A FUNDRAISING evening and auction is being held in Dorset to raise money to protect the little tern, the second rarest sea bird in the country.

Chesil Beach is the only location of a breeding colony in South West England and the Dorset Wildlife Trust organised event will raise vital funds to build fencing and provide wardens to help protect little terns from predators and disturbance.

An exclusive wildlife experiences auction includes a night in the DWT villa on Brownsea Island and a sunset wildlife watching boat trip on the lagoon, a chance to discover dormice in West Dorset, a trip on the Fleet Observer to watch the sunset and the chance to see the little terns up close with a warden.

“You can bid online, or come along to the fundraising evening, where experts will be talking about these amazing little birds, and you can also bid in person,” said Emily Brown, DWT’s Fine Foundation Chesil Beach Centre manager.

The terns fly from West Africa to breed at Chesil and numbers had dropped to 10 breeding pairs but have increased recently due to habitat work.

The fundraising evening is being held on Thursday June 5 at the Chesil Beach Centre.

Tickets cost £12 and are available from the centre or on 01305 206191.

To bid online go to the dorsetwildlifetrust.org.uk website.