Little brother is watching you...

It's a magical moment, and one that few people have ever seen: a puffin has been caught in the act of laying an egg on one of Inner Farne's new 'BurrowCams'. The mum-to-be was observed by rangers contracting heavily and acting rather uncomfortable, and over 10 minutes later after a lot of shuffling around, she laid a single white egg in her nesting chamber.

Both adults have since taken it in turns to incubate the developing egg, and hopefully in five to six weeks we'll see the chick hatch and be able to follow its development into a fully fledged puffling!

Puffin Census 2013

Puffin census year!

Just a few to count....

Nest burrows to check

New 'Puffin Cam' in visitor centre on Inner Farne

Hands down....

The team counting burrows

Do we have one?

Friday 17th May comments: It’s time for lift off. Having been in the planning for several months, today we launch our Puffin census, the first full population count of the Farne Islands in five years. The count, which will take two months to complete will bring the very latest population trends for the islands and will reveal more about our iconic birds which live on the Farnes.

The census takes place every five years and records date back to 1939 when 3,000 breeding pairs were recorded. The last survey in 2008 recorded 36,500 pairs of puffins across eight islands. Over the next two months, the ranger team will be surveying all the islands (a mammoth task as you could imagine!) and counting occupied burrows.

Puffins nest underground in burrows which means the Rangers will have to put their arms into the holes to check for occupation and until 2008, each survey since the census began 65 years ago showed a steady increase in numbers. However the last count indicated numbers had fallen by a third as in 2003 the census revealed there were 55,674 pairs living on the Islands. We hope to have the results by early July and it’ll be interesting to see what has happened since the last census.

On an even more exciting level, for the first time on the islands we have ‘Puffin Cam;’ two cameras beaming live pictures back to the visitor centre on Inner Farne of ‘life in a burrow’. At present one pair are incubating an egg and anyone visiting can watch Puffins like they have never seen them before. Stay tuned to the Farnes blog as we'll bring you more information a bit later today with some amazing film which was recorded from a burrow on Wednesday.

Welcome to the Year of the Puffin. Its going to be epic.

Fulmar Eggs



Welcome to egg club: Fulmars now on eggs

 

Stunning Black Redstart remains

A giant Swift - our first of the year

Summer is here!

 Thursday 16th May comments: What a difference a day makes. Yesterdays gales and driving rain were almost forgotten as the Farnes bathed in glorious sunshine and flat seas, which was much appreciated by everyone connected with the islands. A few migrant birds lingered including a stunning Black Redstart (which showed well alongside a male Redstart) and out first Swift of the year; summer is on its way.

Our breeding seabirds enjoyed the weather change and so much so, we discovered out first Fulmar eggs. We now just need Kittiwakes to join the 'egg club' and then our season will be going places. It's been a busy week and its only going to get busier as the Farnes and its Puffins are about to hit the big screen...but more of that tomorrow. We've got a long day ahead tomorrow so an early night planned...you have been warned. 

'Owling Gales

Sedge Warblers on the move (David Kinchin-smith)

Garden Warbler in the undergrowth

Spot the Owl...a snap shot of the Short-eared Owl (Will Scott)

Wednesday 15th May comments: Its never dull on the Farnes, it just never is. I’ll bring the full story of our day on Friday but with the wind reaching almost gale force north-easterly with lashing rain, it certainly wasn’t a day to forget. For the vast majority of people a day like this is one to spend indoors, sheltering from the wind and the rain and keeping warm. But not for the rangers of the Farnes!

At this time of year, birds are migrating north, heading for their breeding grounds in continental Europe. With the Farnes lying off the east coast of the UK, easterly winds are very welcome over here with birds being blown onto the islands and grounded by the rain. Today produced a good scattering including a stunning Short-eared Owl which flew low west over the islands.Tomorrow the weather is due to settle and we’ll open our doors again and look forward to seeing everyone.

Today’s highlights: Common Sandpiper, Short-eared Owl 1 west, Tree Pipit, Blackbird, Black Redstart 3, Redstart 2, Wheatear 7, Garden Warbler 3, Sedge Warbler 2 and Willow Warbler 7.

Nearly time

Common Terns grounded

Nesting female Mallard in old lobster pots (Will Scott)

Kittiwakes nest building (Bex Outram)

A recent visitor...Black Guillemot meets Eider (David Kinchin-smith)

Monday 13th May comments: The breeding season continues to gather pace and whilst a good majority of our seabirds are now incubating eggs, we still await others. Fulmars have become scarce in recent days as birds have departed for the open sea, a strange phenomena which occurs every May before they return and lay eggs. Although just a local term, the island team call this the 'honeymoon' period as birds will be away for a week before returning to lay.

Elsewhere Common Terns were observed landing on Inner Farne on their traditional breeding areas, whilst Arctic Terns continue to display high above the main colonies and it won't be long before these two Tern species are settled on the islands. Last but not least, Kittiwakes are still busy building and soon we'll have a complete set.

Interestingly, if you are visiting the islands, it'll be well worth keep your eyes peeled for our 'rarer' nesting species which have returned including Shelduck, Red-breasted Merganser and Ringed Plover amongst others. Its never dull on planet Farnes....

Eating Out

Sandwich Terns now on eggs

 

The main colony on Inner Farne



Saturday 11th May comments: Every day brings something new on the Farnes and birds continue to settle on eggs as the breeding season advances. Yesterday it was the ‘Tern’ of our Sandwich Terns, with the first eggs discovered in the large colony on Inner Farne.

Sandwich Terns have been arriving back since early April although ‘blocking’ easterly winds have kept numbers low. However slowly and surely birds are still arriving having spent the winter in West Africa, and hopefully the colony will be bustling with over 1,000 pairs in the near future.

Summer love

Razorbill love

Now on eggs...Razorbills

Kittiwakes in territory fight

Low in number but now on eggs; Shags

Ringed Plover now incubating

Oystercatchers join the egg club

Wednesday 9th May comments: After yesterdays influx of migrant birds, things started to return to normal although a few remained across the islands. As May progresses we are starting to turn our attention to the seabirds as we’ll soon be monitoring, ringing, sleeping and breathing seabirds.

The breeding season is now in full swing as the majority of our species on eggs. Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers are now on eggs, our large Gulls (Herring, Great Black-backed and Lesser Black-backed Gull) are now incubating, whilst Razorbills have joined Guillemots and Puffins on eggs.

The final piece of the jigsaw will be slotted together soon as Kittiwakes are frantically nest building, Fulmar will be on eggs by next week whilst our Terns are not far away. The evening roost of terns has attracted over 2,000 Arctic terns so things are looking good.