Beacon Ponds site desperate for funding to ensure protection of threatened migratory seabird
Appeal to protect Little Tern colony in East Yorkshire has been made(Image: spurnbirdobservatory.co.uk)
An urgent funding appeal has been made to help preserve one of the UK’s most successful Little Tern colonies. The one-off appeal is to fund professional wardening for the coming breeding season and protect the Little Terns of Beacon Ponds, in Holderness.
The Little Tern, a small migratory seabird with a distinctive yellow and black-tipped bill, once came close to disappearing from Beacon Ponds altogether. As recently as the 1970s, they were virtually lost from the site, said Spurn Bird Observatory, which is behind the Save the Beacon Ponds Little Tern Project fundraiser on the GoFundMe crowfunding platform.
The recovery of the colony began in the 1990s with the appointment of a dedicated warden and the introduction of protective measures. In recent years, that effort has grown into one of the UK’s real conservation success stories.
The appeal page said: “Last season was our best ever – 105 pairs of Little Terns fledged 107 chicks. For a small reserve, that is a remarkable result.
“Beacon Ponds is now one of the most successful Little Tern sites in the country and an important contributor to national research and conservation work. But that success is now at risk.
“Despite huge effort, we do not yet have the funding in place to run the project in 2026. At present, we have not secured enough to employ even one full-time professional warden.
“Without a warden, the project cannot run. And without protection, the Little Terns are left vulnerable to disturbance, predation and nest failure.
“Volunteers are, and always will be, vital to this project. But experience has shown very clearly that volunteers alone cannot deliver the level of protection these birds need.
“A full-time, experienced warden is essential to co-ordinate volunteers, manage protection measures and respond quickly when problems arise. This is why we are asking for your help.”
Spurn Bird Observatory said it was a “one-off ask” on behalf of the Beacon Ponds Little Tern Project to fund professional wardening for the coming breeding season. “When funding allowed three wardens to provide round-the-clock protection throughout the breeding season, everything changed,” the appeal page said.
“Disturbance was reduced, threats were dealt with quickly, and breeding success rose steadily.” It added: “We are part of a major multi-partner initiative, and funding prospects from 2027 onwards are much more promising, but without support now, there may be no project left to carry forward.
“We are doing everything we can to secure other funding, but time is short and the breeding season will soon be upon us.” The Spurn Bird Observatory Facebook page spoke of the need to “bridge the gap” between the situation now and when funding prospects looked more hopeful in the future.
“Despite significant effort, we currently have a funding shortfall for the 2026 season. Without urgent support, we may not be able to employ wardens, and without wardens the project cannot run.”
The cost of running the full project for a season is £25,000. The GoFundMe appeal has set an initial target of £6k towards which £3,475 had been pledged at the time of publication.