The Isle of May nature reserve is set to reopen for public visits this weekend despite fears of avian influenza.

The island is a popular visitor attraction for seabird lovers, with more than 40,000 nesting puffins calling it their home in the warmer months.

Sitting in the Firth of Forth between Fife and East Lothian the island is accessed by numerous boats, including one from North Berwick and one from Dunbar.

The visitor attraction, which is run by NatureScot, is now looking forward to welcoming visitors back to the island, which closed last year for five weeks to help protect seabirds from a devastating outbreak of avian flu.

Over the past year, the Scottish Avian Influenza Task Force led by NatureScot has been working to further understand how the virus is transmitted within seabird colonies and what practical actions can be put in place to help seabirds try to cope in the event an outbreak happens again. 

There is still much for scientists to understand about avian influenza and its spread so further targeted research and surveillance will continue throughout the season.

To allow access to islands, a series of biosecurity measures and ways to minimise disturbance to birds have been implemented, including disinfecting footwear and restricting access to certain areas when necessary. This will be kept under review as the season progresses.

Visitors to the Isle of May will be asked to use disinfectant foot baths on departing mainland harbours and arriving on the island, and to stay on designated paths

Throughout spring, the island is home to more than 80,000 pairs of birds nesting. The high west cliffs are home to guillemots, razorbills, shags and kittiwakes, while more than 1,200 female eider ducks nest across the reserve.

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 opens on April 1 and will remain open until the end of September. Access to the island is free, but there are boat charges to get there.