A new floating breeding platform for common terns has been secured on Fairhaven Woodland and Water Garden's Broad at South Walsham.
The platform comprises of a pallet and six large fruit juice barrels along with two shelters, so that the chicks can hide from aerial predators, and a hinged ramp into the water.
Trevor 'Tabs' Taberham, volunteer wildlife warden at Fairhaven Garden, said of the new platform: 'Two years ago, just after I started working here, five pairs of common terns tried to breed on the island in Fairhaven Broad, but Greylag geese wrecked the nests.
'So last year, we experimented with a single standard size pallet, attached to the waterskiing posts. It attracted two pairs of common terns; one pair stayed to nest, three chicks fledged, but unfortunately one was taken by a Herring gull.'
John Debbage, Fairhaven gardener added: 'We have developed a much more substantial and stable platform this year. I would like to thank Phil Denman and Luke Davey from Britivic for their support and have my fingers firmly crossed for a more successful breeding season than last year.'
Fairhaven Garden's daily boat trips, which started for the season on Sunday, will take visitors past the common tern platform, so they can keep an eye on progress.
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