Seaton Carew little terns have a poor breeding season
The story at a glance
Seaton Carew’s little tern colony produced 17 fledglings from 83 nesting pairs in 2026, according to a BBC report. It describes this as the colony’s poorest season since it established at the site in 2019. The report gives 67 fledglings for 2025, although the Wildlife Trust’s account gives a different figure for that year.12
Flooding and high tides reportedly damaged protective fencing, while the colony’s lead warden also cited late inshore food and predation as contributing factors. The report says plans are being developed to improve the site for 2027, but does not detail the proposed changes.1
The story in brief
What you need to know
- The BBC report records 83 nesting pairs and 17 fledglings in 2026. It says the fledgling total was down from 67 in 2025; the Trust’s account, however, records 70 fledglings for 2025. The sources located do not resolve the difference.12
- The reported pressures were varied: flooding and high tides washed away protective perimeter fencing, while the lead warden cited late arrival of inshore food and predation. These are reported explanations, not quantified findings establishing how much each factor affected breeding success.1
- Dog access was also raised as a concern. The BBC report says numbers were reported down 50% in June and the team attributed the decline to dogs entering the exclusion zone. The council and Trust separately reported 24 breaches in one afternoon in May.14
- Protection was in place before the 2026 season: planned measures included perimeter fencing, an inner mesh fence against predators, and daily and overnight wardening. The council described these preparations before the breeding season began.3
- The site’s previous results show considerable variation. The Trust reports 136–145 fledglings in 2024, while its account gives 70 for 2025; the BBC report gives 67 for that year.125
Conservation context
Why this matters
The season’s low reported fledgling total highlights the challenge of protecting a nesting colony amid several possible pressures. Understanding which factors mattered most will be important for judging what site measures could help.13
The developing story
What happens next
The BBC says planning is under way to improve the site for the 2027 breeding season. The specific changes, and how their effectiveness will be assessed, have not been set out in the sources located.12
Established evidence
What we know
Open questions
What we don't know
- The sources located do not include a published 2026 colony report independently verifying the BBC’s season-end figures.12
- The 2025 fledgling total is inconsistent across the supplied accounts: 67 in the BBC report and 70 in the Trust account.12
- The available reporting does not quantify the relative effects of flooding, fence damage, food availability, predation or dog disturbance.14
- The reported 2026 total does not show whether the low number of fledglings resulted from fewer chicks hatching, chick mortality, early departure or a combination of factors.1
Source coverage
