Electric fences installed to protect ground-nesting birds from foxes in Danish Wadden Sea

Electric fences are being erected on beaches in Fanø, Rømø, and Blåvand to create safe breeding zones for ground-nesting birds threatened by foxes and other predators, reports Danish broadcaster DR.

The initiative aims to protect species such as the little tern and the white-breasted collared flycatcher, whose eggs and chicks are vulnerable to predation. Without these fenced-off areas, few chicks would survive to fledge, according to John Frikke, a former nature consultant at Wadden Sea National Park and one of the volunteers installing and monitoring the barriers.

“If these shorebirds don’t get these small sanctuaries, very few of them will manage to raise their young at all,” Frikke told DR.

The electrified fences are designed to deter not only foxes but also raccoon dogs, another significant threat to nests. Experience from previous years shows that the enclosed areas make a measurable difference in breeding success.

Human activity—such as running, walking, cycling, driving, or walking dogs off-leash—also disturbs the birds, Frikke noted. Disturbances can prevent parents from foraging enough or keeping eggs warm, further reducing survival rates.

The conservation effort is a collaboration between the Danish Nature Agency, the military, Fanø Municipality, and volunteer birdwatchers under the Coastal Birds Project. The Wadden Sea is one of the world’s most critical bird habitats, hosting millions of migratory waterfowl traveling between breeding grounds in Canada, Greenland, Scandinavia, and Russia.