Drifting In

Red-breasted Flycatcher on West Wideopens (David Kinchin-smith)

first-winter showing well (David Kinchin-smith)

Icterine Warbler - our third this year (Ciaran Hatsell)

Another nice addition to the day list! (David Kinchin-smith)

One of two Reed Warblers on the island tonight (David Kinchin-smith)



Record shot of our first Lapland Bunting tonight (Bex Outram)



Thursday 12th September comments: Anything can happen, it really can. Today brought very settled, bright weather with light winds, generally from the west. The early risers amongst the team enjoyed a spell of wildfowl passage through Inner Sound which included a Mute Swan (a scarce bird for the Farnes!) and several different duck species.

Thereafter the day settled into a pleasant peaceful day with very few migrant birds of note but plenty of visitors enjoying the tranquillity of the islands. However you never rule the Farnes out. The appearance of a Pied Flycatcher on Inner Farne in the late afternoon brought about curiosity which was followed by a quickening of the pulse as both Redstart and Reed Warbler were discovered moments later.

These birds were not present just hours before but soon the Farnes birding machine kicked in. All the well known birding hotspots were suddenly being checked and bang...an Icterine Warbler on Brownsman; our third this year. Not long after, a first-winter Red-breasted Flycatcher was discovered on the West Wideopens...this was real and it was happening. News broke across the Sound again, back On Brownsman; our first Lapland Bunting of the autumn. It was kicking off but the light was fading and rain setting. It was good, very good whilst it lasted. 

So there you go. The final few hours brought some real excitement and some top quality birds and what will tomorrow bring? Come out and find out, its going to be good!

Highlights: Mute Swan 1N, Brent Goose (pale-bellied) 37N, Eider 734, Common Scoter 118N, Wigeon 89N, Teal 116N, Pintail 3N, RT Diver 2N 3S, Redstart, Whinchat, Reed Warbler 2, Icterine Warbler 1 on Brownsman, Pied Flycatcher 2, Red-breasted Flycatcher first-winter on West Wideopens,  Lapland Bunting (first of autumn).  

Good Will Bunting

Brownsman's Yellow-breasted Bunting (Ciaran Hatsell)

Landing anyone? Brownsman jetty.

Not fit for visitor use; boardwalk on Brownsman

Fragile soil cap as Brownsman is littered with Puffin burrows

Monday 9th September comments: The dust has settled after another magical weekend on the Farnes. The weekend produced our 11th Yellow-breasted Bunting, 7th Fea’s Petrel, Corncrake and a few Balearic Shearwaters just for good measure.

The Yellow-breasted Bunting was the real star of the show as it became our eleventh ever and first English record since 2006. The species has gone through a worrying decline throughout its range and the result has seen the species go from an almost annual UK visitor to a very rare vagrant. The last English record was in 2006, until now. Unfortunately a twitch to see the bird was not possible for a number of reasons.

Having managed the very successful twitch on Inner Farne for the Bridled Tern earlier this year, this time it just wasn’t possible. The poor weather prevented any boats from sailing on Friday or Saturday (it even stopped a Lifeboat display!) so any thoughts of allowing access were out of the question before we even started.

In addition to the weather, the bird was on Brownsman; an island off limits and inaccessible to the public. The island has very little infrastructure (in terms of boardwalks) and with the island covered in 18,000 Puffin burrows, it makes life very difficult. The soil cap in recent years has suffered from Grey Seal trampling (over 1000 Grey Seals now moult on Brownsman compared to none just a decade ago) which has resulted in an even more fragile soil cap, which in itself provides a real management dilemma.

Adding in other factors: health & safety concerns, staffing levels to police any events, the fact the jetty is exposed to any sort of easterly wind and swell and can only be accessed between mid-to-high tide only adds fuel to the problem. Finally, the bird has to be the ‘right’ bird; a skulking, elusive individual zipping from one end of the island to the other in deep cover is far from ideal. Brownsman therefore unfortunately remains off limits, just like twenty-nine other islands which make up the Farnes.

As much as we would like to share every bird on here with others, it just isn’t logistically feasible and so apologies if there was felt to be any ambiguity in messages coming from the islands. We will open the Farnes for twitches whenever we can, but before we do this we have to consider the impact on the safety and welfare of the islands wildlife which encompasses breeding birds, migrant birds, seals and a lot more. This is a special place and it is our duty to protect it so anything that could cause it harm and damage is completely out of the question.

It’s been a fantastic year for the islands with some stunning highlights and hopefully this autumn and future years will bring many more birds we can share with people. Here’s to the autumn, best of luck to all the birders across the UK. Bring on the rares!

Icing on the Crake

Fair comment



Outer Group takng a battering...



Record shot of the Yellow-breasted Bunting (taken yesterday) - today was very difficult viewing

Migrant Snipe

Gannet's Galore

Friday 6th September comments: The Farnes; never write it off. Today with the islands being battered by north-easterly winds and rain, this magical archipelago produced. Yesterday’s Yellow-breasted Bunting was still present for its second day although remained elusive and difficult to view in tricky conditions.

This individual represented the eleventh ever to appear on the islands making the Farnes the best site in England for the species (the next closest is the Isles of Scilly with 7 records). Sadly these spectacular seedeaters are in serious decline across their eastern range resulting in a huge reduction in British records; this is the first English record since 2006.

However, it wasn’t the only headline grabbing bird as during a routine check of Inner Sound (the stretch of water between Bamburgh and Inner Farne), a Fea’s Petrel was seen flying north at midday. This remarkable seabird has now been recorded twice this year and seven times in total, impressive considering there are less than 50 records for the UK!

In amongst all this excitement, a Corncrake was discovered on Brownsman whilst a flurry of seabirds including 1,500 Gannets in a huge super flock. It’s a brilliant place and when the weather calms, we’ll be sharing it with you all again!

Today’s highlights: Brent Goose (pale-bellied) 22N, Wigeon 71N, Teal 101N, Fea’s Petrel 1N, Sooty Shearwater 26, Manx Shearwater 1,000 lingering, Gannet 1,500 in one super flock, Arctic Skua c20, Great Skua 7N, Pomarine Skua 3N, Peregrine, Black Tern 1N juvenile, Corncrake 1 flushed on Brownsman, Willow Warbler 3, Lesser Whitethroat, Pied Flycatcher, Yellow-breasted Bunting present for second day.

Yellow-breasted Bunting!!

Yellow-breasted Bunting, Brownsman (Graeme Duncan)

Elusive but good (Graeme Duncan)

Farnes 11th Yellow-breasted Bunting but first since 2003 (Graeme Duncan)

Back of the net (Graeme Duncan)

300 Up!

STOP PRESS Wednesday 4th September comments: Just a quick update tonight, as today brought a significant moment to the Farnes as we recorded our 300th bird species. A PECTORAL SANDPIPER was seen (and heard!) flying off Inner Farne pond before flying low west towards the mainland.

The lack of rain in recent months means our ponds are almost dry and therefore the bird had very little to stick around for. However it didn't stop David Steel, Ciaran Hatsell, Andy Denton and Anne Wilson enjoying what will prove to be the 300th species for the Farnes. It has been long over-due and often predicted but at long last, this annual visitor to Northumberland has been recorded. We'll be celebrating tonight!

September on the Farnes

The magic of bird ringing

Rangers explaining what, why and how



Pirates! Rangers with a difference

Tuesday 3rd September comments: It’s a busy time on the Farnes, as the breeding birds have now departed we are looking at new and exciting ways to enjoy the islands. There are many events coming up, including:

Wednesday 4th Sept: ‘Fire of the North’

A unique joint venture between Natural England and the National Trust celebrates the North East’s patron Saint; St.Cuthbert. At 20:30 a fire beacon will be lit on Inner Farne in the memory of St.Cuthbert, so watch out along the coast at this special event.

Saturday 7th Sept: Grace Darling 175th anniversary

Celebrate the 175th anniversary of the most famous event to have ever occurred on the Farnes; the Grace Darling rescue. Come out and learn more about a true northern heroine.

Thursday 19th Sept: Pirate Day

Join the team as they celebrate ‘International Talk like a Pirate Day’ in their own unique way; dressed as pirates and taking no prisoners.

All September: Kate Slater Exhibition

See the Farne Islands seabirds in a very different way. The exciting exhibition in St.Cuthbert’s chapel is open to all, every day, with the ‘farnes flock’ suspended from the rafters of the chapel

Every Wednesday: Join the ranger team in looking for bird migrants around the island as they point out the finer details of those ‘little brown jobs’ which can be seen on the islands, as they use the Farnes for vital refuelling supplies.

Every Sunday: the mystery of bird migration is revealed by our trained ranger staff, as they reveal the art of bird ringing and what this brings to our understanding of bird movements.

As if this wasn’t enough, White-beaked Dolphins and Minke Whales are still being seen around Farnes waters. Oh, and the end of the month, we’ll be celebrating the birth of our first Grey Seal pup and starting seal tours. So whether you come for an event or just for a visit, it is always a great time to see Britain’s incredible wildlife on Planet Farnes.

All in a days work

Collecting drift wood and rubbish

The task of moving it all

Oops. Yes the tide goes out

Thankfully no damage to report

The boys keeping a close eye on bird movements

Sunday 1^st September comments: Welcome to September. We’ve got a big month coming up with everything from St.Cuthbert celebrations, Grace Darling anniversaries, Pirate day and hopefully our first Grey Seal pup of the autumn.

Interestingly yesterday produced our third Greenish Warbler of the autumn; another impressive bird for our autumn collection. However with strong westerly winds blowing today, very little was seen or recorded. 

Therefore our attention turned to some important work on the islands including a major beach litter clean of the West Wideopens which included the removal of all litter from tyres to old lobster pots. This important job ensures the islands remain clear of any potential hazardous material which could affect the wildlife.

However it wasn’t the only thing which caught our attention, as a yacht managed to ground itself on ‘the bridges’ but thankfully once the tide had turned, the boat re-floated and nothing was damaged apart from a bit of pride