After a busy but productive year, now feels like the perfect time to pause and reflect on what has been a largely positive year for Manx BirdLife and for nature on the Isle of Man.
The standout highlight for the charity in 2025 was the acquisition of 62 acres of land on the Langness Peninsula. Made possible with the support of Langness Golf Club Limited and Nature Vannin, this major milestone will deliver lasting benefits for both wildlife and people. Alongside this achievement, the team celebrated many other successes, including extended opening hours at the Manx BirdLife Point of Ayre National Reserve, engaging with more than 2,000 schoolchildren from across the Island, and completing the all-important chough census.
It has also been a year of growth and innovation. Thanks to a grant from the Manx Lottery Trust, Manx BirdLife invested in new equipment such as moth traps, bat detectors and trail cameras, improving the way wildlife is monitored and enhancing visitor engagement on the reserves. Additional support from Manx Telecom allowed the team to go even further, installing more remote cameras to help record bird activity and deepen understanding of the species that depend on these special places.
2025 also brought some memorable events. The Castletown Swift Event was a particular highlight, resulting in the creation of a beautiful mural that now hangs proudly in Castletown Commissioners’ Office. The entire team attended the Inter-Island Environment Meeting, hosted on the Isle of Man for the first time in 25 years. This provided a fantastic opportunity to connect with like-minded conservationists from across the world and share ideas on protecting nature. Later in the year, the Celebrating Manx Birds event in November brought people together to enjoy inspiring talks on topics ranging from wintering curlew at Langness to the Calf of Man Observatory and the South Scotland Golden Eagle Project.
Collaboration remained a strong theme throughout the year. Manx BirdLife once again joined forces with Manx Whale and Dolphin Watch for sea watches at the Sound, worked with Manx Wildlife Trust on events in the north of the Island, and continued its long-term partnership with the Manx Bird Club (Manx Ornithological Society), who generously sponsor the Manx BirdLife Garden Birdwatch.
It has also been a good year for birds on both Manx BirdLife reserves. At Langness, the exclusion zone played an important role in protecting breeding species such as ringed plover and oystercatcher. Meanwhile, the Point of Ayre National Reserve celebrated the recording of its 203rd bird species when a pectoral sandpiper was spotted in September.
Over 2000 School Children engaged with Manx BirdLife in 2025
Extended opening hours at the Manx BirdLife Point of Ayre National Reserve we amongst the 2025 highlights
The use of technology has allowed better monitoring of the reserves
Across the wider Island, birders enjoyed some exciting sightings too, including a pair of cattle egrets in the south during March, and shorelark and snow bunting delighting observers in the north.
While the year has been overwhelmingly positive, there have also been challenges. The results of the chough census showed a decline in the Manx population for the first time in decades. Although concerning, having this clear evidence means action can now be taken to better understand and address the causes before the situation worsens.
