Seabirds bouncing back
AFTER two years of closure due to the outbreak of avian flu in 2022, the Farne Islands off Northumberland will reopen to visiting boats on March 25. Also known for its grey seal pups (more than 2,000 are born every autumn), the National Nature Reserve archipelago, cared for by the National Trust, is home to an extraordinary gathering of some 200,000 seabirds of 23 species, including about 43,000 pairs of puffin. Sadly, over the past two years, almost 10,000 bird carcasses have been collected by the ranger team, but as the number of disease-hit birds was down 39% in 2023, there is hope that the colony is developing immunity. For the time being, only Inner Farne—where terns dive-bomb beside the medieval St Cuthbert’s Chapel and a Victorian lighthouse—will open for boat landings.
‘It seems that the disease has declined in our birds, although we will continue to closely monitor them as the breeding season starts again,’ explains Sophia Jackson, area ranger for the National Trust. ‘We continue to work closely with statutory agencies and other organisations, such as the British Trust for Ornithology and RSPB, to ensure we are across the latest research and updates.’ Before this bout of bird flu, some 45,000 people visited the Farne Islands every year.
Humble heritage
HISTORIC Buildings & Places, formerly the Ancient Monuments Society, is 100 years old this year. Among the six National Amenity Societies, only the Society
