Hope for up to 60 common tern chicks as Lough Atalia hatching begins
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Common tern chicks have started hatching on rafts at Lough Atalia in a collaborative project involving Conservation Volunteers Galway, Atlantic Technological University and Galway City Council.
While the conservation group is hopeful there may be up to 60 chicks this year, the colony has faced ongoing challenges from avian influenza, which spreads rapidly and is fatal to most birds.
“Of the thirty nests, one has five hatched, one nest has three, there's two with two and the rest appear to be single chicks,” says Peter Butler of Conservation Volunteers Galway.
“They laid eggs at different times. We are hopeful that we might get 50 or 60 chicks this year which would be super. So far, all is good. They have a great supply of food and no predators.”
Once the chicks have gained their wings, they will fly to sub-Saharan Africa.
“The ones that hatched need six weeks on the raft before they take to the air,” Peter explains.
“It is beautiful when they fly - they flap - and then they are gone. They are on raft unable to fly and then in six weeks they all take to the air. By mid-August, the rafts are empty. They all go en masse to sub- Saharan Africa via the coast of France, Spain and Gibraltar.”
He says that maintaining the colony is an ongoing battle.
“Two years ago every single chick was dead on one of the rafts,” he says.
This isn't always happy ending. You can be lucky and unlucky in this battle.
“This isn't always happy ending. If avian influenza comes back again it will do damage as it is a virus that is fatal to most birds. You can be lucky and unlucky in this battle.
“It is not over yet but we are trying to get the colony back up to over 50 nesting as it will guarantee that they will come back. It is still a challenge. This colony has always come back to Galway city."
The man-made rafts provide a safe haven for the common tern, as the polycarbonate sides prevent predators.
The separation of the rafts also helps prevent the spread of avian influenza as much as possible, as the birds nest on different rafts, providing distance between them.
“Humans are supporting them,” Peter continues., “trying to create a safe place for them to nest and be successful.
“When they were on Mutton and Hare Island, they had lots of challenges with mink and foxes at low tides. We put in the rafts and that worked.”
Conservation Volunteers Galway also plan to build a nesting platform for Ospreys in County Galway and are in the early stages of providing a Sand Martin wall in Lough Atalia this winter.