At the end of the nesting season of birds nesting in seashore, the mouths of three rivers - Gauja, Ķikana and Irbe mouths, which were temporarily closed off in order to restore the former Little tern population, are again available to vacationers.

Sintija Martinsone, the leading expert of the monitoring and planning department of the Nature Conservation Agency (NCA) Nature Protection Department, believes that the pilot project can be evaluated as very successful. Already in the first season, it was possible to observe individual pairs of birds visiting, feeding and exploring the closed places. It will take several years to restore the birds' confidence in these areas as good nesting sites.

This was the first year that NCA decided to restrict the river mouths of these three rivers to visitors during the nesting season. In the time period from April 1 to August 1 in the river mouths of Ķikana and Irbe and from May 1 to July 31 in the river mouth of Gauja, vacationers, boaters, dog owners and fishermen were invited to choose other areas of seashore for rest and walks on the beach. In nature, there were both territory demarcation and prohibition signs, as well as information boards in three languages.
The NCA regularly conducted a survey of all three areas to monitor compliance with the bans on crossing the area.

"We have to admit that the public's understanding and desire to support the restoration of natural diversity is high. Sometimes, however, we encountered deliberate non-compliance with the ban," added Martinsone.

Currently, only 70-100 pairs of little terns "Sternula albifrons" nest in Latvia, which return from their wintering places in Africa at the end of April. As their number continues to decrease, this species has become critically endangered in Latvia. If it is possible to restore the former population of little terns, other species living in seashore will also nest along seaside.

In the past, the Gauja and Irbe river mouths housed an important colony of little terns. During nesting, birds are very sensitive to disturbance by humans and dogs, which affects hatching and rearing of young. Therefore, the increase in the number of people and also the presence of dogs released without a leash contributed to the extinction of the species.
“Unfortunately, the sand of seashore is the only home and nesting place for the little tern. In the meantime, people can choose other routes for their walks, boat trips or recreation”, Martinsone explains.

These birds build their nests in the sand of seashore. Often, the nests and laying in them completely blend in with the surrounding environment, so it goes unnoticed by the human eye. The young birds nesting on the beach are nest escapees. Namely, soon after hatching, they leave the nest and follow their parents, who feed and look after them. Baby birds do not fly at this time, they move nimbly on the ground, so they can become easy prey for dogs. Research shows that birds perceive people in their vicinity as a threat. Adult birds leave the nests, while the young fledge from their parents. Over time, birds leave the previously chosen territories, no longer lay eggs and do not raise young, as a result of which the population of the species decreases.

The demarcation of the beach was carried out with the co-financing of the LIFE REEF project "Research of marineprotected habitatsand determination of the necessary protection status in the exclusive economic zone of Latvia".