Seahouses

Razorbills, Farne Islands, Northumberland
see all photos »

We have a late start before Dad drops Mum and I into Seahouses. Our boat trip isn't until 12:30pm, but we arrive a few hours beforehand, to have a mooch about in town. I head round to the small harbour looking for birds. I spend ages trying to photograph some house martins collecting mud to build their nests. But they prove to be quite camera shy. Eventually I have a bit more luck down on the shore.

I decide I need a slightly larger photographic target, so spend a while stalking some female eider ducks who are cooing to their ducklings. They don't seem to be impressed with my techniques either - I'm evidently never going to be a famous wildlife photographer.

... we did see some baby guillemots launching themselves off the rocks into the sea below. Luckily they seem to bounce.

Shag with chicks, Farne Islands, Northumberland
see all photos »

Time is getting on and I decide to find mum and see if we can get an early lunch, or late breakfast somewhere. I find the rank of benches I had left her sitting on ... and she isn't there! I try her mobile, but have a lot of trouble getting a signal. After making several circuits of the harbour side I eventually find her again ... sitting on one of the benches I had checked earlier. She had apparently spotted a bargain in a nearby shop and couldn't resist nipping in to buy it.

After a little snack we head back to the harbour, pay our money and wait, watching huge flotillas of eider ducks being shepherded out into the crashing waves, whilst hungry gulls eye them greedily. Worryingly it does seem to be a bit choppy today. We try not to think about it too much.

A close encounter, Farne Islands, Northumberland
see all photos »

Suddenly the call goes up for the 12:30 sailing and off we all troop. Unfortunately we seem to be sailing from the furthest end of the harbour wall and Mum really struggles to keep up with the pace. We join a long queue and then begin to wonder why everyone else around us seems to have different coloured tickets.

There turns out to be several boats leaving at 12:30 and we seem be waiting for the wrong one. So off I dash back down the harbour to the small booking office to see what's going on. It turns out our boat hasn't been called, but will go out after the other one has sailed. However the girl in the hut very kindly agrees that Mum can wait where she is, rather than keep running about. This does mean that cheekily we end up right at the front of the queue, when the rest of the passengers join us.

Birdwatchers on the Farne Islands, Northumberland
see all photos »

There is a small delay whilst our boat makes its way round to us and so we chat to the girl who led all the passengers up. She tells us that no one has been able to land on Staple Island for the few days, it's been too rough to land. Of course this means that even more people than normal have been trying to get over to Inner Farne (the island we are heading for). Apparently it was so busy yesterday that one boat waited just outside the harbour for 45 minutes before they could reach the harbour and disembark. Apparently there were an awful lot of green faces! This isn't really what Mum wants to hear and the girl quickly reassures us that all will be well today.

Longstone Lighthouse, Farne Islands
see all photos »

After being packed onto the boat like sardines into a tin, we are finally off. However we don't make it very far; in fact we are only just outside of the harbour when the captain suddenly cuts the engine. "Nothing to worry about, just a bit of weed caught up in the engine". His crewman picks his way through the passengers and disappears down a hatch with a rather large wrench. This appears to be for hitting things rather than tightening. There are nervous faces all round, but as the captain points out, the engine is fine at the moment but if he doesn't sort this out now it could disable the engine later - and we wouldn't want that!

The harbour at Seahouses, Northumberland
see all photos »

Engine sorted and off we go again. Mum and I are facing in the wrong direction, looking back to shore rather than towards the Farne Islands. However we are quick to spot some of the seabirds, whizzing past the boat. Huge great gannets soar past, following the shore back to their nesting colony, probably the huge Bass Rock off the Scottish coast. In stark contrast to these majestic birds are the comical puffins and guillemots, their frantically flapping wings make them look like clockwork toys.

Daytripper boat heading for the Farne Islands, Seahouses, Northumberland
see all photos »

The ride for us is pretty good but Mum would have preferred to go without the tour of all the islands. However we did see some baby guillemots launching themselves off the rocks into the sea below. Luckily they seem to bounce. Don't see the seals very well - to rough to turn the boat road.

Finally we dock at Inner Farne and set off up the quay. Mobbed almost immediately by the terns. Unlike my last visit when they were all on eggs, now tiny fluffy chicks are all over the path. I'm terrified of hearing a squelchy crunch. As predicted the terns do attack, but only if severely provoked.

Puffin on Inner Farne, Farne Islands, Northumberland
see all photos »

Watch puffins fly in with mouths full of sand eels for the hungry chicks in their burrows. One dives between the legs of the man next to me. We all missed that photo. Plenty of chicks of all species, guillemots, kittewakes, shags, sandwich terns. Plenty of other gulls enjoying the free buffet.

One single Arctic tern sits on its own fenced off section next to the lighthouse ‘don't see why I should move'. Finally a ringed plover nesting by the quay - my final photograph.

Back on dry land and both hungry. Dad's phone is playing up and my brother wants the key to the house. We end up in a fish restaurant whilst phone calls and text fly back and forward.