Common, sandwich, little, and roseate terns are among the seabird species that used to nest widely in the Solent area – however in recent years their numbers have struggled, in part due to loss of safe places to nest.
The new raft at Budds Farm, funded and hosted by Southern Water, offers nesting space safe from predators and will move with changing water levels. Volunteers constructed the floating platform and anchored it in the lake just in time for the terns’ breeding season, as they look for somewhere to nest.