Netting erected to deter Suffolk Kittiwakes

Several buildings in Lowestoft, Suffolk, have been covered in anti-bird netting in order to deter Red-listed Kittiwakes from returning to their nests this season.

The developments came to light over the Bank Holiday weekend, with RSPB England tweeting yesterday [4 May]: "Heartbreaking to see Kittiwakes find their home nesting sites blocked by nets in Lowestoft."

The recently erected netting is preventing adult Kittiwakes from settling on their nesting ledges to commence breeding. As shown in other British towns in recent summers, mesh also risks entangling and ultimately killing otherwise healthy adult birds. This bird, with ring 'ZN', is Lowestoft born and bred, having been ringed as a chick in the harbour there on 27 June 2011 (Rob Holmes).

One video shows an adult Kittiwake clasping at the net, flapping its wings and trying to reach its nesting ledge, only to be prevented by the mesh. Another portrays a netted building, normally alive with Kittiwake nests, empty, with the adult birds sat in nearby trees and on adjacent roofs.

The RSPB is working actively to contact the buildings' owners, which are reported to include pizza chain Papa John's, as well as telecommunications giant BT, in order to get the netting removed.

There has not yet been any official word from Papa John's, although the RSPB has reported that BT has promised to review the use of mesh and is looking into "alternative solutions which work for Kittiwakes and people". However, many argue that the best solution would be simply to take the netting down, so that the birds can access their nesting ledges.

Kittiwake is a globally threatened seabird, classified as Vulnerable due to rapid and ongoing population declines in many areas. Increasingly, in recent decades, it has become an urban breeder, with building ledges in coastal towns and cities providing a suitable alternative to cliff faces for nesting. The species is a familiar sight in many British coastal settlements, famously including Newcastle-upon-Tyne, but also in the likes of Scarborough and Lowestoft.

Kittiwakes first appeared in Lowestoft in 1946, with 40 pairs breeding on the now-demolished South Pier Pavilion by the 1960s. The birds have increased significantly and now breed on a number of buildings within the Suffolk town.

Unfortunately, though, events in recent years have shown that some individuals do not take kindly to the placid gulls moving in, with the erection of netting already having caused the slow and painful death of both adults and chicks in Newcastle, as well as preventing previously successful colonies from the opportunity to nest.