‘Please do not disturb’ plea over island home of avocets

Read’s Island is considered one of the top sites in the country for avocets to breed because it is free from predators like foxes, stoats and weasels.

However, last year the birds were disturbed twice by air-sea rescue services.

The first rescue was sparked when two jet skiers got in trouble – apparently for the third time – and their jet skis sank and they had to swim to the island. A family also had to be airlifted to safety when their yacht became stuck in a silted-up channel next to the island.

Pete Short, the RSPB’s Humber Reserves manager, who assisted the emergency services both times, said: “We are really hoping we don’t have a repeat of last year’s incidents which were caused by reckless behaviour.

“These individuals cost the emergency services a lot of money, endangered their own lives and indirectly caused the disturbance of internationally protected birds.”

Boat users are being asked to use up-to-date charts and reduce speed when passing the island – and not step on dry land.

The Humber is designated as a Special Protection Area and as a Site of Special Scientific Interest because of its wildlife.

The island is said to have formed after a French cargo vessel ran aground.

During the 1960s, 70s and 80s, hundreds of wild ducks were bagged by shooting parties staying at the shooting lodge on the island.

The late Sir Joseph Nickerson bought the island from the Humber Conservancy Board in 1957.