Little Terns at Seaton Carew

03/08/2026

As we wish our little terns ‘Bon voyage!’, we’d love to get your feedback. If you can spare the time, we’d really appreciate it if you would fill in our Community Survey. You can do this by scanning the QR code below, or following this link:

https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/AeQZpEAQ8n

Thank you for all of your support this season 😊

28/07/2026

Today, we took delivery of a trailer that will act as our hub for the remainder of the season. Thank you to Hartlepool Borough Council. We really appreciate this.

Why not pop down and say hello - take a look at our pictures and our 3D-printed birds, pick up a leaflet all about the little terns, share your opinions via our questionnaire, grab a sticker. We look forward to seeing you.

27/07/2026

It’s great to be able to share these photographs, taken by one of our wardens - Mary. They show one of our little tern fledglings taking to the skies and learning from its parent. The wardens and volunteers feel like proud parents when we get to see sights such as these 😍 It won’t be long now before these little birds begin their epic 3,000 mile journey back to West Africa! If you want to see them before they leave, head down to Seaton Carew soon 🏃🏽‍♀️‍➡️🏃🏼‍➡️

25/07/2026

Ever wondered how small a little tern is? At just over 20cm long, and weighing about the same as a tennis ball, they are the UK's smallest species of tern. Come and take a look at our 3D-printed birds to really appreciate how small they are! Despite their diminutive size, they're more than capable of seeing off a herring gull that strays into their territory 💪

25/07/2026

Our wardens and volunteers would like to say a great big THANK YOU to everyone who stops to chat at Seaton Carew. We love to share news about the little terns, and we particularly like to see the smiles on people's faces when they get a closer look at the birds through our scope.
We'd like to give a special shout-out to the kind people who have offered donations to support our work. Today, we'd like to thank Joe and family from Peterlee and Stephanie N. Your generosity is greatly appreciated ❤️

19/07/2026

Today, we had a record number of ringed plovers within the site - eighteen in total! In addition, there were more than fifty little terns hunkered down, with a similar number resting on the shore. This resulted in some spectacular lifts. To top it all, we got to see some very active chicks, with parents regularly bringing them food. Although it’s late in the season, it’s not too late to come along and see these little birds for yourselves, whether you’re a first-time visitor or popping down for another look.

17/07/2026

We’re continuing to spot new little tern chicks at Seaton, and there are still more to come. They always bring a big smile to the faces of our wardens and volunteers, and we’d love to share the experience with you! If we’ve got the telescope out, we’ll do our best to let you see them too 😍

24/02/2026

In anticipation of the return of the little terns to Seaton Carew, a beach clean has been organised prior to the er****on of the site fencing. Aside from removing unsightly litter, this helps to ensure that smaller items are also collected so that they cannot be ingested by the birds. If you would like to take part, please follow the link below. It would be great to see you there 😊

Join us for a Beach Clean at Seaton Carew to help get the site ready to welcome back our Little Terns for this year's nesting season.