Spring is one of the most exciting times of the year for birders and nature enthusiasts. It marks the return of many beloved bird species to their breeding grounds in Albania. One such species is the Little Tern (Sternula albifrons), the smallest tern species in Europe. In our country, the Little Tern if found breeding in coastal areas such as Divjaka-Karavasta National Park.
However, as a result of global climate change, rising water levels, and increased erosion of small sandy beaches in the lagoon, the breeding habitats of this species have been significantly reduced in Divjake-Karavasta. For this reason, in April of 2021, AOS built a nesting platform for Little Terns in Karavasta Lagoon, which yielded great results (over 100 breeding pairs) and marked the first successful case of Tern nesting platforms in Albania.
Just a couple of days ago, on March 26, AOS built the second platform for Little Terns in an island in Karavasta Lagoon, thus, increasing the available nesting area by an additional 20 m2. The platform was built near the island of Common Terns (Sterna hirundo). This island has previously undergone management actions to obtain vegetation for the breeding beds of the Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) and to increase available nesting space for the Common Tern.
We are hopeful that the new platform will be just as successful as the first one. We will continue to monitor the platform and island in the following months and will bring you updates on its progress.
This conservation action was made possible by Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) within the framework of the “Maintaining the Ecological Integrity and Biodiversity of Divjaka-Karavasta National Park” project.
