Back to the Farne Islands

Atlantic Puffin

Arctic Tern

Kittiwake

Atlantic Puffin

Atlantic Puffin

Arctic Tern

Arctic Tern

Guillemot

Atlantic Puffin

Arctic Tern

Arctic Tern

Grey Seal

Guillemot

Eider

Guillemot

Sandwich Terns

The Farne Islands have been calling me for a number of weeks and following a very favourable weekend forecast we booked Friday off work and took the journey up north to our beloved Northumbria. 

We left home at 3.30am to give us time for a relaxing breakfast in Seahouses before getting the boat out at 9.30am. The all day trip give us the opportunity to take in Staple Island & Inner Farne. Before leaving Seahouses I picked up a Rosette Tern coming down the coast off the harbour car park.

On the journey out to Staple Island we were past by a variation of Gannets & Auks whilst a group of american photographers entertained us with their global adventures, all were armed with at least three serious cameras. 

As the boat moored a gathering of Puffins were watching us from the top of the cliff. The great thing about the Farnes is the birds are so comfortable in their surroundings you can sit in close proximity to birds and take in their daily routine. We enjoyed amazing views of Shags, Guillemot, Razorbills and Kittiwakes all with young. The local gulls were waiting for the Puffins to return from fishing before trying to steal their catch, the Puffins were very aware of this threat so were quickly in their burrows.

Over on Inner Farne, the Arctic Terns greeted everyone in a very protective way with many young chicks and a few remaining eggs all over the island. Many had nested close to the boardwalk which is an attraction to the breeding terns as the terns deem the more humans passing there will be less predators.

This years bird census is still on going but the wardens indicated despite the global decline in seabirds the Farnes remains an excellent location for breeding birds. Razorbills are the one species that did decline last year. To give you an idea of the number there are 43,000 pairs of Puffins, 476 pairs of Shag, 3158 pairs of Kittiwake, 1735 Arctic Tern & 49,900 pairs of Guillemot.