Here are the rest of the pictures from yesterday's visit to the Farne Islands - still only landings available on Inner Farne for 1 hour.. Bird numbers do seem down on previous years but I suppose that is to be expected after the last Avian flu outbreak. Its a little easier than I would normally visit but it was a birthday related trip with family. As it was I left my hat in the car but didn't need it in the end - many of the Arctic Terns were still fetching fish and mating rather than actively sitting on eggs so they were nowhere near as aggressive as they are later in the season. There were lots of Puffins bringing in sandals but it looks like most of those mat=y have been young birds trying to impress young ladies. Certainly they weren't being mugged by the usual Gulls, though Black headed Gull numbers seemed very low - I don't know whether that is due to avail flu last year or whether its still early for them. Again I noticed only a couple of Shag nests where `I would have expected to see more but again its early doors - in fact the first Shag chick had just hatched the day before.
What I did miss was the Sandwich Tern colony - it wasn't in its usual place and I didn't see a single Sandwich Tern all day - but remember I'm mainly a photographer and I did concentrate more on the Gannet, Puffins and Arctics.
What did impress me was the change for the Arctic Terns - the year the management have created beds of sand for theTerns to nest in and they seem to have adapted well to them. Hopefully that means an end to the occasional laying of an egg on the walkway and a subsequent detour being organised. A really good day out and I may well have another visit later this summer.
Arctic Terns, drake Eider
Puffin
Razorbill
Shag
Kittiwake
Shag and Guillemots
Anyone seen any Puffins?
I'm sure I cleaned it out before I left last year!
There's always a Mallard
The Surfing Guillemot
One last glimpse
Still encouraging the number of eels :o)
Was hoping for a Puffin-fest Bob and you didn't disappoint, many thanks!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
Indeed, what a Puffin sequence of photos (and others), love these wee birds, thanks for sharing your trip with us Bob.
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Bobs_Retired said:Mike B said:Anyone seen a puffin..... That was superb photography Bob, was that using eye tracking? It looks like the terns were feeding on sand eels as were the puffins. Thank you - no I generally turn the eye tracking off for distant stuff as sometimes the eyes are just too small. I'm not sure what the Terns were fishing for but only one at a time for them
Mike B said:Anyone seen a puffin..... That was superb photography Bob, was that using eye tracking? It looks like the terns were feeding on sand eels as were the puffins.
Anyone seen a puffin.....
That was superb photography Bob, was that using eye tracking?
It looks like the terns were feeding on sand eels as were the puffins.
Thank you - no I generally turn the eye tracking off for distant stuff as sometimes the eyes are just too small. I'm not sure what the Terns were fishing for but only one at a time for them
Got to save some sand eels for the puffins LOL
Yes, I tend to turn the eye tracking off with distant, and/or small objects.
Mike
Flickr: Peak Rambler