Puffins Take 1

I decided that I'd blog my first visit out to the Islands today, with the late May trip with Sarah.  I seem to have far fewer "good" photos than I usually blog, but I think I'm probably just getting more picky.

Anyway, starting with a nice scenic introduction:

Yep, having a good day!

Though the sun didn't shine the whole time

I guess that would be the birdy version of visiting the supermarket?  Fast food!

The Pinnacles by Staple Island

Ooh look, he's got my lens!

Longstone Light understudy - they're converting the lighthouse to solar power

Our boat, GT III

From Inner Farne to Bamburgh

The Inner Farne light

We went looking for seals first.  The tide was fairly low so lots on the rocks where you can see them well.  But there were quite a lot in the water investigating as well.

So down to the birds.  We'll start with the more ordinary and work up!  First the mallards - they were well ahead of the game.

I love this one - doing a Polo scratch!!

The eiders on the other hand were still sitting.

She covered the eggs before going for a stroll

Making the whoo whoo noise!

The gulls were also busy with eggs.  One way or another.

Not yours!

Vicious mean nasty birdie (look at the yolk go!)

The kittiwakes were still building and sitting.

The razorbills of course just lay their eggs straight on the rocks, although this was the only shot I got of a razorbill that I think worth showing.

The guillemots also lay on the bare rock.  And there are LOADS.

Yep, loads

A nice bridled guillemot

Galloping guillemots!

Incoming....

Everybody look THIS way

I loved the water, looked like oil in that light

There were 1 or 2 oddities about.

Rock pipit

And now moving on to the stars of the trips.  First the shags, with their enormous feet.  Some had young - not all just newborn - and some were still on eggs and building up the huge stacks they nest on.  The crowns that they have for mating had virtually disappeared.

Like I said, HUGE feet

Egg and chick, a nice wee one - though I saw even younger on trip with Mol

They were swapping sitters

Rather bigger

Lunchtime.  Messy.  Eeeow

And of course, the terns.  Common, Arctic and Sandwich.  None o Staple Island in the morning, they all nest on Inner Farne (and probably some of the others that we don't get access to, but not Staple for some reason).

I couldn't get the whole of this one in, but I like the close up

Such fluid wing movement in flight

Sarah and the eponymous Angry Bird!

They seemed rather comfier with me!

And so for the grand finale.....

Incoming!

Just passing through....

Touchdown

Clearly there were some early chicks - but we saw very few with sand eels, so can't have been many

Woohoo!