Breeding Success Offers Hope for UK’s Sole Roseate Tern Colony

Conservationists are expressing “hope for the future” following a successful breeding season for a colony of roseate terns, one of the UK’s rarest seabirds, which had been diminished by bird flu. On Coquet Island, located off the Northumberland coast, a record 191 roseate tern chicks hatched this year, with 92% successfully fledging. This island is home to the UK’s sole colony of this threatened species, which holds the highest classification for conservation concern. However, the RSPB stated that it was “too early” to determine if this indicated a recovery from the avian influenza outbreaks of 2022 and 2023. While the precise number of deaths from the flu remains unknown, surveys have indicated a 21% reduction in the Coquet breeding population since the disease emerged. Furthermore, the quantity of birds returning to nest this year was lower compared to previous years. The RSPB also noted that the recovery process for the terns could extend over “many years” and that avian flu had “not gone away”. According to conservationists, the 276 adult roseate terns observed on the island this year were hatched in or prior to 2022, the year the disease initially appeared on the island. There is optimism that some of the birds either survived the virus or potentially avoided contracting it altogether. Stephen Westerberg, the RSPB Northumberland coast site manager, commented that the knowledge of the birds having “such a successful breeding” season provided the team with “great hope for the future.” He cautioned, however, that “There are still a lot of unknowns though, and we could see outbreaks of avian influenza in subsequent breeding seasons on Coquet.” Westerberg emphasized that “surveillance and preparedness” for potential outbreaks remained crucial.