Breeding platforms for the black tern
A number of black terns (Chlidonias niger) are circling above my head shrieking loudly, as I slowly make my way through the reeds. At the water's edge, I climb into a willow tree to get a good view of the breeding platforms. After a few minutes the birds give up, because I have stopped moving. Now that they have calmed down I take my binoculars to count the eggs and the chicks on the breeding platforms.
The young birds are well camouflaged and good at hiding themselves.
The black tern is a Dutch breeding bird that has declined by 90% since the 1970s, mainly due to a lack of suitable breeding sites caused by poor water quality. To give the birds a helping hand, for many years now A Rocha Zwolle has been placing breeding platforms (20 in total) in the Schellerwade, on the inside of the dike, with varying degrees of success. This year, A Rocha Netherlands asked me to officially monitor the breeding success.
A breeding platform with chicken wire as protection against predators
After putting the breeding rafts in the water, there was still some uncertainty as to whether the birds would want to breed there, as this does not happen every year. After a few weeks, it turned out that the rafts were indeed accepted by the birds, and then the monitoring could actually begin. And so, throughout the breeding season, the eggs and chicks were counted almost every week. I had to travel to Papua for a few weeks during the breeding season and was very grateful to Remco Visser for taking over my task during that period.
The official figures haven't been processed yet, but about two-thirds of the rafts were occupied and most of the young birds survived. A good example of some practical care for Creation.
These juvenile birds are about to leave the nest
