Farne Islands Puffins building bird-flu immunity

Puffins in the Farne Islands may have built some immunity to Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI; bird flu), according to the National Trust (NT).

The charity said all seabirds remained free of bird flu in 2024 at the Northumberland hot-spot, which is once again partially open to visitors this year.

In recent weeks, there have been cases of the virus in Burnopfield, Co Durham, forcing the Animal and Plant Health Agency to set up surveillance zones in Tyne and Wear. However, NT said that Inner Farne would be open to visitor tours this year – and added that Puffins have returned to the site to breed.

The National Trust believes Puffins in the Farne Islands are developing an immunity to bird flu (Peter Garrity).

Puffins bouncing back in Farne Islands

Last year it was announced that the Puffin population in the Farne Islands had increased in recent years, despite the impact of bird flu, with the first full count for five years showing an increase of 15% since 2019.

During the avian flu outbreak in 2022 and 2023, some 10,000 seabirds perished across the Farne Islands. More than 900 Puffin carcasses were collected during these years but a combination of the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequently bird flu meant conservationists could not get close enough to carry out their full census. 

However, the islands opened again to visitors in 2024 and, with seabirds remaining free of bird flu, NT said it was hopeful that immunity was building within the colony.

Immunity hopes

Sophia Jackson, area ranger for the islands, said: "We have been closely monitoring the impact of the disease on our breeding populations as part of international research into bird flu. Bird flu is now endemic in the population. 

"There have been studies done on the Isle of May that showed the birds had immunity when they were tested. The fact that it is low numbers and not spreading also suggests that there is immunity in some way."