After difficult years caused by bird flu, flooding and climate change, some of England’s main tern colonies are recovering, according to the National Trust.
At Long Nanny, in Northumberland, at least 126 pairs of little terns nested – the UK’s second-rarest seabird. The previous record was 57 pairs, in 1994. At Blakeney Point, in Norfolk, 1,164 pairs of Sandwich terns returned, after two years without nesting at the site.
The National Trust sounds a note of caution: on the Farne Islands, the number of Arctic terns has fallen by 27%, and the species has been on the UK red list of threatened birds since 2024. That is why, the organisation says, “there is no room for complacency”.
