Blakeney Point stars in BBC Wild Isles for grey seals

Blakeney Point was featured in the Oceans episode of BBC's Wild Isles to showcase England's largest grey seal colony.

The series is shining a light on the UK's native species, such as the Sandwich tern and the little tern.

Blakeney is the breeding site for 25pc of Sandwich terns, with there being over 3,600 pairs in 2021.

Little terns, 16pc of which breed at Blakeney, have seen a 40pc decline since the 1980s.

During the March to October nesting season, rangers live at the end of the Point to provide the birds with a 24-hour watch

Duncan Halpin, National Trust ranger for the Norfolk coast and Broads, said: “Little terns are one of the UK’s rarest seabirds and are afforded the utmost protection from disturbance.

Sandwich tern in flight over Blakeney (Image: National Trust/Ian Ward)

"The UK has around 1,300 pairs of little tern and the Point can host up to 200 pairs, although this varies from year to year."

Rangers and a team of volunteers spend the summer counting nests and fledglings, warding off predators and limiting disturbance.

Mr Halpin said: “Little terns tend to lay their eggs close to the high-water mark, meaning they’re vulnerable to being washed away by high tides and extreme weather events.

"To help prevent this, we sometimes use clay decoys to encourage nesting in more suitable areas of the shoreline.

“Please be mindful of ground-nesting birds when visiting the coast, look out for restrictions and follow signage, birds don’t obey fence lines so always watch your step, walking down at the water’s edge is usually the safest thing to ensure as little disturbance as possible.”

Norfolk has already featured in the series, with Snettisham in the freshwater episode.

The Oceans episode of Wild Isles with David Attenborough is available on BBC iPlayer.