Category: Blog

The RSPB says that “Coquet Island, situated off the Northumberland coast, is a vibrant seabird sanctuary, which is home to the UK’s only roseate tern breeding colony. It is also an important site for nesting puffins and common, Sandwich and Arctic terns.”

On our last full day in Northumberland we had a walk along the beach in the morning at Warkworth from where we could see Coquet Island in one direction and Alnmouth, where we have been staying this week, in the other direction. In the afternoon we took the hour long boat trip from Amble harbour around Coquet Island and enjoyed seeing puffins, guillemots, razorbills and various terns, including the rare roseate tern.

You are not allowed to land on the island but we enjoyed this short trip which gave me my last photographic opportunity of the holiday.

Slideshow of today’s photos:

The tern colony of little terns and Arctic terns at Long Nanny on the Northumberland coast are guarded 24/7 by rangers of the National Trust each summer.

“They have had mixed results in recent years and fared particularly badly during COVID lockdown when the rangers were unable to be there to protect them. The Arctic tern, which has the longest migration of any bird in the world, started breeding at Long Nanny in 1980 and has returned every year from Antarctica to nest. The little tern is one of the UK’s smallest seabirds, weighing roughly the same as a tennis ball. They feed mostly on sand eels and young herring and tend to lay between one and three camouflaged eggs on the beach. The little tern has been in serious decline since the 1980s, with fewer than 2,000 breeding pairs now left in the UK.” (National Trust website)

In the last couple of years they have been joined by a summering American Black Tern – Britain’s first record of an adult in summer plumage.

We reached Long Nanny by walking behind the dunes at Newton Links. The display of spring flowers was beautiful and we enjoyed good views of sky larks, linnets, stonechats, reed buntings and even avocets and oystercatchers on the river.

We returned along the beach enjoying the best of the Northumberland coast.

Our trip to the Farne Islands started from Seahouses harbour on the Northumberland coast. We were a little apprehensive as it was a gloomy morning and the sea swell was quite significant. However, the trip was quite amazing. We had fabulous views of seabirds and seals around the islands and, despite the boat’s skipper warning us that a landing might not be possible, we did manage to land on Staple Island for an hour long stay. The experience of seeing the birds, who did not seem at all perturbed by our presence, so close up was stunning.

The experience, as fabulous as it was, was very different from our previous views of puffins which were on Skomer Island off the Pembrokeshire Coast of Wales. Here on the Farne Islands we were closer up to many more seabirds, but on Skomer we were able to explore the island more and enjoy the spectacular views. (See – A taste of Skomer)

In the afternoon the sun came out and we had a very pleasant early evening stroll along the coast at Boulmer where we saw stonechats, meadow pipits, oystercatchers and sanderling.

Farne Islands breeding bird report for 2021

Heading north for a holiday in Northumberland we made a brief stop (for nostalgic reasons) at Attenborough Nature Reserve in Long Eaton to break the journey and to grab a cup of tea. This was my first attempt at photos for quite some time and, for lack of practice (and probably senility), I really did mess things up. However, I managed to rescue a few shots to give a flavour of this lovely reserve in the centre of England. A pair of common terns were the main feature but close to the centre we also saw Egyptian geese, a great crested grebe and a reed bunting.

Further north (by now into Northumberland) we stopped at Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre and Reserve where we saw more terns (common and sandwich) and many other birds that I do not see locally in Bristol such as tree sparrows and bullfinches. We also saw a beautiful red squirrel on a feeder.

The BBC were filming “Spring Watch’” at Hauxley for the following week and it was lovely to meet the charming Megan McCubbin in the first hide we visited.

Our first sortie from Alnmouth (where we are staying for the week) was to Cresswell Pond, to the south, where we had heard reports of spoonbills.

On arrival we could see two spoonbills in the distance. The light was poor and I thought my chances of photographing them would be very limited but just when I was about to give up they flew across the water and landed nearby. Quite a treat. On the way back we stopped at Amble Harbour and saw mergansers, eider ducks and an indeterminate diver.

Quite a promising start to the week.

Having recovered from COVID it’s been good to get out and about these last few days. My Achilles’ tendon injury still limits how far I can walk but I’ve taken the opportunity to see bird activity around Chew Valley and Blagdon lakes without venturing too far from my car.

The most attractive birds have been the great crested grebes which are in breeding plumage; however, I have been disappointed not see their courting displays.

There are always plenty of mute swans which still amaze me in flight.

When you’ve been confined to a surgical boot with a torn Achilles’ tendon for 3 months and then you get COVID you have to be thankful that the weather brightens up and that you have a garden to enjoy some of the joys of spring. But then again you have to be thankful it’s a tiny garden.

Slideshow of some of the birds and bees in my garden in the last few days:

It is well known that time spent in nature is connected to cognitive and mental health benefits, as well as improvements in mood and emotional well-being. Well how I needed a day like today, bird watching in the Chew Valley just south of Bristol!

To some extent the frustration at not being able to get out and about because of my Achilles’ tendon rupture has got to me; but more than anything seeing the atrocities in Ukraine, and the suffering of the poor people there who have done nothing to have such horror inflicted upon them, has affected me considerably.

I wasn’t able to completely forget their plight but I did have a pleasant day without any news broadcasts and without even looking at my phone.

I spent most of the day on my own but I did spend a little while talking to Keith Vinicombe, the author of a local natural history book of this area which I bought before Christmas and which I have thoroughly enjoyed. Keith was in the company of John Rosetti (who compiled and edited the book) and I was very pleased to meet them and congratulate them on their splendid work. I particularly enjoyed the book because I was brought up in this area and, as well as a fantastic reference of the birds of Chew Valley, it relates the history of the lake which was constructed when I was a boy growing up here.

As for the birds I didn’t see as many as I have in recent visits but for much of the day there was good light and I enjoyed my time taking photographs.

Slideshow of my photos from today:

Another very mild day for February. We spent the morning at Chew Valley Lake where, as well as a good cup of coffee at Woodford Lodge, we were able to see birds on the lake from the road and from a hide (Stratford) to which I could drive.

The sun shone briefly to give us some nice views of the lake. Most of the wildfowl were in the middle of the lake but we could make out large flocks of tufted ducks, pochard and lapwings.

There was also one small group of tufted ducks which were combined with goldeneye.

Slideshow of this morning’s photos:

I have to concede that the injury to my Achilles’ tendon (which is now booted 24/7) is causing me great frustration, especially as I have been unable to get out and savour the joys of nature on which I have become more and more reliant.

In January and the beginning of February, in this part of the country, we have had a number of sunny and relatively mild days . Thankfully, yesterday I managed to enjoy one of them at one of the UK’s finest wetland centres, WWT Slimbridge. I only managed to get to the first two hides but I saw enough there to alleviate my frustrations.

This week it was World Wetlands Day, “which is celebrated annually on 2 February and aims to raise global awareness about the vital role of wetlands for people and planet. A call to take action for wetlands is the focus of this years’ campaign. It’s an appeal to invest financial, human and political capital to save the world’s wetlands from disappearing and to restore those we have degraded. 2 February 2022 is the first year that World Wetlands Day will be observed as a United Nations international day” – (extract from the linked website which is well worth having a look at.)

The first bird we saw on the Rushy lake was an avocet, the iconic emblem of the RSPB. In fact this was the only one we saw on our visit.

From this first hide you get really good close-ups of the birds and is generally a good place to get photos of birds in flight or on the water.

From the next hide you have good views over the wetlands which are pretty spectacular when all the birds are feeding but amazing when something spooks them and the large flocks take to the air.

The first signs of spring were most evident too.

Sitting in a damp, cold hide in the middle of January is not quite my idea of heaven but it was certainly better than sitting on the sofa at home. “Nature is good for your mental health” I have read so often of late and I would certainly concur from my experience today.

It was not a day for great photos but the snipe in front of the Stratford hide at Chew Valley lake were more obliging than usual; and the sight of a flock of teal being spooked by a peregrine at close quarters and a marsh harrier overhead were a blessing for me (but maybe not for the teal). Golden eyes are very cute too.

A pheasant at Blagdon Lake (which was teaming with ducks) on the way back was the most colourful of the day and a kestrel near Banwell was a bonus.