Clinging to the Edge

A Year in the Life of a Little Tern Colony

Richard Boon

Thorough exploration of the ecology of the Little Tern, and the history of its conservation.
Unflinchingly presents the challenges of conserving and protecting a threatened seabird.
Follows a single colony throughout one season in intimate and previously unseen detail.

£25.00

We currently have 980 in stock.

A delightfully detailed and personal account of the highs, the lows and the many varied challenges that come from guarding one of Britain’s most vulnerable breeding birds.
—Stephen Menzie, Editor of British Birds

Subject: ornithology-birds-birdwatching ecology

Tags:

birds
ecology
ornithology
seabirds
Spurn Point
tern

Description

A summer migrant to Europe from West Africa, the Little Tern is one of our most threatened and most captivating seabirds. This book is the story of one breeding season at the Beacon Ponds colony on the North Sea coast, near Spurn Point in East Yorkshire. In elegant and evocative prose it offers an intimate portrait of these endangered birds, covering everything from foraging and breeding to predators and conservation.

The colony’s small size means that it can be monitored, protected and documented in an unusual level of detail. Close observation of the birds’ behaviour and an in-depth knowledge of the natural history of their environment raise important questions about how and why we seek to preserve and protect species for whose decline we are ourselves largely responsible. A tight focus on the spectacular natural, geographical and cultural headland that is Spurn Point also provides new insights into the ecology of Little Terns. Covering the progress of the colony month by month, through an eventful spring and summer, Clinging to the Edge brings these charismatic and endearing birds vividly to life.

DOI: 10.53061/ERZX7937

Preface
Acknowledgements
Abbreviations
Map

Introduction
The 2022 Season
April
May
June
July
August
Afterword

Appendix: The Year in (some) Statistics
Image credits
Select bibliography
Index

Reviews

Little Terns are beautiful, elfin inhabitants of our shoreline, yet defending their breeding colonies from a thousand perils must be the toughest task in all British environmentalism. In this hugely entertaining book Richard Boon makes a powerful case for these nest-protection measures while capturing all the delicacy, joy and sheer resilience of our smallest seabird.
—Mark Cocker, author and naturalist
A compulsive, meticulous and evocative account concerning the restoration of the endangered Little tern colony at Beacon Ponds, east Yorkshire. The author and colleagues recount management actions undertaken that are applicable to other endangered Little tern colonies.
—Prof. David Cabot, University College Cork
A delightfully detailed and personal account of the highs, the lows and the many varied challenges that come from guarding one of Britain’s most vulnerable breeding birds.
—Stephen Menzie, Editor of British Birds
I really liked its combination of elements: it’s an evocative meditation on place, an engaging account of a fascinating species, and a nuanced reflection on complex conservation issues. It left me full of admiration for the amazing care and labour that goes into protecting little terns and other birds at Spurn.
—Prof. David Higgins, University of Leeds
A crisply-written and often amusing account of the numerous challenges that the author and his fellow wardens had to overcome to safeguard these tiny, enchanting and incredibly vulnerable seabirds... packed with fascinating information both about the breeding behaviour of the terns and also about the daily trials and tribulations (and rewards) of being a shorebird warden.
—James Wright, The Wryneck

About the Author

Richard Boon is chair of the Beacon Ponds Little Tern Project Management Committee. A retired academic who now volunteers for Spurn Observatory Trust, he also sits on its research committee. Richard has volunteered for the BTO and the RSPB, and has made occasional contributions to the birding press, most recently in British Birds.