Puffin count underway as National Trust marks centenary year of caring for the Farne Islands

This year’s count, alongside recording other seabird numbers, is vitally important given the islands’ three seasons of closure between 2020 and 2024 firstly due to Covid-19, followed immediately by bird flu.

A safe haven thanks to its location 1.5 miles off the coast of Northumberland, the 28 islands with varying visibility depending on the tide[1] provide the ideal habitats for 23 species of seabirds, as well as being an important stop-off point for a host of migratory birds from long eared owls to blue throats and ring ouzels.

During the winter it is also home to a significant colony of grey seals who return each year to pup[2].

Seabirds that make the annual migration to breed include cliff-nesting birds such as razorbills, guillemots and kittiwakes, ground nesting birds such as terns (Arctic, Common and Roseate) as well as the endangered puffins[3] who build burrows underground to lay their eggs and once hatched, to raise their ‘pufflings’.

The care of the islands has been vital for ensuring the returning birds have the best conditions in which to breed. The Trust took over ownership of the Islands from the Farne Islands Association (FIA)[4] on 10 August 1925, which continued to manage the islands until the Trust formally took over this role in 2000[5]. The Trust took over the monitoring of seabirds in the middle of the last century[6], and due to the growing numbers and variety of species recorded, they were declared a National Nature Reserve in 1993. It’s these records that have helped inform conservation work on the islands.

Sophia Jackson, Area Ranger on the Farne Islands for the National Trust explains: “The earliest official scientific records for seabirds date from 1913[7].

“Reports for the majority of returning bird species started in the 1920s thanks to the ‘watchers’ stationed on the islands over the summer period, and in 1939 puffins were particularly noted as increasing in

“It appears that the increases in bird species aligns with the islands gaining increased environmental protections, firstly through designation as a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) in 1951 and as a Special Protected Area (SPA) in 1985.

“Significant milestones include numbers of breeding birds reaching 100,000 for the first time in 1987, with 200,000 individual seabirds returning recorded in 2005.

“Looking back on the records for the different populations it is very clear how important regular monitoring of the different seabird populations has been – despite different methodologies - for informing our conservation work on the islands, but also for keeping track of the impacts of climate change through warming seas and more frequent storms.

Sophia continues: “We submit our data to the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and the Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP) so our data can be used by researchers and for other studies.

“Other sites submit their data into these sources, to give a complete picture of what is happening to the various populations.

“Last year’s counts were particularly important as we had been unable to conduct full counts on the islands since 2019. It was a huge relief to discover that the puffin population was ‘stable’ with 50,000 pairs recorded[8], but other species were less fortunate with big losses for terns[9] and shags[10] mainly due to bird flu and winter storms.

“Both species have struggled in the last decade due to the weather and declines in fish stocks. Ultimately, they both need time to recover. We can help by keeping their nesting habitats as safe as possible for them to return to in the light of climate change and the increase of extreme weather events.”

To help monitor the puffins and to gain further insights into these ‘clowns of the sea’, the team is introducing a new way to track the birds using coloured rings – the second such project in England[11].

Tom Hendry, Area Ranger on the Farne Islands who has been part of the ranger team since 2016, explains how the coloured ringing should help. “Despite puffins spending much of their time ‘rafting’ out at sea, ringing them will help us to understand more about the individuals as we’ll be able to follow them over several years, as well as how long they live and how far they travel to other colonies

“Over the next few weeks, we’ll aim to ring 50 adult birds as part of our census and productivity monitoring.

“Reported sightings of these blue colour rings by other rangers from other organisations and the public, will indicate that these adults breed on the Farnes, and are vital for this project[12].”

Other techniques used over the years to better understand the various species have been through ringing and also geolocation tags which were put on some Arctic terns in 2015 and retrieved in 2016.

Sophia commented: “In using tracking technology we were able to discover for the first time just how far the Arctic terns travel during their annual migration with distances of up to 70,800 miles recorded – or to put this into context, close to three times around the globe each year which means they witness two summers! When you think about what that means over the lifetime of one of these tiny seabirds, it is nothing short of incredible.”

The team on the Farnes have been supported in recent years by researchers at Newcastle University to aid more understanding of the different populations. Dr Chris Redfern[13] commented: “Ringing and monitoring by National Trust Rangers has made major contributions to seabird biology over many years.

“Recent analyses of ringing data show how the presence on the islands of National Trust staff and public visitors is an integral part of Farnes seabird conservation and ongoing colour ringing work, particularly of Sandwich terns, has contributed to understanding the impact of HPAI (bird flu) on birds from North Sea colonies. The geolocation tagging work with Arctic terns has been a particular highlight; the tremendous success of this project was down to the special relationship between people and birds which has made Inner Farne a place where Arctic Terns return year after year to breed.”

Keeping accurate records of the birds over the years has been vital. Dr Anne Wilson has been the Trust’s Volunteer Archivist for the Farnes since 2005. She first became interested in the islands in 1986 and created the database of bird records that is still used to this day.

She says: “I never expected to be a volunteer on the Farne Islands and have the access I have. A few weeks ago, we had an amazing show of dolphins in the harbour, and I’ve actually also seen basking sharks around the islands, so I’ve been very fortunate.

“However, as well as the highs there have been some lows. Avian Flu was just awful, but our rangers did a brilliant job.

“It’s hard to know what the famous bird colonies will be like in 50 or 100 years. Because of rising sea levels and warming seas, we could be seeing an entirely different position on the Farne Islands. When the seas warm, the fish and plankton the birds depend on will migrate further north – and won’t be in sync with the birds’ breeding seasons.

“But, hopefully, after these first 100 years, we can build on what’s been achieved.”

To help mark the 100th anniversary the conservation charity wants to ensure more people than ever before can experience the seabird breeding season with two live web-cams; one trained onto the puffin burrows and the second on the cliff nesting birds at www.nationaltrust.org.uk/farne-islands-webcam

Sophia comments: “In this significant year we want more people to become ‘watchers’ of this annual spectacle to have a window into this unique world.

“We hope by seeing the birds, people will be inspired to visit in person one day, but also to realise just how special these wild isles are, and how we must do all we can to ensure these islands and bird species have a long and healthy future ahead.”

Looking towards the next century Sophia adds: “We are doing the best we can to ensure all our seabirds have a bright future. But climate change, especially its impact on the severity of winter storms and extreme weather events are the biggest threats facing both our seabirds and seal populations.

“Summer storms resulting in heavy rain at the wrong time of year can flood puffin burrows on the islands, as well as impacting how the birds fare when on their migrating routes.

“Winter storms can also wash seal pups off the rocks and several pups perished when storm Arwen hit the islands in 2021.

“Warming sea temperatures and the availability of the seabirds food sources, as in different sorts of fish moving further northwards to find cooler temperatures, also means that the birds are expending more energy to seek out the food, and also spending more time away from the nest resulting in starvation/abandonment of young chicks.”

Rosie Hails, Director of Nature & Science at the National Trust said: “Protecting the marine environment around the islands is crucial for the future of our seabirds. We welcome the recent decision by the courts to uphold the ban on sand eel fishing in the North Sea to help ensure seabird populations have the food sources they need during the vitally important breeding season.

“This decision, and its impact on seabirds, underlines the need for the UK Government, governments in devolved nations and elsewhere around the world to accelerate action towards the legally binding targets of protecting 30 per cent of our seas and land for nature by 2030.

“Currently only 10 per cent of English seas[14] are protected from the most damaging form of fishing and are moving towards the effective protection for nature. Globally this figure is only three per cent, and alarmingly recent reports estimate at the current rate of action, it will be 80 years before this target is reached[15].

“Shining a spotlight on seabirds and their migratory routes crossing many international boundaries shows how what happens to wildlife elsewhere has a huge impact on the birdlife we see here. These annual cycles illustrate the vulnerability of our wildlife and how vitally important clean and healthy seas and oceans are to ensuring our seabird populations have the stability needed to recover and grow.”

For further information and to donate to the ongoing conservation work carried out by the National Trust, visit www.nationaltrust.org.uk/farne-islands