Next few weeks 'critical' for terns after bird flu

National Trust rangers watching over Britain’s largest mainland colony of Arctic terns say the next few weeks are "critical", after 1000 chicks died from bird flu in 2023.

Long Nanny, on the Northumberland coast, is also home to a small colony of Little terns, one of the rarest seabirds in the UK, who were similarly impacted by the bird flu outbreak.

This year the number of adult breeding birds is lower, with the amount of nests with eggs down by 20%.

Area ranger James Porteus says rangers are "on tenterhooks to see if the chicks survive".

"The good news is that the number of returning adults, while down, is higher than we feared, with over 2,000 breeding adults recorded," he said.

"We are just hoping the chicks are able to survive the annual pressures of predation and extreme weather due to climate change," he added.

The team has also confirmed the first known breeding attempt between an American Black tern and Arctic tern.

However, although three eggs were successfully laid, it now seems that they are unlikely to hatch.

Professor Chris Redfern, from Newcastle University, said: “Black terns from Europe visit the Northumberland coast occasionally each year, but it is very unusual for such a bird to pair up with a very different species of tern.

"We suspect that the species difference between Arctic and Black terns is too wide to allow healthy, living chicks to develop, but it will be interesting to see if they try again next year,” he added.

Visitors to Long Nanny are asked to keep dogs on a short lead at all times, and to stay a safe distance from the colony to avoid disturbing the birds.

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