On The Boat

Staple Island - 24.6.2022

Finally we are on the boat with a tourist bit viewing the multitude of seabirds crammed on the rock face as close as four meters ! normally you don't get great shots but it's good to take in the sights, sounds and the smell before heading to Staple Island for a one hour session.

The National Trust continue with the one hour visit which seems to flyby, why one hour I simply don't know. Normally I remain around the jetty as I found this enables a uncluttered clear shot, further up the island you'r shooting down on to the birds, much better to have some sky or green grass behind.

Puffins are the order of the day, Guillemots are so packed together so isolating a bird is difficult. Next up is Inner Farne which is most people favourite island.

Atlantic Puffin

Guillemot

The Farne's Are Open

Inner Farne, Northumberland - 9/10. 7. 21

After a period of closure for well over a year the National Trust have reopened the Farne Islands, well at least Inner Farne and only for one hour. Having booked accommodation at the start of the year it was looking like I would have to cancel all my bookings as access for a second year was looking unlikely, on the other hand with foreign travel all but restricted I thought I'd keep the booking....well its a weekend break away !

I'm doing a little inter web surfing and I'm on the Billy Shield website and low and behold its says the National Trust are opening Inner Farne Islands all be it for a one hour slot the week before I'm due up in Seahouses,  no time time to delay I'm straight on the bookings page and book three slots........I'm on my way !

Landing on Inner Farne what's very noticeable straight away is where are the Arctic Terns ?...none..they have all failed to breed on the island reportedly preferring non accessible outer islands due to the hight of vegetation on Inner Farne, previously the NT wardens would cut down the vegetation before the terns arrive to encourage the terns to breed. 

The next "shocker" is you only have one hour on the island, it's like a competition..."you got a one hour slot...get ready...go" ! Even more a bummer is you only get ten minuets to stay at the lighthouse rocks due to social distancing before your turfed off....but hey...we'er on the island which is completely unexpected.

Atlantic Puffin

Puffling

Now later in the season the young Puffins (Puffling) are beginning to venture out of burrows, very this stage still cautious but with a little patience you can get a view

Guillemot

Guillemot....("Jumpling")

Young guillemots like puffing are beginning to leave the breeding ledges on the islands, this one calling to the parent bird after it had dived startled by the boat

Eider Duck

So Close to A Black Browed Albatross

RSPB Bempton Cliffs - 2.7.20

Well its been some months since I was last out with the camera due to travel restrictions related to Corvid 19, so with all my planned trips up to the Farne Isle in Northumberland cancelled until next year the next best is a trip over to Bempton Cliffs on Yorkshires east coast.

RSPB Bempton with over 500,000 breeding sea birds has the largest mainland Gannet colony in the UK including large numbers of Razorbills, Guillemots and to lesser extent Puffins. Its a little over a 90 minuets drive to Bempton so we set off around 7.30am to arrive around 9.0am in ample time before the car park fills up.

Carking up toilets are the first priority followed by the obligatory images of the resident Tree Sparrows to be found on the reception building, then it's the short walk down across the field to the first viewing platform overlooking the cliffs. It's maybe two years since may last visit, the sights, the sounds and smell always amaze and being a weekday people numbers are quite low not like my last visit where its so busy viewing was just impossible.

Today I'm using the 7D2 and the 500 with the 1.4 extender just to give that little extra reach, its not all action as I'm looking for that shot where the bird is sat on the end of a rock which will stand out from the sea in the distance. Whilst the Gannet numbers healthy enough Razorbills and Guillemots especially Puffins don't seem to be as plentiful as my last visit.

Razorbill

Having watched this Razorbill for half an hour going through some wing flapping and yawning it gave some different photo opportunities than the usual sat on a rock pose

Northern Gannet

Gannets always provide give a good subject albeit on the day the light winds didn't give those hanging shots just as they land. Below are some general flight shots with the 100-400 lens

Fulmar

Resident cliff breeder superficially looking like a gull but in fact a Petrol, a bird of the open sea.

Guillemot

Now here's a bird you can spend time photographing with little success, zooming built like with images missing either a head or tail missing or just plainly out of focus !

Tree Sparrow

Tree Sparrows can be found in and around the reception building utilising nest boxes provided on the side of the building.

Now you may be wondering about the blog title, here's the story.

It's late in the afternoon around 4.30pm and after a long day we are sat in the car enjoying a coffee and a bite to eat, no rush just relaxing then around 5.0pm we decide to head for home, now my iPhone 6 not being the latest model isn't getting any reception, if I had I would have seen a report on BirdGuides of a Black Browed Albatross which had been picked up in amongst the Gannet colony no more than 600 meters away from where we are sat, it's only when we get home I see the report, what a missed opportunity !

With my "twitching" days way behind me I'm not really inclined for an immediate return visit. You've all seen the images from a brief visit of the Albatross the following morning, and some crackers too, but thats all history now. Happy birding.