The season starts

The season starts on the 1st April and all of the Rangers have now arrived and have been preparing the Islands ready for the boats and visitors to enjoy the breeding season. We have been operating all winter and had some fantastic trips but we had our boats have been inspected by the MCA today, and this gives the boats a license to operate to our full capacity.

The weather this week has been just fantastic with beautiful sunshine and flat calm seas. To make things a lot better the birds have been arriving back in their thousands.

I also seen a good few Turnstones around all of the Islands, 4 Purple Sandpipers and 20 Sandwich Terns were roosting on Knocks Reef and 8 Harbour Porpoise. The Sandwich Tern count maybe more than that now but that's what I counted and it will not be long before hundreds are here. I was even told that some of the Shags are now on eggs. Now that's quick.  

Here is a few pictures I have taken over the last week.

  

Guillemots steal the show.

Its has been amazing week so far with flat calm sea's and beautiful sunshine and I just hope it continues to be honest. All the boats are now painted and ready for the season to get started. I know I've been out all winter but it's just nice to see the sun shining and the birds coming back.
The Guillemots have been coming and going for over a month now, but this time they seem to be a lot more settled. The Puffins and Razorbills are starting to turn up, with big groups of them resting on the water. At the moment the Guillemots are steeling the show with big numbers all around the Islands. Last week the really put a show on for the customers and myself, by flying over the boat in their hundreds. Sometimes when I watch Nature programs I get so jealous of the guys seeing thousands of Penguins or Killer Whales and I realise that I do see something like this every year when the birds start to arrive to the Farne Islands.

 This video was taken on my phone a few days ago and it shows you just how lucky I am to be able to go out to the Farne Islands everyday and see amazing sights like the Guillemots arriving. Enjoy.

First Puffin of the year.

Last Sunday I was on a trip around the Islands with a few customers and a good friend. It was a beautiful day and the seas were calm and as I looked at my friend I could see the smile on his face as we approached the Islands as their were thousands of Guillemots everywhere. This is just what he needed as he had been working hard lately I don't think he expected to see as many.
I must admit it is a beautiful sight and you know it will not be long until all the birds are back.

As we traveled around the Islands I spotted 50+ Turnstones, 3 Purple Sandpipers, Oystercatchers, 1 Peregrine, Fulmers, Kittiwakes but the best sighting of the day was the Puffin.

I do like the Puffin and it's really nice to see them again. We only saw 8 and they might not hang around for long but for me and most of all my friend it was the highlight of the trip.

Here are some shots I got....Welcome Back to the Farne Islands guys.

 

I can't miss out the Guillemots so here are a few shots.