Inner Farne Islands
Date: June 22nd 2024.
The islands are just off Bamburgh in the North Sea. This time of year from April to July they are home to tens of thousands of breeding seabirds. The huge attraction is that one of these breeds is the puffin. To get to the Inner farne Islands requires a boat trip of about 15 minutes And there are 4 or 5 boat companies based in the old fishing port of sea houses that provide a variety of tours. I had previously looked at using Serenity tours when I was last here, but bird flu meant there was no landing on the island so I didn’t pursue it at the time. I followed them on Facebook and watched their recent videos. They get very good reviews, and a recent YouTube Video from photographer Gary Gough had used them, and they also recently won the north of England, award for tourist companies. There are variety of cruises available. I chose the three hour tour of the islands that included one hour on an Island to go see the puffins. The island is managed by the National Trust, so everybody either has to have their National Trust membership checked or if they’re not members pay, the fee before boarding the boat. I was booked on the 1:45 pm trip. The first surprise was boarding the boat, this was low tide and the boat was boarding from the far end of the long harbour wall and there was a very steep long set of steps down to the boat luckily it had a handrail otherwise I would’ve been very very uncomfortable, (picture below). The crew were available at the bottom with the boat to help everybody safely.
I sat at the front of the boat, with the hope of the sea dolphins swimming along aside the boat, as I’ve been shown on the number of serenity recent postings on Facebook. The Dolphins were a no-show today.
The weather was forecast to be predominantly sunny, occasional cloud, no rain and very light winds.
On the short trip across to the nearest of the items the Skipper of the boat gave brief instructions to what we were likely to see. This consisted of Kittiwakes, Razor bills, Gulls, Shags and of course the Puffins. There were also a number of Common Seals on one of the lower islands which we would visit as well. The crossing was smooth with the sea almost glass like. We proceeded to visit many of the little inlets, around the edges of the islands, at least those with nesting seabirds.
There was thousands and thousands and thousands of seabirds. The majority sat on the rock face or on top of their nests. There were a number of young small chicks amongst the Gulls, the Razorbills. had chicks but these were close to full grown, however with a very distinctive junior set of plumage. Towards the side of the island we came across the Common Seals, they were all female. They were set upon the rocks, at high tide they swim over and as the tide drops this leaves them sitting on the rocks until the next high tide lift them up again.
In amongst the islands there are a number of lighthouses, some now just ruins, Some still active although now fully automated. One of these lighthouses, one of the red ones, was the home to Grace Darling. As a teenage girl Grace lived with her father the Lighthouse keeper, and io one stormy night looking from her window she saw a ship on the rocks across the sound from the lighthouse. The weather was atrocious howling winds and rain, with her father, she rowed across and rescued at least six people going back again again to bring them to safety. There is a Museum to her in the village of Bamburgh.
After our short history lesson, we headed for the Inner Farne island to visit the Puffins. We had been advised to wear hats for this. The National Trust staff had explained that the hats were to allow us to run the gauntlet of the Kittiwakes as we climbed up the slopes to the top of the island. These birds tended to fly very low over your head and then peck your head with the very very long, sharp bills, hence the hats was essential. I personally at least seven stabs of my head, quite firm ones, on my way onto the island. The return journey being downhill, was quicker, and I only suffered four attacks that time.
On reaching the top of the island there is a boardwalk which everybody has to keep to which is roughly like a figure shape going from one side of the island to the other and going in amongst the breeding areas for the puffins. The puffins live in burroughs mainly of their own design and effort, although apparently it’s not unknown for them to mug rabbits and steel their warrens. There were puffins everywhere, on the ground and in the air. In the air they are like fast little missiles, they will quickly change direction quickly and are hard to photograph. I did get a number of flying shots which I was happy with, although the shots of a puffin returning into land with its wings out stretched with Sand Eels hanging out each side of its bill eluded me. I would recommend a visit to anybody as it was a wonderful experience. I did look at going again on one of the following days, although the weather was poor in two ways, it was cloudy so there was less light for photography, and for me more importantly, it had become quite windy, which led me to question whether I would enjoy the cruise again given I am not an accomplished sailor!
