Puffins started arriving two weeks ago and are now milling about in their thousands. They joined kittiwakes, murres, toucans, fulmars and shags. Arctic terns arrive shortly after completing their epic journey across the globe from Antarctica.
Humans arrived this week after a two-year ban on the Farne Islands in Northumberland, one of the UK’s most important protected areas for breeding seabirds.
Due to the avian influenza that has decimated the population, tourists have been suspended from landing by boat since July 2022.
Since then, National Trust rangers in protective gear have been more often seen carrying out the grueling task of picking up the carcasses of thousands of birds and transporting them off-island for incineration. Became.
But the bird flu outbreak is expected to have turned a corner, leading to a decision to reopen the main Inner Farne to visitors this week.
First off the boat was Paul Watson, who is originally from the North East but has been a police officer in Bermuda for the past 20 years, but he agrees that the birds and weather are very different to northern Northumberland. did.
“It’s been a long time… it’s so dark,” he said as he walked from the pier on a gray, bitterly cold morning.
Watson said in a dark way, in a good way. “It’s so beautiful here and I’m really happy to see so many puffins. There must be thousands of them. And no arctic terns yet. Come early so you don’t get pecked to death on the head. “That’s a really good thing,” he said.
Visitors are asked to wear hats, as arctic terns are known to dive-bomb humans by warning them.
Mr Watson, who was visiting from Morpeth with his sister Debbie Breslin, said: “It’s amazing here, much better than what you see on TV.”
Sophia Jackson, the trust’s regional ranger, said it was great to have human visitors back. “There are so many positive emotions happening today,” she said. She said: “We’re really excited to have people back on the island. The whole team is feeling really positive right now.”
Human visitors are also part of the ecosystem, she said. “Having visitors helps deter some of the larger predatory birds, so it serves a purpose. Today, as we observe the public and see their faces, we know that memories are being made. I…that’s great.”
It continues to be a difficult time for the rangers who manage this internationally important habitat for around 200,000 seabirds.
Ian Clemmett, the trust’s countryside manager for the area, said: “Picking up thousands of dead birds is incredibly upsetting for people. Unfortunately, we employ seasonal staff. So this is part of the hiring process and you have to make sure to ask, “Are you ready to do this?” They have to be prepared for it. ”
Avian influenza outbreaks are devastating. In 2022, the ranger collected more than 6,000 bird carcasses. Last year, 3,647 cases were collected, but this decrease has raised hopes that herd immunity is building within the colony.
The trust said it would closely monitor the situation and revert to sailing-only tours if an outbreak occurs.
The return of human visitors meant that the shutters of St Cuthbert’s Chapel, home to some of the most magnificent 19th century stained glass windows, could also be taken down.
Photo: Gary Culton/Observer
Cuthbert, the most important saint in northern England, was a hermit in the Inner Farne in the 7th century, and instead of finding his cell, the chapel is a visual reminder of him and his life.
“It’s a beautiful thing, isn’t it?” Trust Recovery and House Officer Nick Lewis said. “The windows transform a very damp and dark building into a church. You can see the saints. [Cuthbert, Aidan and Ethelbert] Look back at you. ”
Another person on the first boat on Tuesday was Ann Wilson, 80. Although she visited the island regularly, she feared she would never set foot on the island again.
“It was very nostalgic,” the former chemist said. “When we landed it was great and it was a completely different experience.
“It’s all about coming here. We have everything we want here. We have birds on this island, we have human history.”
As Wilson speaks, puffins are everywhere, flapping their wings fiercely and gracefully.
They are the stand-up comedians of the bird world and often get the most attention, but for Wilson, “puffins are okay, but they’re not arctic terns. Don’t get me started on arctic terns…they’re… I have everything.”
