It's a black and white success story – and it’s happening on the banks of the River Wear.
The avocet, a bird with distinctive black and white plumage, was once declared extinct in the UK.
The emblem of the RSPB, avocets returned to the RSPB’s Minsmere reserve in Suffolk in 1947, after an absence of more than 100 years, and have gradually advanced north.
The first pair of avocets to nest in the North East did so in 2006 at WWT Washington Wetland Centre on Wearside, raising one chick.
Between 2006 and 2015, avocets successfully raised a total of 54 chicks at WWT Washington.
Now the centre has just recorded the highest ever record of adult birds, with 50 counted - eight more than last year’s previous record.
The black and white waders are currently pairing and nest-building on the shoreline of the site’s Wader Lake, as well as on its shingle islands, which were enhanced and doubled in size in 2015 thanks to £21,400 Biffa Award funding.
WWT Washington’s reserve manager John Gowland said, “We’re excited to have this many adult birds so early in the season.”
“Last year, the ‘beast from the East’ caused many problems for birds nesting around our site and contributed to initial failed breeding attempts for many, including avocet. However, a second attempt proved more positive as 24 avocet chicks successfully fledged last year.
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“High numbers of adults so far this year and hopefully better weather could mean we’re in for a very successful breeding year. For these birds to return year after year is a fantastic achievement and a real conservation success story for us at Washington.
“The islands on Wader Lake are a vital nesting and breeding habitat for many bird species. This is something we continually improve and add to as part of our management plan.”
Reserve warden David Dinsdale said that the avocets benefited from a fox-proof fence at the lake and also by nesting near a colony of common terns, which react aggressively to disturbance by would-be predators.
It is hoped that this year Washington will host more than 20 breeding pairs, beating last year’s total of 18.
A small number of avocets have also bred at Druridge Bay in Northumberland, in what is the most northerly breeding colony in the country.
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