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An internationally-important seabird colony which shut to human guests for 2 years as a result of chicken flu is reopening this week.
Wildlife watchers will have the ability to get a better have a look at the Farne Islands off the Northumberland coast the place 200,000 seabirds make their home.
Visitors have been restricted from going ashore for the previous two years after an outbreak of avian flu which killed at the very least 6,000 birds in 2022 and round 3,650 final yr.
The decrease variety of deaths has given specialists some hope that the colony had developed some sort of immunity.
The final two years have been actually powerful, however we’re preserving all the things crossed that the birds are beginning to build pure resilience to chicken flu
Sophia Jackson, National Trust
Now, the primary migrating seabirds are starting to return to the islands to breed. They will depart as soon as their chicks are totally fledged, on the finish of the summer time.
Visitors, who’ve solely been in a position to watch from boats for the previous two years, had been as a result of be welcomed again on Monday, however poor climate meant there have been no sailings from Seahouses.
The National Trust manages the Farnes with wildlife rangers taking care of the puffins, terns, kittiwakes and different species.
Sophia Jackson, space ranger for the National Trust, mentioned: “The last two years have been really tough, but we are keeping everything crossed that the birds are starting to build natural resilience to bird flu.
“We will continue to closely monitor the birds for signs of the disease over the coming weeks, in the hope that we can remain open for the whole season.
“But the health of our precious seabirds has to be our priority, so we do have a ‘closure plan’ that we’ll implement, should bird flu return.”
Inner Farne is the one island to open to customer landings this yr whereas the National Trust trials restricted opening.
