The survey reveals the nesting habits of seabirds

Figures from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) said the North is the top area in England for nesting seabirds.

All of England's gannets and black guillemots are found there, along with virtually all the puffins, Arctic terns, roseate terns and kittiwakes.

The Seabird 2000 census ends a four-year study into the UK's seabirds.

It shows that the coastline of the North East, Cumbria and Yorkshire supports more than 80% of the English total of many seabird species.

The RSPB's reserve at Coquet Island, off the Northumberland coast, is now the UK's stronghold for roseate terns and the breeding population on the island has more than doubled in the last five years.

'Living barometers'

It is believed that virtually the entire English population nested there last year.

But while the number of breeding seabirds has risen steadily over the last 30 years to about eight million, the survey also reveals some species, particularly several species of tern, are suffering population declines.

Roseate terns are flourishing in Northumberland

RSPB regional director Andy Bunten said: "A visit to one of the north of England's superb seabird colonies in summer is an unforgettable experience, and these seabird cities provide some of the most exciting wildlife spectacles these islands can offer.

"The presence of tens of thousands of seabirds around our shores provides living proof of the richness of the seas around our coast, but these birds are also sensitive living barometers and the declines of some species are worrying."

The results of the Seabird 2000 census represents the work of more than 1,000 surveyors, counting 3,200 colonies along 40,000km of coastline, and at 900 inland sites.