Coquet Island protected birds at risk from paddleboarders

Coquet Island is home to protected wildlife

Protected wildlife is being threatened by "rogue" paddleboarders, kayakers and drones, experts have said.

Coquet Island, off the Northumberland coast, is home to some of the UK's rarest birds.

But site manager Dr Paul Morrison said a chain reaction where "all the birds lift off, pile out of their nests and panic" occurred if people got too near.

"That can stop them settling properly, which is a risk to the nests and any chicks," he said.

"We've been trying to get the message out, but there's still a rogue element which doesn't respect the birds."

The birds can "panic" if disturbed and fly off from nests en masse

Police have raised the issue with Northumberland County Council.

Neighbourhood police officer Sgt Les Robson told the council's area community panel it "became quite a big problem" during the summer's good weather.

"Because of the craze at the moment for canoeists and paddleboarders and drones, there's been issues with visitation to Coquet Island," he said.

Officers and wardens had been advising people involved about the area's restrictions, he said.

Coquet Island is home to about 70,000 birds, including the UK's only nesting colony of Roseate Terns, whose population has recovered from just 16 nesting pairs in the 1970s, to more than 100 in 2018, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

The island is legally protected and monitored by wardens 24 hours a day.