Farne island to reopen after two-year bird flu closure

The Farne Islands are home to more than 40,000 pairs of puffins

A popular tourist island, home to thousands of seabirds, is to reopen to visitors next month after two years.

Landings were stopped by the National Trust on the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast after an outbreak of bird flu which killed thousands of birds.

Inner Farne will open, but Staple Island is to remain closed.

Boat skippers who offer day trips say the closure has had a big impact on their business.

Inner Farne is a globally significant site for seabirds

The Farnes, a National Nature Reserve, are an internationally important habitat for 23 species including puffins, Arctic terns, guillemots, razorbills, sandwich terns and common terns.

The birds return to the islands to breed each year from the end of March, departing once their chicks are fully fledged at the end of the summer.  

In 2022, more than six thousand birds died from avian flu, followed by about half that number in 2023.

Teams of rangers, who live and work on the islands, had to wear full personal protective equipment (PPE) to remove the birds so they could be incinerated.

Wardens wearing full PPE collected thousands of dead birds

Area ranger Sophia Jackson said: "It seems that the disease has declined in our birds, although we will continue to closely monitor them as the breeding season starts again."

William Shiel, who runs Billy Shiel's boat trips from Seahouses Harbour, said the last two years have been difficult.

"We were lucky we could continue to do trips around the islands, but the keen birdwatchers and ornithologists, they like to step ashore," he said.

"It's exciting to be there especially when the terns and puffins are there."

William Shiel said the reopening will benefit more than just the islands

There is a benefit for more than the boat companies, he added,

"Northumberland relies on tourism and people come here for the birds but they also walk round the town and they buy gifts, and fish and chips, so this news is good for everyone," he said

Visitor boats will be able to land on Inner Farne from 25 March.