Devastating news for Arctic terns as suspected bird-flu outbreak wipes out a quarter of this year’s chicks at Long Nanny - National Trust

Over 600 dead Arctic tern chicks have been recovered by National Trust rangers at Long Nanny on the coast of Northumberland, over the last two weeks due to a suspected outbreak of Avian Influenza (bird flu).

Rangers at the coastal site, typically a safe breeding ground for Arctic and little terns, have been devastated by the outbreak during the peak of the breeding season – which threatens to undo some of the gains made in recent seasons.

Long Nanny is home to Britain’s largest mainland colony of Arctic terns and a nationally significant site for little terns.

The suspected outbreak comes 12 months after bird flu caused over 6,000 seabird deaths on the Farne Islands, also cared for by the conservation charity, which lie just off the Northumberland coast. So far this year, the team had been seeing lower numbers of dead birds on the Farne Islands, with 500 carcasses recovered to date, but in recent days the number of dead birds has increased, with a mix of species picked up including kittiwakes, black headed gulls and guillemots being the most affected. The team are currently waiting for test results to confirm whether or not these deaths are once again due to bird flu.

Six rangers are typically stationed at Long Nanny which is home to three species of breeding shorebirds; the Arctic tern, little tern and ringed plover. The team unusually are on a 24-hour watch, seven days a week throughout the breeding season to help protect the Arctic tern colony from predators such as foxes and stoats. However, this year, it is bird flu that looks to be the latest test for these small, graceful seabirds which are famous for migrating from their northern hemisphere breeding grounds to the Antarctic and back again each year.