These graceful seabirds fly thousands of miles each year to breed in Chichester Harbour and the Solent, and a camera situated on a tern raft provides 24/7 viewing of the characterful colony.
The shingle-covered rafts, first launched in 2019, provide safe nesting areas for Common Terns. The rafts were sorely needed; terns nest on shingle islands, spits and beaches. They had seen their habitat squeezed by disturbance from people, boats and dogs in combination with sea-level rise, increased storm surges and predation.
But this is a nature-recovery success story. Following a catastrophic decline in numbers from the late 1970s, the introduction of the rafts has brought the first signs of population recovery. Between 20 and 55 chicks have fledged each year (with the exception of 2023 when avian flu wiped out many birds).
What will you see?
The raft has already filled with several pairs of Common Terns. Over the first week or so they scrape out nests in the shingle, and they bond as pairs. The male flies in with fish for the female, showing off his ability to provide for chicks and they perform a sort of courtship “dance”. Eggs will follow shortly, then it will be cute fluffy chick time! Life then gets very busy and noisy, with squabbles and non-stop work for the parents bringing in fish for the chicks.
Common Tern facts:
- Common Terns pair for life. They spend their winters apart and reunite in their breeding grounds each spring.
- The oldest Common Tern on records was 33 years old, although typically they live for about 12 years.
- They spend their winters down the west coast of Africa.
Watch all the action live at www.conservancy.co.uk/terntv and follow Chichester Harbour Conservancy on Facebook or Instagram for regular updates.
Tern TV is funded by local charity the Friends of Chichester Harbour, who also funded the tern rafts through the Return of the Tern Project.