FARNE ISLANDS TRIP
JUNE 12th, 2005
Report by Neil Glenn
Photos by Lynne Demaine©
I have ‘the troops’ well-trained by now and everyone was on time at the pick-up points. One of the first birds of the day was a juvenile Collared Dove perched on the windscreen wiper of Nick’s Range Rover (or was it stuck there from a collision the previous evening?!).
The long journey north produced many Kestrels, a Tawny Owl sat on telegraph wires and a Little Owl that flew across the A1 in front of us. We arrived in Seahouses in the pouring rain at 9.30am, just in time to find out that the morning’s sailing had been cancelled and our boat wouldn’t be leaving until noon!
We decided to scan the harbour for waders on the exposed mud. The first thing we saw was a group of female Eiders with about thirty fluffy, black, very cute chicks feeding in the harbour. The mud and rocks produced an Oystercatcher and a couple of Rock Pipits but nothing else. We decided to seek out the Lesser Spotted Caf� instead.
Twelve o’clock came and went, but there was still no sign of our boat. Finally, we left the harbour at 12.30pm, gliding smoothly into the swell on the comfortable vessel. Thankfully, the sun also put in an appearance. Many Puffins were seen close to the boat, as well as Gannets, Kittiwakes, Guillemots and Razorbills.
The pilot took us close to the cliffs of Staple Island (the one we should have landed on this morning) for amazing views of nesting birds and loafing Common and Grey Seals. My favourites were the Shags, glowing an iridescent green in the sunlight.
This tour whet our appetites for the landing on Inner Farne. A couple of Roseate Terns had been seen here the previous day but one species we were anxious to avoid was the National Trust Vulture. This species can be found perched at beauty spots around Britain, waiting to part tourists from large sums of money for nothing much in particular.
We were informed by the warden that many Arctic Tern chicks had hatched this very morning, perfect timing for the rain to set in, but fortunate for us visiting birders.
The group waited around the landing area, confident the Roseates would show. Whilst waiting, it was a good opportunity to compare Arctic (short legs, long tail streamers, high-pitched calls, dainty flight, translucent primaries), Common (grubby-looking, longer legs, shorter tail streamers, smudgy wing pattern, black tip to their red bills) and Sandwich Terns (paler, much larger, black bill with yellow tip, shaggy crest) as they came in to loaf on the rocks. Ringed Plover and Rock Pipits were also seen and Eider ducks with chicks entertained us.
The group drifted off one by one to tour the island. Each person was attacked by Arctic Terns as they made their way up the hill to the chapel. I managed to remain intact until I rounded the path to enter the chapel yard. The wind blew off my hood, allowing a cunning Arctic to clip the top of my head, drawing blood. This crafty bird must have perfected this technique, waiting at the exact spot where the wind changed direction, then BLAM! One can imagine him looking forward to this game on the long journey back from the Antarctic. And good luck to the little fellow.
It is hard to describe the scene on Inner Farne. Puffins, Shags, Eiders, Kittiwakes, etc all nest within a whisker’s (or should I say beak’s) length of the path. When not sat on the floor or posts, the birds are flying over one’s head (sometimes leaving a fishy deposit on unsuspecting birders!). It is a magical place, perfect for photographers to get that iconic shot of a Puffin with a beak full of Sand Eels. Heaven!
The group reconvened on the quay, anxious to see the elusive Roseates. The warden assured us they would show soon, but the only tick we managed was Simon King and his cameraman John Aitchison, filming Springwatch for the BBC. The boat arrived to take us back to Seahouses without the Roseates performing for us.
Back on dry land, we compared war wounds and splash patterns. Some had escaped all together, Ron and me had some impressive head wounds (Ron’s even more impressive being as he had been wearing his hat all the time!) but Jackie won the prize for ‘Most Guano Collected’. I think we should call it The Krapton Factor?
I decided to try for Roseate Tern further down the coast. Coquet Island holds over seventy breeding pairs, and the area can be scanned from Amble harbour. We each purchased large portions of fish and chips and sat eating them on the prom.
One group ’scoped the fishing terns out at sea while the rest scanned the harbour. Ian L and I saw a couple of fishing Roseates; the other group had one sitting on a post in the middle of the estuary, though distant. Unsatisfactory views, but at least we had seen some. We will just have to return for a closer encounter, though hopefully not as close as the encounters of the Arctic kind!!
| SPECIES POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED ON THE TRIP | |
|---|---|
| Canada Goose | 2, on small pond by A1 |
| Mallard | |
| Eider | Several females with chicks, several males |
| Pheasant | |
| Fulmar | Several |
| Cormorant | 1 or 2, Staple Island |
| Shag | Lots, Inner Farne, inc chicks |
| Grey Heron | 1, Seahouses |
| Kestrel | Lots, along the A1 |
| Moorhen | 1, on small pool by A1 |
| Oystercatcher | 1 or 2, Seahouses |
| Ringed Plover | 1 or 2, Inner Farne |
| Lapwing | 1 or 2, along A1 |
| Turnstone | 1 or 2, Staple Island |
| Black-headed Gull | Common |
| Lesser Black-backed Gull | Several, Farnes |
| Herring Gull | Common |
| Great Black-backed Gull | Common |
| Sandwich Tern | Common |
| ROSEATE TERN | 3 seen in total, Amble |
| Common Tern | A few seen, Inner Farne (100+ pairs nest) |
| ARCTIC TERN | Common (2,500+ pairs nest) |
| Guillemot | Thousands |
| Razorbill | Hundreds |
| Puffin | Thousands |
| Stock Dove | Over A1 |
| Woodpigeon | Common |
| Collared Dove | 1 juv, Hucknall Road |
| LITTLE OWL | 1, flew across the A1 |
| TAWNY OWL | 1, sat on wires by A1 |
| Swift | Several |
| Skylark | Several |
| Swallow | Several |
| House Martin | Several |
| Rock Pipit | 1 or 2 |
| Pied Wagtail | Several, inc juv in Seahouses |
| Blackbird | |
| Willow Warbler | 1 heard, A1 services |
| Blue Tit | |
| Great Tit | 1 juv, on road near Amble |
| Magpie | |
| Carrion Crow | |
| Rook | |
| Starling | |
| House Sparrow | |
| Reed Bunting | 1 flew across road near Amble |
| MAMMALS | |
|---|---|
| Common Seal | Lots, Staple Island |
| Grey Seal | 1 or 2, Staple Island |
| Rabbit | Lots |
| Simon King | 1, Inner Farne |