Our work at Blakeney National Nature Reserve

Adults and juvenile sandwich terns on the shingle beach at Blakeney Point, Norfolk — Sandwich Tern colony on Blakeney Point. | © National Trust Images / Ian Ward

Discover the work we do throughout the year to keep Blakeney safe and pristine for wildlife and visitors alike. Learn about the tasks National Trust rangers and volunteers carry out, from protecting ground-nesting birds and seals from disturbance, to restoring rare habitats such as the acid grassland at Friary Hills, and essential maintenance work so visitors can enjoy the area safely.

Ensuring safe nesting sites for ground-nesting birds

Many of the birds that breed on the North Norfolk Coast, such as terns, ringed plovers, avocets and oystercatchers, nest on the ground.

This leaves them vulnerable to natural threats, such as predators and tidal inundation, but also to disturbance by humans and our dogs.

We put in place a wide range of protective measures for the nesting birds, including predator control, electric fencing, nest protection, the creation of refuge areas for breeding birds, and seasonal restrictions on dogs during nesting season.

Our shorebird volunteers play an invaluable role in helping to prevent disturbance to the birds, including by talking to visitors and helping with the key task of erecting hundreds of meters of predator-exclusion fencing.

Protecting breeding tern colonies

From April to August, Blakeney Point is a nationally important nesting site for four species of tern: little, common, Arctic and Sandwich terns.

In the spring and summer of 2026, more than 1,100 pairs of Sandwich terns returned to Blakeney Point after a two-year absence, successfully breeding here for the first time since 2021 and fledging more than 700 young.

Our rangers also recorded increases in Common and Arctic terns, alongside rising numbers of black-headed gulls, a species whose presence can help provide additional protection for nesting tern colonies.

Round-the-clock care

The terns first arrive at Blakeney Point in spring, having completed an epic migration from Africa. During the breeding season the rangers live in an old lifeboat house on Blakeney Point to provide a 24-hour watch.

Caring for the bird colonies involves counting nests and fledglings, monitoring the colonies on a daily basis, warding off predators, and talking to visitors about the work we do.

Rangers monitoring grey seals on the beach at Blakeney National Nature Reserve, Norfolk in winter — Rangers monitoring grey seals on the beach at Blakeney National Nature Reserve | © National Trust Images/Ian Ward

Looking after England’s largest grey seal colony

Blakeney Point is home to England’s largest grey seal colony with around 9,000 pups born each winter.

The success of the colony can be attributed to the absence of natural predators, the vast expanse of gently sloping beach which makes it an easy place for the seals to haul out, and the lack of disturbance.

Our rangers and team of seal volunteers play a crucial role in preventing disturbance to the colony. Between late October and early January, restrictions are in place to ensure that people do not get too close to the seals and their pups.

The best way to see the seals is by taking a boat trip from Morston Quay or by tuning into the live stream from our seal camera in the heart of the colony.

Beach cleaning

We organise beach cleans to remove litter and debris from the beach before the start of the key wildlife breeding season. This gives the ground-nesting birds in spring/summer, and grey seals in winter, a clear beach to return to. These are among our biggest volunteering events of the year, with dozens of people giving up their time to help look after this special place.

European eel monitoring

European eel eggs are spawned in the Sargasso Sea, more than 5000km away, where they float on the current and hatch into larvae that transform into glass eels along the way. When they arrive the eels, also known as elvers, are small and transparent but will eventually grow to be up to one metre long over their 25 to 30-year lifespan in Norfolk’s marshes and dykes.

As part of regular eel monitoring, the ranger team use 'eel mops' which are placed at sluice gates on Blakeney Freshes to catch juvenile eels, also known as elvers. The eels are measured and counted before being released to carry on their journeys further inland. From May to June, we expect to find around 20 eels a day. Since the 1980s there has been a more than 90pc decline in the species due to an increase in ocean pollution among other factors.

The slippery sea creatures adapt to freshwater and mature in rivers over several decades until they are ready to migrate back to the Sargasso Sea to reproduce and die, restarting the cycle.

Counting pink-footed geese

At Blakeney we take part in a nationwide coordinated count of pink-footed geese (Ansar brachyrhynchus). Originally started in 1960, the census aims to carry out counts in autumn and winter at key locations across the country to provide national population estimates.

This goose is a common winter visitor to this part of the world, travelling to Norfolk all the way from their breeding grounds in Iceland. Around 75 per cent of the world's population of pink-footed geese visit the UK, with over 100,000 coming to Norfolk.

Making the count

Counts are made at dawn and we need to work fast as they seldom stay still. To count them quickly we use a technique called grouping, where we count the birds either in fives or tens. It takes practice, but it allows for a faster count while keeping the increments small enough to give precise numbers.

Local volunteers and National Trust staff clearing washed up rubbish from a 2-mile stretch of Blakeney Point, — Volunteers on one of the regular beach cleans on Blakeney Point. | © Hanne Siebers

Managing acid grassland on Friary Hills

Our rangers and volunteers have been working to rejuvenate a 4.5-acre area of acid grassland on the edge of the village of Blakeney, by cutting back areas of gorse and removing non-native species.

We are working towards the introduction of conservation grazing to the acid grassland on Friary Hills, with areas of the site now enclosed ready for the introduction of livestock.

Conservation grazing uses grazing livestock to maintain and increase the biodiversity of a particular habitat.

Animal grazing should help improve the structure and species composition of the grassland, bringing about an increase in grasses, wildflowers, lichens, mosses, and invertebrates associated with a species-rich, thriving acid grassland.

Reed cutting

Each winter we carry out the task of reed cutting. Here at Blakeney we do a ‘conservation cut’, which means we do it for the benefit of the wildlife. If you are a regular visitor to this part of the coast you will have seen the reed cutters gathering bundles to be used for thatched roofs.

The aim is to create areas of differing reed ages to provide a variety of habitats. After a few months, fresh green reed starts shooting up, which benefits the bearded tits that live here.

Fence and gate repairs

The land on Blakeney Freshes is grazed by cattle with the aim of getting the grass short by the end of the growing season. Waders such as lapwings and redshanks require this type of habitat to lay their eggs in spring.

Cattle are big beasts though, and they have a habit of scratching themselves on the gate posts. This means that we often have to repair several fences and gate posts to make sure the cattle don’t get loose.