Puffins, Farne Islands

This is the third of the “Travels Down Memory Lane Series”. Over the last couple of years, there hasn’t been an opportunity for holidays away. So I decided to look at some of the posts I’d planned to write, and for various reasons, I hadn’t. Nothing is as much fun as walking down memory lane and revisiting and sharing the photographs and journals from our travels.

I will introduce this post as most of it is written by Neil. While I relaxed on a rocky beach at Seahouses, knitting my sock project, Neil travelled to Staples Island in the Farne Islands to search for nesting puffins. He returned with the most amazing photographs I have to share.

We thought about taking a boat ride or the car to Holy Island. For the latter, we would have to ensure that the tides were right, but it would have been doable, and we may do it later in the week if we have time.

The information about the Farne Islands was too good to pass up. Nikki suffers from seasickness on boats, so I was alone for this outing. I had never seen puffins before, so it was exciting to go to Staples Island…

I paid at the town centre for the ferry and was directed to the harbour, where there is a kiosk for the National Trust. They ensure that the Farne Islands are kept with the nesting birds’ welfare in mind. The boat left at 10 am, and we were told that tens of thousands of birds were nesting on the islands.

The rangers live five days a week on an adjacent island and row over every morning. There is electricity but no running water, so no five-day washing. The assistant ranger said that if you thought the bad smell on the island was the birds, it might also be the rangers – so she said sorry.

Some birds are monogamous, and some like to divorce and play the field, she said.

Razorbills, guillemots, puffins, gulls, eider ducks, kittiwakes, fulmars, terns and shags. They told us to bring a hat due to diving terns, but it was okay on the day. Fulmars have an oily deposit in the sack under their beaks, so spit it on anyone who gets close. They tend to be apart from the other birds.

The puffins are the biggest draw, so cute flying, flapping, swimming, or just looking about.

It was an exciting cruise with well-informed talks both on the island and on the boat, but with the noise of the birds, it was hard to hear what they were saying.

We also saw seals basking and one trying to sleep in the water. I think we were disturbing him, but no dolphins were spotted.

We got to walk on Staples for over an hour – photographing the birds in nests, resting and flying around us. Also, people had sensibly brought snacks. There were 34 people plus three staff on the boat, and we were told at 11:15 am to arrive back at the boat at 12:20, to be sharp, as it is a long way to swim to the mainland!

The islands were home to monks, including St Cuthbert and a young girl who saved 8 or 9 after a shipwreck. The captain had mistaken two lighthouses and ended up crashing on an island.

The trip lasted until 1 pm, and Nikki was waiting at the harbour when I arrived back.

We decided to drive up the coast to Bamburgh Castle to take photographs… So, more to come from me! – Neil