WILDLIFE conservationists studying rare little terns nesting on Chesil Beach have discovered that two of the nesting colony residents, now fifteen and sixteen years old, have notched up more than 100,000km each during their annual African migrations.

The discovery was made during the fitting of new colour rings to the Chesil little terns in conjunction with the EU LIFE Little Tern Project.

Thalassa McMurdo Hamilton, little tern project officer said: "I was amazed to discover that these birds are returning here where they were first reared and that they are still breeding after 16 years.

"They are such small birds – an adult weighs the same as a tennis ball - and deal with lots of stress during chick rearing so I couldn’t believe they were so old.

"They are much tougher than we think, as these birds have travelled more than 100,000km in their lifetime which is astounding.

"Being able to identify individuals at a colony has huge benefits to this species, the second rarest breeding seabird in the UK.

"It allows conservationists to understand the movement of little terns between different colonies, how faithful they are to their breeding colonies and, moreover, we can learn more about adult and juvenile survival.

"These questions remain largely unanswered and so armed with this information we will be better able to conserve this species.

"We’ve made a great start in 2015 and we will hopefully ring many more over the next few years, and gain an insight into these tough little terns, at the only colony in the southwest of England.

The Chesil Beach Little Tern project is in its sixth year, and with the number of breeding pairs increasing, project staff were delighted to be included in the national ringing project.

Marc Smith, Dorset Wildlife Trust Chesil centre officer said: "It is great to know that that these little terns are returning to Chesil Beach, even after such a long time.

"It just goes to show how important this area is for this rare little bird. The colony has been very successful over the last three years, with well over a hundred fledglings.

"Hopefully we will be seeing many of these return in the years to come."

Gary Thompson, coastal manager for the Crown Estate, said: "As manager of Chesil beach and approximately half the UK foreshore, we know that good estate management of the coastal environment is crucial to the future of our wildlife and the sustainable development of our natural assets over the long term.

"We are delighted to have been able to support the little tern project since its inception and today’s fantastic news of its continued success demonstrates what can be achieved through dedication and working in partnership."

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