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Since 1985 the Little Tern colony at Kilcoole has grown from less than 20 nesting pairs, to over 274 pairs in 2024. This can be attributed to BirdWatch Ireland's work to conserve and protect the Little Terns nesting on Kilcoole Beach, Co. Wicklow. The project is supported and funded by the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS).
In Summer to help protect these vulnerable ground nesting birds and their chicks we must all keep dogs on leads when walking the beach between April and September. Research suggests birds don’t notice a difference between a dog on a leash and a dog off one, and this vital feeding patterns can be disturbed during this vital period.
We can sometimes feel overwhelmed by the task of tackling the global climate and biodiversity crises, but the NPSW Little Tern conservation project at Kilcoole illustrates perfectly the extreme lengths that conservationists in partnership with citizens now need to go to in order to prevent certain species from going extinct - and the success of this project shows clearly that what we do matters. When we take science-led deliberate climate action, on a local basis, we really can turn the tide.
Females lay 1-3 eggs in a slight depression (‘scrape’), which they incubate for 3 weeks. Rapid growth enables the young to take their first flights at between 2 and 3 weeks old, although they remain dependent on their parents for food. BirdWatch Ireland staff and volunteers work with staff from NPWS during the breeding season to monitor and protect the colony 24/7, giving the Little Terns the best possible chance to successfully raise their young.
There are a number of dangers to the successful nesting of this fragile ground nesting bird - at the conservation BirdWatch Ireland work to protect them from human disturbance and wild animal predation (hedgehogs, foxes and crows etc.), while other dangers such as tidal surges during stormy weather remain an unavoidable threat.
As Little Tern species remain more generally in decline, the local success at Kilcoole by BirdWatch Ireland and NPWS is now internationally recognised and can be attributed to a consistent strategy led by scientists and conservationists involving monitoring, protection, and predator management, all supported by vital assistance and cooperation from local citizens.
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