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Posted: 11th July 2023

Over 600 Arctic tern chicks die at breeding site
Long Nanny is a major breeding site for Arctic terns.
Suspected avian flu outbreak hits Long Nanny colony.

National Trust rangers in Northumberland have recovered the bodies of more than 600 Arctic tern chicks which have died during a suspected outbreak of avian influenza.

The dead chicks started to be found two weeks ago at Long Nanny, Britain’s largest mainland colony of Arctic terns.

In response, rangers have suspended conservation activities which could disturb the colony, including clutch counts and raising nests above the high tide mark. Visitors to the area are being advised to stay a safe distance from the colony, keep dogs on a short lead at all times, and to disinfect their footwear in the footbaths at entry and exit points.

Test samples have been sent to Defra to confirm that the cause of the deaths is avian influenza. Results are expected back in the next ten days.

This year has seen the largest number of breeding pairs at Long Nanny since 2018, with 2,600 eggs recorded before clutch counts were stopped. So far, the outbreak of avian influenza has mostly affected chicks, although rangers have reported that they are now finding carcasses of dead adults.

As well as being a breeding site for Arctic terns, the site is also an important breeding location for little terns. So far, the little terns, which nest separately from the Arctic terns, have mostly been unaffected by the outbreak, with just one dead adult little tern being found.

Last year, Long Nanny did not experience any major outbreaks of the virus, in contrast to the nearby breeding sites at the Farne Islands, where more than 6,000 seabirds died. However, this year the Farne Islands have so far not been as badly affected, although there have still been 500 deaths recorded.

Ben McCarthy, head of nature conservation and restoration ecology at the National Trust, said: “We are working with our partners to get a better understanding of the long-term impact of bird flu on our globally important seabird populations and supporting our ranger teams who have been working so hard to protect and build numbers of these special birds.

“Bird flu is having a tragic impact at other sites which we own and look after in conjunction with other partners including Brownsea Island in Dorset and Cemlyn lagoons on Anglesey and we are doubling down on our conservation efforts to mitigate the impacts of this devastating disease and contributing to UK efforts to monitor and assess the long-term impacts.”



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