Rare birds hatch at Langstone Harbour
Three rare seabirds have hatched at a nature reserve.
Wardens at Langstone Harbour have their fingers crossed that the little terns will make it through the first 17 days before they fledge.
It has been the most successful breeding season for many years with 40 mating pairs making the marshes their home.
Chris Cockburn from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds said: 'Despite four hours of heaving rain on Sunday the trio are looking healthy and well.
'But it'll be a nerve-wracking 17 days or so to see if they fledge. If they do that'll be the first chicks fledged at the RSPB reserve for two years at least. Last year no young fledged.'
In February, the RSPB, along with the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Army and Tarmac Ltd, shipped 600 tons of shingle to two islands at its Langstone Harbour reserve.
The shingle was used to build nesting sites for little terns which have been showing worrying declines across the UK. They prefer to nest on bare shingle and this seems to be working.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
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Temperature: 13 C to 24 C
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