Construction starts — Little Terns and Kentish Plovers suffer
Construction has finally begun. No matter that the endangered Little Terns are incubating eggs — no consideration is given at all. Bird-deterrent tape and kites were put up only now, belatedly. There is not a shred of compassion on display. The approach does not align with the Ministry of the Environment's "Guidelines for the Conservation and Consideration of Little Tern Breeding Sites" either.
The male bringing food to the incubating female (right). It struggled to deliver the food while spooked by a raptor-shaped kite set up as a bird deterrent.
Two eggs are visible under the female's belly. There were several other nests with birds incubating, but as far as I could tell they were unable to return to their nests because of the bird deterrent.
A Little Tern too frightened of the bird deterrent to land, circling overhead and calling in alarm.
The Kentish Plover was also managing to incubate despite being spooked. It looked to be under considerable stress.
The site where Little Terns and Kentish Plovers are breeding. Raptor-shaped kites and fluorescent tape were put up despite the fact that breeding was already underway.