The bird life of the Reserve falls into three groups - (i) the shore-
nesting birds, (ii) the birds feeding in the salt marsh and the Bay,
and (iii) the smaller breeding birds of the grasslands and woodlands.
Management prescriptions are required for the first two groups.
Objective:
Maintain the shore-nesting birds in a favourable condition
Factors:
The factors influencing the growth of the tern colony and the
change in breeding ground of the waders has been discussed in
Chapter III, section 7(a) (i). At the advice of the R.S.P.B. the
part-time Warden erected a line of poles and suitable advisory
notice boards so as to canalize people away from the centre of
the breeding area. Terns are attractive birds, and so long as a
colony continues to attempt to nest within the Reserve a part-
time Warden should be employed to patrol their breeding ground.
The possibility exists that the terns might move their site from
year to year, or that another species of bird may require special
supervision during the breeding season. Recommendations about
additional supervision of breeding birds should be made by the
Biological Sub-Committee.
Burning
It has been suggested that burning of the ground vegetation might
create a short turf habitat more suitable for shore-nesting
birds. Whether burning would have the desired result is not
known, but there are many possible undesirable results (e.g. the
fire getting out of hand). Therefore, burning as a management
tool is not recommended.
