A rare seabird colony on the Northumberland coast has produced its best-ever breeding figures, offering a welcome lift after years of bird flu, flooding and severe weather.
At Long Nanny, a minimum of 126 pairs of little terns nested this season. That is more than twice the previous site record of 57 pairs, set in 1994. At least 82 chicks fledged, with the final number potentially exceeding 100.
Some recovery, but serious threats remain
Long Nanny is also the UK’s largest mainland colony for Arctic terns. Rangers recorded at least 730 active nests containing 1,346 eggs, a modest rise on the previous year after the colony was badly affected by avian flu in 2023.
Further south, Blakeney Point in Norfolk welcomed back 1,164 pairs of Sandwich terns after the birds failed to breed there for two consecutive seasons. Common and Arctic tern numbers also increased, alongside black-headed gulls, which can help protect nesting seabirds from predators.
The National Trust credited measures including predator fences, refuge areas and tighter seasonal dog restrictions. However, Arctic tern numbers fell by 27% on the Farne Islands, and no common terns nested there this year.
Rising sea levels, changing marine conditions, disease and increasingly unpredictable weather continue to threaten the birds.
Why it matters for Britain
The results show that careful protection and management can help vulnerable seabirds breed successfully at important UK coastal sites. They also underline the need for continued conservation work as weather and marine conditions become less predictable.
