Seabirds Return to England’s South Coast

Level 1 · Easy

In 2022, a serious bird flu killed many seabirds on England’s south coast. At Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, all sandwich terns disappeared.

Now, these birds have returned. After three years of hard work by the RSPB charity, there are 756 pairs of sandwich terns. They raised 570 young birds this summer.

Other birds like gulls and plovers are also doing well. Workers put up fences to stop foxes, cleared weeds, and created safe islands. They also built floating rafts so birds can build nests away from dogs and boats.

Level 2 · Medium

In 2022, a dangerous illness called bird flu struck the south coast of England. At Pagham Harbour in West Sussex, the entire breeding group of sandwich terns was lost.

Today, the birds have made an amazing recovery. Thanks to conservation efforts by the RSPB, numbers went from zero to 756 breeding pairs in only three years. This summer, the terns raised 570 young birds. Black-headed gull chicks also jumped from 51 in 2025 to 504 in 2026.

Teams of workers and volunteers protected the birds in several ways. They set up fences to keep away predators like foxes and checked for rats. They also cleared plants to make nesting room and created small islands in a salty pool for avocets.

At nearby sites like Medmerry and West Hayling, floating rafts gave common terns and gulls safe spaces away from boats and pets. Volunteers also spoke to visitors to keep dogs away from nesting areas. This work is part of the Solent Seascape project, which works to restore coastal nature.

Level 3 · Real news English

In 2022, an outbreak of avian flu devastated seabirds along England’s southern coastline. At the Pagham Harbour nature reserve in West Sussex, the local colony of sandwich terns was completely destroyed, while black-headed gulls and Mediterranean gulls suffered severe losses, causing birds to abandon the breeding ground.

However, dedicated conservation action has sparked a dramatic turnaround. According to the RSPB, sandwich tern numbers have surged from zero to 756 breeding pairs within three years. During the summer of 2026, the birds produced 570 fledglings, forming one of the largest colonies ever documented in the Solent region.

Other species have also flourished across the 52,000 hectares of coastal land and estuary. Black-headed gull fledglings rose tenfold, from 51 in 2025 to 504 in 2026, and little tern numbers grew from 21 to 34. Furthermore, 18 pairs of avocets successfully nested on artificial islands built inside a saline lagoon at Ferry Pool.

RSPB staff and volunteers applied multiple protective techniques to help the birds thrive. They installed specialized fences to block mammalian predators like foxes, monitored the area for rats, and selectively cleared vegetation to open up bare ground for nesting. In addition, floating rafts at RSPB Medmerry and West Hayling in Hampshire provided predator-free spots for common terns and gulls, safely away from boats and dogs.

Rangers and volunteers conducted regular patrols to warn the public about how vulnerable ground-nesting seabirds are to disturbance, while setting up separate exercise zones for pet dogs. Wez Smith, an RSPB senior project manager, explained that the reserve is now thriving with record-breaking populations. These measures form part of the broader Solent Seascape project, a partnership headed by the Blue Marine Foundation to restore habitats such as oyster reefs, saltmarshes, and seagrass beds.