Blog

08/06/2026

Progressing nicely....

Baltray is progressing nicely so far in the season. We have 143 nests and 291 eggs! A couple of these are in the buffer zone so any volunteers coming down will need to pay particular attention to people (and dogs!) and make sure that they are staying out of the buffer zone.  There are a lot of people entering the buffer zone and almost trampling on eggs despite warnings from wardens and ample amounts of signage! We are so pleased to see how well the season is progressing so far and how the Little Terns are thriving!! We hope the rest of the season continues this great pattern :) 

Darci

05/06/2026

Disturbance and dog walkers

We would remind visitors to the Baltray beach little tern conservation project to please not cause any disturbance to birds, and in particular to keep dogs on a lead and under control. Dogs may be very tempted to chase mobile little terna and ringed plover chicks, of which there are many at the moment. Dogs may also walk on nests/eggs if allowed loose.

It is an offense under the Wildlife Act to disturb a wild birds nest, in particular little terns, which are amber-listed and as Ireland's rarest breeding seabird, they are strictly protected under Annex I of the EU Birds Directive.

There area also strict rules in relation to the control of dogs in a public place.

The little tern protection scheme is funded by the NPWS and supported by the local authority.

thanks

Breffni

05/06/2026

Latest count

Our latest count (early this week) recorded at least 80 nests and 124 eggs after the last high tide, when some repairs were needed. The little terns are very active and successfully fishing, so we expect many more nests in the coming weeks. apart from tides the main issue at the moment is a number of very persistent rooks, which need to be chased away.

Darci

05/06/2026

Ringing session

Last Sunday we hosted a ringing session at Baltray (many thanks to Jan). Several volunteers and members of the public helped out. A good number were ringed and several recorded from previous years.

Breffni

28/05/2026

Picking up

There are around 140-160 Little Terns at Baltray! We have found plenty of scrapes so far and 3 confirmed eggs! We’ve seen an increase in how frequently adults are sitting and with courting behaviours like fish offerings. There have been instances where they’ve been sitting for prolonged periods of time which leads us to believe more nests are imminent! The recent heatwave seems to be encouraging them to nest!! 

Darci

24/05/2026

Slow start

We have about 55 little terns flying around the site as of this week. Several have made scrapes and a few are sitting. i high tide early in the week damaged some of the fencing but thanks to a great volunteer effort it was quickly repaired. The weather in early May has been unseasonably cold and terns seem to be travelling  a bit to find fish. We have sen slow starts in past years due to cold weather so the coming warm spell should get things going!

Breffni

26/04/2026

Pens completed

Hi all,

Couple of pairs of little terns flying around this morning. It’s beginning to get a little louder with their calls. Some courtship, offering fish, in the pens which is a great sign. Found a skylark or meadow pipit nest down in the dunes behind where the overflow pen was last year. Plenty of ringed plover about, very likely have eggs that we haven’t found yet. A kestrel has been spotted a few times hunting on the golf course, at Mornington and had a go at the haven but was quickly mobbed by skylarks.

All the pens are completed, with the buffer zone being put up on Monday. We’re almost set up for the season.

-Ivan

18/04/2026

First arrivals

First little terns of the season on Friday 18th with ten to fifteen birds flying around the site, along with a smattering of sandwich and common terns. This is the same day they were first seen last year. Birds could be seen fishing and generally overflying the site, prospecting. Fencing now well progressed.

16/04/2026

New Season

Welcome to the new season of little tern protection at Batray! The first week has started brightly:

We had seven park ranger staff from Louth and Meath, two wardens and Dominic. They managed to assemble about two thirds of the nesting pen fences and prepared all of the buffer fence posts ready to hang mesh by Tuesday last. And much further progress by our volunteer team looks set up with all materials on site or in transit.

28/07/2025

End of a season

Hi everyone

The 2025 tern season is coming to an end. We have begun taking down the fencing at the back of the site and intend to have all the pens deconstructed and packed away by next week. Since the last update one egg has hatched bringing our total count up to 245 chicks. There is one nest with a single egg remaining, however we are unsure if it will hatch or even survive to fledging age. We will be cleaning up the area all this week so all help is appreciated!

Ivan

16/07/2025

A Record Breaking Year!

Things are beginning to slow down at the Haven. Our total Little Tern chick count has reached 244 with at least three quarters having already fledged. We have around 5 eggs left spread across a couple of the pens in clutches of 1's and 2's. These are all most likely re-nesting after a failed clutch earlier in the season. The last nest expected to hatch last is being incubated by a 1 year old bird that was ringed as a chick in Portrane last year, which is highly unusual! The oystercatchers nesting with the terns were also successful, raising 3 chicks which are flying and the Ringed Plovers have thrived too. This year's success is record breaking for the Baltray colony, surpassing 2013's 193 fledged chicks. This is due to the high number of birds, which are usually found at other Irish colonies and a group of birds with Welsh colour rings from a colony in Gronant, Wales. In addition a lack of airborne predators such as the Kestrels has been present. The success of this year is a reflection of the support of volunteers who have patrolled the area and kept disturbances at the minimum. Thank you to everyone who has put in the hours. However the season is not over yet and hopefully we will have five more fledged chicks to add to our tally!

- Ivan

27/06/2025

Two Hundred Chicks!

Hi Everyone,

The chicks and the eggs in the overflow pen and its extension are doing quite well. There are chicks running around that area and seem to be in very good shape. Walkers are steering clear of the overflow pen which is very encouraging to see! 

We are sitting at around 200 chicks on the beach!! These are incredible numbers and we are very pleased with them. The success of the season so far has been due in part to the volunteers consistently coming down and helping out with keeping an eye on the Little Tern Colony. The additional boots of the ground have been an incredible support. 

Darci

20/06/2025

Best productivity to date for June!

Latest count of chicks has reached 182! 🐣 There are over 50 eggs still in nests throughout the pens. Thankfully no apparent predation to chicks however the next few weeks will be important so please keep your eyes 👀 to the skies if you’re down volunteering 😁

Ivan

15/06/2025

Hatchlings!

Hi all,

In the last week, lots of chicks have begun hatching, with our latest count at 122 chicks. The busiest areas are the pens between HQ and the north caravan. Terns are very aggressively protecting their nests and thankfully there has been no more predation. There are still a lot of nests and eggs, so we expect our numbers to continue to rise in the next week or so. The oystercatcher nest has also been successful with 3 chicks spotted on the beach!

Ivan

09/06/2025

Ringing the Chicks

Hi Everyone,

We have chicks! 🐣🐥🎉

0 chicks are currently residing on Baltray beach and very soon there will be more!! 

It would be great to have some additional help as the season is about to really get busy due to the chicks hatching and amount of walkers on the beach. 

The overcast weather and lower temperatures have done wonders to keep the crows away but once the weather gets warm again they will return.

There have also been quite a few chicks ringed for identification! 

Darci 

04/06/2025

Shaping Up to be a Record Season

We have 101 nests which have 203 eggs!! With the season picking up, It would be great to have more boots on the ground. We should have chicks coming in approximately 2 weeks from now! The weather has been quite wet and windy down here in Baltray which we believe to be why the activity of the avian predators has calmed down. 

28/05/2025

128 Eggs already!

The current count for surviving nests is 61 with a grand total of 128 eggs. The numbers are steadily increasing! The incoming high temperatures and good weather should also contribute to this. The biggest problems right now are Avian Predators like Hooded Crows or Rooks and the High Tides. The tide has washed away 4 nests that were outside of the pens but we are moving any nests that are within the danger zone of the tide.

Darci

This is well ahead of last year, when we had later arrivals. The uptick in corvid activity is likely related to the spell of warm weather. Warm dry weather means more insect productivity, and more food for young crows, boosting the population.

26/05/2025

High Water!

The total nests observed so far is 44 with 82 eggs. They’re mainly concentrated in pens 5-8. The crows destroyed 5 nests today in the river pen and pen 0, totalling 8 eggs lost in one day. At one point there were 15+ rooks in the area. As Dominic said earlier if anyone is around to help out, the terns would appreciate it!

Ivan

arci and I moved 5 nests up the beach today.  Likely need to move again before the moon starts to grow!

The season seems to be going apace so early , with 56+ nests and over 100 eggs already.

Well done our extra crow monitors last week you made some difference. There may be some adult Tern ringing this week.  Awaiting confirmation and will announce as news arrives...

Dominic

21/05/2025

Ravens and Crows

The total nests observed so far is 44 with 82 eggs. They’re mainly concentrated in pens 5-8. The crows destroyed 5 nests today in the river pen and pen 0, totalling 8 eggs lost in one day. At one point there were 15+ rooks in the area. As Dominic said earlier if anyone is around to help out, the terns would appreciate it!

Ivan

Also many ringed plover nests.

16/05/2025

Over One hundred Arrivals

Hi everyone,

The terns have arrived with numbers well over 100. All fencing is complete, with electric fencing installed in priority areas. Courtship between the birds is ongoing and lots of nest scrapings can be seen in each pen. A few Ringed Plover nests have been found in the past few days and we are expecting Little Tern eggs soon! There is an Oystercatcher pair around the pens too (most likely the same pair from last year), and hopefully we will see chicks from them as well. The terns have arrived earlier than previous years and the good weather has most likely sped up the process of courtship and mating.

Darci and I, are now full time during the day and the night wardens, Gary and Frank have started too. All help is really appreciated to fill the gaps between our shifts. It is important to have somebody on site at all times as crows and other predators are becoming more active.

All the best,

 Ivan

07/05/2025

Pens complete

Pens complete!

Outer fence on the beach to be installed either Friday or Saturday,  depending on delivery of new posts  and rope .

Well done all the teams who've been on the build. We're now established with two caravan observer points, 10 pens, one corridor.

Ivan had his final college exam today 6

Darci has been patrolling for nests and pest control. 60 Little Terns this morning on site. Two leverets are also resident!

Dominic

05/05/2025

Good progress

Great progress with the fencing this weekend and plenty of little terns coming and going, and apparently catching fish. Several ringed plovers haves started nesting and a cuckoo has been heard around the golf course. there seems to be a general arrival of cuckoos.

We would remind members of the public walking dogs that they should be kept on lead and under control, especially near the pens. dogs can cause devastation with the ground nesting birds, trampling nests, breaking eggs, killing chicks. It is also important to be aware that the little tern colony is legally protected and any disturbance to them is an offence under the Wildlife Act.

Breffni

02/05/2025

One final push...

..on the fencing tomorrow Saturday morning, hopefully 9 to noon should finish it. There is a good number of little terns on site, finding fish and starting courtship. Its sahping p to be a great season!

Breffni

27/04/2025

Don't Fence Me In!

Fencing work continues at Baltray, with good progress yesterday.

About 50 little terns were seen flying around the site, several with fish, a good indication of a successful season to come.

Anybody interested in volunteering, please send me an email bmartin@regintel.com. The work involves erecting fencing for now but later in the season we will need people to do wardenign of the site, essentially patrolling the periphery, advising members of the public, and making observations of bird numbers and species.

18/04/2025

First Arrivals

Hi everyone,

The fencing for the terns is well underway, with some great progress being made this week. Thank you to all the volunteers and a team from the NPWS coming down to help out. On both days of fencing we’ve had visits from the Little Terns which is a great sign for the upcoming season. If you are interested in volunteering during this busy part of the season or just want to get involved please contact bmartin@regintel.com.

-Ivan

Three little terns were seen on Saturday and 15 yesterday. Reports around the country would suggest a general arrival with first bird seen at Tacumshin lake in Wexford on the 6th April, followed by small groups at lady's island and Wexford harbour and a singleton at Kilcoole.

11/04/2025

Welcome to the 2025 Little Tern Blog!

Preparation work for the coming season is already underway, with sorting of poles, netting, fencing, batteries and all the rest started last weekend. This weekend the first fencing exercise will begin on Saturday at 9am at the site at Baltray. No sign of any lite terns as yet but large numbers of sandwich terns have been seen.

See you there!

Breffni

17/08/2024

Clean-up Complete

Thanks to everyone who volunteered this year. We estimate approximately 1500 volunteer hours were spent wardening the site producing up to 112 Little Tern nests, 253 Eggs Laid, 201 hatches and at least 167 fledged! A record year! it will be interesting to analyze the results and see what we have learned, though clearly the weather and the beach configuration were a big help this year. 

once again thanks to the volunteers, night wardens, ecologists and members of the public; it couldn't have happened without you.

The Louth Nature Trust