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Bird watching and the River Mersey

FARNE

These rocky islands, once home to Saint Cuthbert and Grace Darling our famous heroine lighthouse keeper, are now a wonderful sanctuary for seabirds and seals.

To the birdwatching community, the Farne Islands, off the coast of Northumberland about an hour's drive north of Newcastle is seabird heaven, hosting up to 100,000 pairs of nesting seabirds with the rare opportunity to get up close..

In May 2008 I visited Inner Farne for the first time, it was wonderful.  I'd not visited a seabird colony before and I wasn't sure what to expect but as soon as our little boat got close to the cliffs I realised I was in for a treat.

The sound of thousand's of Seabirds jostling for position on the white guano stained cliffs, the squabbling a moving sea of black and white - guillemots and razorbills on the cliff top, and as we got closed to drop off the smell ..well it is a bird colony.

The walk from the ferry quay up the path  towards the  ruined Pele Tower was one of the most a extraordinary and one I'm likely never to forget.  Arctic terns  nesting along the path mob the awestruck visitors. Striking your head  with their sharp beaks, fortunately I had been forewarned and brought a hat. The attacks are are relentless until you pass the breeding pairs patch. 

And then to the main path around the island reserve, from here the path offers extreme close ups views of breeding Puffins, shags, guillemot, razorbills, sandwich, common, arctic and roseate terns,  kittiwakes, eider duck and oystercatcher  conflicting emotions abound excitement, exhilaration wonder trepidation - should I be so close, are they afraid ...words & pictures are a taste, you have to go yourself  to know. 

The Farne Islands can be visited by boat, many of the visitors are ferried by Billy Shiel's boats, the "Glad Tidings" fleet . These boats sail to the islands daily , dependant on the timetable and weather conditions the boats will land on  Staple Island or Inner Farne, both looked after by the National Trust. Note: A separate admission fee is payable for each island - tickets are bought from a National Trust warden on landing on each island. Boat fees do not include island admission.

Seahouses
Seahouses is a small holiday resort with a harbour - it is here the boat trips to the vast seabird colonies on the Farnes Islands are based. According to local birdwatchers the harbour itself is worth checking for rare gulls  at any time of year, especially so in winter. Glaucous and Iceland Gulls are reasonably regular and Ivory Gull has also been recovered here. 

The Eiders in the harbour can be very tame and will home in on anyone coming down to the waters edge with food; many of them will even take food from the hand. The gulls well there always on the lookout, especially by the chippy!

Atlantic Grey Seals

The Farnes are home to one of the biggest grey seal colonies in he British Isles. They’ve been here for at least 800 years but were hunted for oil and skins for most of that time. Now they’re protected and you can see the huge bulls, mottled cows and brownish pups peeking out of the water or huddling together lazily on rocks, specially at low water when more of the islands are exposed. There are an estimated 3 to 4 thousand Seals at the Farne Islands with over a thousand Seal pups born each Autumn, fortunately, they show no sign of depletion.

Longstone light
Grace Darling was the daughter of Longstone lighthouse-keeper, William Darling, and on September 7, 1838, at the age of 22 years, she and her father rescued nine people in a strong gale and thick fog from the wreck of the Forfarshire which had run aground on Harker rock. The story of the rescue attracted extraordinary attention throughout Britain and made Grace Darling a heroine who has gone down in British folklore.

And while your in the area, why not visit Lindisfarne and Budle Bay internationally renowned for wildfowl during the winter months, the tidal mudflats and salt marshes draw in Pale bellied Brent geese, Greylag, Long-tailed duck, Knot, Grey Plover, Bar-tailed Godwit, Redshanks, Widgeon, Teal, Oystercatcher, Mallard and Shelduck can be found.

And the area around Bamburgh Castle, Yellowhammers, Skylarks, Linnets, Meadow pipits, Stonechat, Wheatear, Lapwing,  Sedge & Grasshopper warblers and numerous other tits, thrushes and finches around the dunes and golf course.