to the resort’s centre, as they did last year, with wardens from the Durham Wildlife Trust monitoring the site.

Weighing only 40-60g and about the size of a starling, little terns are the smallest of the five species of terns that breed in the UK.

They winter in West Africa and migrate thousands of miles to nest here from May to August.

However council chiefs said groups of youngsters have been spotted playing football nearby and throwing objects at the birds, while others have been walking across the nesting site.

They added as well breaching Covid-19 distancing rules, this could have potentially disastrous consequences for the colony of 80 to 90 birds.

Sarah Scarr, Hartlepool Borough Council’s Heritage and Countryside Manager, said: “We are still seeing people walk across the whole nesting site, disturbing the colony and possibly destroying eggs as many of the birds have started laying.

“We also had an incident where a group of youths gathered on the beach on Wednesday evening in clear breach of Covid-19 rules.

“Some started playing football near to the nesting site, while others are reported to have thrown objects at the little terns to get them to fly up from their nests.

“We would urge people to respect the site and keep their distance. Adult birds will leave their nests if disturbed, leaving their eggs and chicks vulnerable to the weather and predators.”

The birds lay their well-camouflaged eggs in shallow scrapes in the sand, but this makes the nests very difficult to spot and leaves them extremely vulnerable to disturbance and damage.

Council chiefs have praised wardens for doing a ‘tremendous job’ protecting the site, and added the majority of people who use the beach are ‘thrilled’ to see the birds back.

When the birds were first spotted at the site in 2019, it was believed they had moved to Seaton Carew from a breeding site at Crimdon Dene, just north of Hartlepool.

Anyone who witnesses the site being deliberately disturbed or damaged should contact the police on 101.

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