Rare seabird colony has best breeding season in 26 years

A tern flying

A rare seabird colony has had its best breeding season for 26 years.

The rare colony of seabirds known as terns have been in serious decline in the UK since the 1980s, the National Trust has said.

It's estimated that there are fewer than 2,000 pairs left in the UK, but conservationists counted 151 pairs of little terns nesting over the summer months.

There have been more than 200 chicks hatched at Blakeney Point, a nature reserve in North Norfolk.

Chris Bielby, manager at National Trust said, "Little terns have been rapidly declining in the UK for the past few decades, so it's particularly rewarding to see so many of these tiny seabirds fledging the nest."

The seabirds have been on decline since the 1980s

There could be several explanations for the bird's sudden boom in breeding. One reason is that due to coronavirus, lots of people have been spending more time indoors, so the birds are less disturbed.

The beginning of breeding season coincided with the first national lockdown.

The birds also nested further away from the watch house and were all closer together. This means that there were fewer predators around and they had safety in numbers.

Staff helped the birds keep safe by offering food to hungry predators, further away from their nesting grounds.

There have been more than 200 chicks this breeding season

"The species is still very much at risk and we'll need to keep up our efforts to make sure they have safe places to breed," Chris Bielby said.

During breeding seasons, the birds are looked after by rangers and volunteers who camp out in a lifeboat house to provide a 24-hour watch over the little terns.

This year they couldn't stay overnight because of coronavirus restrictions but still came every day to protect the colonies from predators and count the young birds.

Chris Bielby says it is nice to have some positive news: "It's good to be able to celebrate a successful season given what a challenging year 2020 has been."