Kittiwakes snub Tyne Bridge nesting 'hotels'

Kittiwake 'hotels' erected on the Tyne Bridge are not being used by the birds, a wildlife group has said.

The structures were put up due to restoration work on the bridge blocking access for the birds on a section of ledges on the Gateshead side, where 160 pairs would usually nest.

To compensate, specialist 'hotels' were built on the south towers, but ornithologist Dan Turner said there had been no sightings of the birds on them.

Newcastle City Council said it was "carefully monitoring" the Kittiwakes during the bridge's four-year restoration project.

More than 1,000 pairs of Kittiwake nest on and around the Tyne Bridge in Newcastle (John Atkinson).

 

Urban Kittiwakes

The Grade II-listed structure, which is undergoing a major upgrade ahead of its centenary in 2028, is home to more than 1,000 pairs of Kittiwakes, making it the furthest inland breeding colony in the world.

Kittiwakes have been nesting around the quayside since the 1960s. Each spring, the gulls return to build nests and breed on buildings and structures, including the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art.

The council built two 'hotels' from scaffolding poles and planks, with each one catering for 150 nests.

 

Nesting no-show

Mr Turner, from the Tyne Kittiwake Partnership, has been surveying the number of birds since the hotels were put up in early February. "I haven't seen a Kittiwake on them yet," he told the BBC. "They may not be quite to their liking, maybe the paint is off-putting, maybe they need to be more flush with the edging of the towers, that might be better for them.

"It takes Kittiwakes some years to get used to ledges before nesting. So given time they might take to the hotels but they are only here for this nesting season and then they'll be moved to the north side of the river."

The first birds to return to the River Tyne area were spotted at the beginning of March and the numbers have continued to rise, with 945 Kittiwakes present around mid-April.

Mr Turner added: "I suspect this year we'll see a reduction in occupied nests on the river because of the scaffolding on the bridge. It looks like those 162 pairs aren't going to nest, certainly not on the Tyne Bridge this year, so that will be a reduction by 100 or more nests."

 

Protected species

A Newcastle City Council spokesperson said the restoration programme had been developed in consultation with wildlife groups "to minimise disruption to this protected species".

"Nesting ledges have been installed on the roof of each Gateshead tower to provide alternative nesting provision while the scaffold is erected on the Gateshead side of the bridge," they added.

"This is a new and innovative approach, which we will carefully monitor, as well as continue to work closely with wildlife groups throughout the restoration programme."