Avocet Island

A bird conservation experiment.

Every year Avocets return to breed at the RSPB Leighton Moss Saltmarsh Lagoons.
But there is a problem. Many Black Headed Gulls come to breed at the same place. Every year these aggressive Gulls predate the Avocet chicks in large numbers.
This year an experiment is taking place. The Gulls like to nest in large colonies. For this they need large islands in the lagoons. The RSPB is able to use sluices to control the depth of the water and thus they are able  to substantially reduce the island size. Hey presto. The hundreds of Gulls have gone elsewhere. But the Avocets are happy with the smaller islands. With luck many more Avocet chicks will survive !

In extras are a couple of Godwit shots.