UK Nature and Environment

Reports from the National Trust, who look after this vitally important breeding site for the terns at Long Nanny near Beadnell in Northumberland indicate that the number of occupied Arctic tern nests has dropped by 313 compared to last year (724 occupied nests in 2025 compared to 1,037 in 2024).

This news comes just one month after a high spring tide washed away occupied Arctic tern and little tern nests at Long Nanny, despite rangers' best efforts to protect them from extreme weather conditions. It also comes just 10 months after the Arctic tern species was added to the UK Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) Red List, reflecting the significant population declines driven by multiple factors including climate change, overfishing and avian influenza[1].

James Porteus, Lead Ranger for the National Trust at Long Nanny said: “After several difficult years due to storms washing out nests and then bird flu, we have been saddened by the drop in Arctic tern numbers returning to Long Nanny this year to breed. We don’t know the reason for the decline but suspect it will be due to factors such as climate change, food availability and of course avian influenza.