Rare little terns smash breeding record in Northumberland as UK seabird colonies show signs of recovery

From the Newshound archive · first published 30 September 2026.

Little terns at Long Nanny on the Northumberland coast have produced at least 126 nesting pairs this season — more than double the site's previous record of 57 pairs, set in 1994. The National Trust, which manages the site, says that protective measures including predator fencing are making a "real difference" after seabird populations were battered through successive years of bird flu, flooding and extreme weather. Ben McCarthy, the trust's head of nature conservation, cautioned that there was "no room for complacency" in spite of the positive results. More than 1,100 pairs of Sandwich terns also returned to breed at Blakeney Point in Norfolk following a two-year complete absence from the site.

Arctic terns at Long Nanny were knocked back by avian flu in 2023 and lost further nests to spring tides, yet this year the site logged a minimum of 730 active nests and 1,346 eggs.

Little terns are the UK's second-rarest breeding seabird and have undergone significant long-term national decline — this season, fledgling counts at Long Nanny reached a confirmed minimum of 82 chicks.

Arctic terns remain on the UK's Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern despite this year's partial recovery.