Spoonbills on RSPB Havergate Island, Suffolk
Spoonbills on RSPB Havergate Island, Suffolk Lyndsey Record and David Fairhurst, South Suffolk Coast RSPB Wardens and Aaron Howe, South Suffolk RSPB Coast Site Manager Havergate Island is located on the Suffolk Coast nestled within the Alde/Ore Estuary near Orford. It is Suffolk’s only island and comprises 100ha of predominantly-saline lagoons and shingle habitats. The RSPB purchased the reserve in 1949 following war-time neglect and colonisation by Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta. The reserve, along with Minsmere, was instrumental in the successful re-establishment of Avocets in the UK. Eurasian Spoonbill Platalea leucorodia have been recorded on Havergate Island since the RSPB first purchased the reserve in 1949. The first record we have is from 1951 with infrequent records through to the late-1990s. From 2002 numbers rose sharply which was no doubt associated with the increased breeding success in the Wadden Sea on the north coast of The Netherlands.
Recorded Spoonbill sightings on Havergate Island
Spoonbill numbers rose year-on-year although most of the birds were non-breeding with juvenile birds arriving in late July to spend the summer feeding and roosting on the island. No nesting attempts were observed but the wardens were hopeful that the island could provide conditions for successful breeding attempts. Model decoy birds were built in 2007 and small nests were constructed on the ground. The team put the decoys out annually and the artificial platforms were deliberately very small. In 2013 surveys were carried out to see if the food supply was adequate. After determining that food was not an issue, attention turned to possible ground predators. As the island is so close to the mainland it can have intermittent visits by ground predators such as Red Fox Vulpes vulpes, Eurasian Badger Meles meles and Eurasian Otter Lutra lutra. To combat this, in February 2013 additional artificial elevated Spoonbill platforms were erected in the hopes that nesting areas off the ground would be more enticing.
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