Day 26 – Boats & Seals & Birds – Lots of Birds

Tuesday was a mostly nice weather day yet again.  We had a few drops of rain in late afternoon, but nothing to speak of.

Today’s plan was an all-day boating adventure from Seahouses, just a short ride up the road from Craster, to the Farne Islands which are administered by the National Trust (NT).  The NT charges a landing fee on each island, but our NT passes exempt us from that.   We had reservations with Billy Shiels Tours for the 9:30 all day trip which included trips to two of the Farne Islands as well as a cruise around the islands.  We got there to check in at 9:00 and were told landing on Staple Island would be impossible due to conditions, so our tour would begin at 11:30 instead with just one stop at Inner Farne.  We had packed a lunch to eat on the islands, so we adjusted plans, had a walkabout Seahouses, and ate an early lunch on a bench overlooking Seahouses Harbor.  I forgot my hat, so I decided to buy a cheap one, mainly as a defense against too much sun.  Little did I know how good a decision that was.

 

 

 

 

We boarded a very crowded boat at 11:30 and headed for the Farnes, just 15 minutes away.  We cruised around several of the Farnes and saw breeding birds on the cliffs.  The major sight was the grey seal colony that we passed through.  The red and white lighthouse replaced the lighthouse from which Grace Darling launched her famous rescue mission.

 

 

 

Then we landed on Inner Farne for a close-up look at the birds.  We would be on the small island for three hours.  That’s way too long,  but we made the best of it.  You can walk the entire island and see everything in 45 minutes, so we definitely saw everything.  There are tens of thousands of birds on Inner Farne, and it is breeding season.  The first birds you encounter are arctic terns, many of them sitting on eggs.  They are very protective and love to attack the incoming bird watchers by flying and hovering above them, pecking down on their heads.  Thus, the hat that I bought was an essential item, and trust me, the birds loved pecking the top of the tallest guy’s head.  The arctic tern, amazingly, winters in the Weddell Sea in Antarctica and summers here in the Farnes to breed.

I can’t possibly name all the birds we saw, but there were puffins, arctic terns, shags, eider ducks, black headed gulls, cormorants, oyster catchers, and many more.  There are birds everywhere!  The Brits love their birds, so they were all happy as clams.  As I said, three hours on the island is overkill, but it was very interesting to see the birds.  The puffins are the cutest.  They breed in furrows, and the black headed gulls love to attack the puffins and chase them down into their underground nests.

OK, here are the bird pictures.  Lots of them.  Enjoy or skip.  Some of these pictures almost look fake.  They are not.  I took them all of them, and all the birds are live.  The stones with numbers on them are markings from the National Trust volunteers who count and monitor all the eggs, a monumental task.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After getting back to the mainland, we rushed home as it was past cocktail hour.  Elaine cooked tonight.  Lamb steaks with veg.  Yum.  After dinner we had wine outside watching the ocean and chatting with amblers on their way to see the castle.  Then early to bed.