Six Little Terns fledge after surprise breeding success at Blacksmiths Beach

newy.com.au – Six Little Terns have successfully fledged at Blacksmiths Beach after an unexpected breeding season in which the colony laid 22 eggs, the second-highest nesting effort recorded in Lake Macquarie.

Lake Macquarie City Council said the Little Tern colony shifted from its previously successful nesting site at Elizabeth Island in December, relocating 3km east to a sand patch on an informal 4WD track at Blacksmiths Beach.

The colony recorded 15 breeding pairs, with up to nine chicks hatching and six fledglings successfully taking flight. Peak counts in late January recorded about 70 adult birds at the site.

The Little Tern (Sternula albifrons) is listed as endangered in NSW and vulnerable nationally, and is one of the region’s rarest summer-breeding seabirds, with about 500 breeding pairs remaining statewide.

Lake Macquarie City Council manager environmental systems Brendan Callander said the outcome was a significant conservation result. “The Blacksmiths Beach Little Tern colony stands as a major conservation success for Lake Macquarie,” he said.

Council said exclusion fencing, signage and 16 chick shelters were installed within 72 hours, with daily monitoring also beginning soon after the birds established the colony. The effort was supported by Belmont Wetlands State Park, the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s Saving Our Species team, Community Environment Network, BirdLife Australia, Hunter Bird Observers Club and specialist pest contractors.

Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water’s Saving Our Species senior team leader Lucas Grenadier said Little Terns often returned to successful nesting sites. “The Blacksmiths Beach colony is a standout conservation success, demonstrating what can be achieved when all levels of government and the community work together for shared goals,” he said. “With continued conservation efforts we hope that Blacksmiths Beach may become a key breeding site for years to come,” he said.

All fledglings and adult birds had migrated by 18 February 2026, with early-season monitoring to be carried out ahead of the next breeding season.