Isle of May re-opens to visitors after avian flu outbreak forced its closure

The hugely popular national nature reserve opens its doors to the public this weekend.

The island in the north of the outer Firth of Forth is home to more than 80,000 pairs of birds nesting, including more than 40,000 puffins. The high west cliffs are also home to guillemots, razorbills, shags and kittiwakes, while more than 1,200 female eider ducks nest across the reserve.

Boat operators will be able to sail to the Isle of May, managed by NatureScot, from Saturday, but some biosecurity measures will remain in place.

Visitors will be asked to use disinfectant foot baths on departing mainland harbours and arriving on the island, and to stay on designated paths as they enjoy their visit. This will be kept under review as the season progresses.

The isle was closed to the public for five weeks last year after the avian flu outbreak - it is closed from October to Easter to prevent disturbance to the large number of seal pups.

David Steel, NatureScot reserve manager, said: “We’re really looking forward to welcoming people back to enjoy the Isle of May, which is a really magical place in spring as thousands of seabirds return to this important wildlife reserve.

“It was heart-breaking to see the impact that avian flu had on colonies around our coasts last year and while a difficult decision, closing the island was the right thing to do to protect our seabirds.

“While we don’t yet know what impact the virus has had on the birds that nest here, we hope that this will be a better year for them. We ask that visitors help us to help them by following the biosecurity measures that will be in place, and would like to thank boat operators for their support in implementing this.”

The Isle of May can be accessed from the Fife and Lothian coasts and will remain open until the end of September. Access is free, but there are boat charges to get there.

Sailings depart from Anstruther, North Berwick and Dunbar