Hope for Britain's terns as key colonies show signs of recovery after years of bird flu, flooding and climate pressures - National Trust

Some of England's most important tern colonies are showing encouraging signs of recovery after years of challenges from avian flu, flooding and increasingly unpredictable weather.

New figures from National Trust breeding sites reveal a record-breaking season for little terns at Long Nanny in Northumberland with positive news also for the Arctic terns with numbers holding steady to maintain the sites’ position as the UK’s largest mainland colony. And, further south in Norfolk, more than 1,100 pairs of Sandwich terns returned to Blakeney Point after a two-year absence. The results offer a welcome boost for conservationists after years of intensive efforts to protect vulnerable seabirds from outbreaks of disease, predators, flooding and increasingly severe weather.

Across National Trust sites, teams of rangers and volunteers work throughout the breeding season to protect vulnerable colonies from disturbance, predators and extreme weather. At Long Nanny this includes round-the-clock wardening and monitoring, while at Blakeney Point measures such as predator-exclusion fencing, nest protection and seasonal visitor restrictions help create safer breeding conditions. National Trust conservationists believe these long-term efforts have played an important role in this year's encouraging results.

Terns are among the world's most remarkable migratory birds. Arctic terns undertake one of the longest migrations of any animal, travelling from their breeding grounds in the northern hemisphere to Antarctica and back again each year. Little terns and Sandwich terns also travel thousands of miles between the UK and wintering grounds in West Africa before returning each spring to breed.