Little Terns nesting on Curracloe Beach

Little Terns, which are among Europe’s rarest seabirds, have been identified nesting at the south east corner of the beach at Curracloe, covering an area just over 1 hectare in size.

The National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage has erected a number of signs requesting that visitors to Curracloe beach and the Raven stay well back from the signposted area, so the birds have a chance to hatch their eggs and rear the chicks without disturbance. Unfortunately as the eggs and chicks are so well camouflaged amongst the shells on the beach, they can be easily walked on. Visitors could also potentially flush sitting birds from the nest, it exposes the eggs and chicks to predation by foxes, gulls and crows. They are also at risk from dogs who may not only disturb the adults, but also pick up eggs or chicks. It is therefore vital that dogs are kept on leads and under control in this area. In the past Little Terns have made their nests on the offshore sand banks and it is thought that they may have been over washed by waves at these locations, so in the last few years they have decided to try new sites.