Great Spot!

Woody (Graeme Duncan)

Inner Farnes Woodpecker (David Kinchin-smith)

Great Spot on the Farnes (Graeme Duncan)

Can't see the wood for the...Chapel? (David Kinchin-smith)

Double trouble on Brownsman (Graeme Duncan)

Seven stripe sprite; Pallas's Warbler (Will Scott)

The autumn's second Red-breasted Flycatcher (Graeme Duncan)

Migrant on the rocks; Long-eared Owl (Graeme Duncan)



Lingering Stonechat (David Kinchin-smith)

Friday 11th October comments: Easterlies and October, it’s a good mix. The severe storm of yesterday subsided and in came the birds. Birds from the north arrived, birds from the south departed and birds heading for the open oceans sheared past.

When the Farnes ‘cooks on gas’ it cooks on gas mark nine. A quiet start was shattered by the arrival of a northern Great Spotted Woodpecker. This isn’t your local woodland we are taking about, this is the treeless Farnes. This impressive bird looked for anything resembling timber, so the stunted Elders, a door frame and St.Cuthbert’s Chapel were all utilised by the foraging woodpecker. This arrival did not come as a shock as Shetland have been experiencing a similar invasion so therefore we were not surprised when a second, then a third arrived, both on Brownsman later in the morning.

The excitement didn’t stop there as a seven-striped sprite; a Pallas’s Warbler was found on Inner Farne seconds after the discovery of the Great Spotted Woodpecker. The birds kept on coming as a Long-eared Owl was discovered in a Kittiwake nest on Brownsman whilst the same island hosted a Red-breasted Flycatcher later in the day.

All of this excitement didn’t even include the seawatching. A record number of Great Skuas were recorded flying north, alongside a Leach’s Petrel and an impressive 22 ‘Blue’ phase Fulmars (northern Fulmars). You couldn’t take your eyes off the Farnes today and I suspect tomorrow may just bring just as much excitement. You have been warned….

Seawatching: Great Northern Diver 2N, Black-throated Diver 1N, Red-throated Diver 11n 3s, Manx Shearwater 44N, Sooty Shearwater 62N, ‘Blue’ Fulmar 22N, Balearic Shearwater 1N at 14:40, Great Skua 216N (new Farnes record), Arctic Skua 1N 1S, Leach’s Petrel 1N at 17:30, Velvet Scoter 8N, Common Scoter 108N, Red-breasted Merganser 1N, Goldeneye 6N, Long-tailed Duck 3N and Little Gull 1N.

Migrants: Peregrine 2, Merlin 1, Kestrel 1 male, Long-eared Owl 1 on Brownsman, Wood Pigeon 1 on Staple (first of autumn), Grey Wagtail 1, Great-spotted Woodpecker 3 (first live birds since 2003), Stonechat 1 lingering for third day, Redwing 138, Pallas’s Warbler 1 (first this autumn in the UK!), Goldcrest 15, Red-breasted Flycatcher 1 on Brownsman and Mealy Redpoll 1.

Good Morning Farnes!

Good morning Farnes...the view from Inner Farne

View across Inner Sound towards Bamburgh..sea picking up

Thursday 10th October comments: Good morning from the Farnes! It's an impressive start as gale force northerly winds are currently battering the islands and it really is time to batten down the hatches. I'll bring a full report later.

7 Up!

Welcome to the world...Grey Seal pup

Hello world!

New born on the rocks

Wednesday 9th October comments: Despite the interchangeable weather, life on the Farnes is ticking along as normal (as normal as it can ever be). The seabirds have long gone, most to warmer climes further south (they have more sense!) as our attention now focuses on our Grey Seals.

Yesterday's weather allowed access to the Grey Seal nurseries and we were delighted to find not one, but seven pups; five on South Wamses and two on North Wames. These little bundles of joy are doing well alongside their attentive mothers and we'll soon have a lot more to shout about as we welcome in Seal season.

On a different note, a cast back to the seabird breeding season can be relived on tonight's episode of The Great British Year on BBC1 at 9pm - well worth watching especially the stunning Guillemot jumpling sequences.

Inside the National Trust

The RDF team and presenter Michael Buerk 

TV camerman Graham following us for the season



...and what does go on behind the scenes?

Saturday 5th October comments: Have you ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes of the Farne Islands? Who make up the team, what life is really like on those rocky outcrops and what makes the place tick? Well you’re about to find out….

This autumn, broadcast journalist Michael Buerk will rediscover some of Britain’s best loved landscapes, uncover hidden secrets and meet the people behind the scenes of the National Trust in a new 20 part series on ITV 1 from 6th October.

The ‘docu-series’, showcases six very diverse places, from the wildlife on the Farne Islands to Georgian life at Wordsworth House, an insight into the Victorians at Cragside, life on a working estate at Wimpole and introduces the Strickland family who have lived at Sizergh in Cumbria for 700 years.

So you can follow the Farnes team from the first few minutes of landing back on the islands in mid-march, to the completion of the full Puffin census and even take a sneak look at how we live!

Inside the National Trust was made by RDF for ITV. The first hour long episode airs on Sunday 6th October. So tune in and watch the Farnes like you have never seen it before! 

Simply the crest!

Little Firecracker!!!! (Bex Outram)

Hide and seek! Our first Firecrest in four years! (David Kinchin-Smith)

Thursday 03^rd October comments: So, it’s been another wet, wild and windy day on the islands with big seas and strong winds. And with strong winds from the south-east come........ BIRDS!

It never ceases to amaze how migrant birds battle the elements and make the journey hundreds of miles across the sea to be here. This feat is particularly impressive in the case of the crest family. Goldcrests are common migrants on the islands and through our ringing studies, we know they migrate here from Scandinavia and they often weigh just five or six grams! Today we had some Goldcrests drop in and amongst them was an angry little sprite; a Firecrest! This is the first record since 2009 and another great bird for the islands. It was a new bird for some of the team and was enjoyed by all as it fed at close range. 

The weather is set to ease in the next few days so hopefully we’ll get some more migrant birds and some migrant visitors to share them with too! Our first seal pup is also still alive and well and going strong, feeding up and piling on the pounds. Soon it will have plenty of company as the seal season gets underway and there are little white bundles of joy all over the islands. It’s all go on Planet Farnes!

Good Night

Record shot of the Nightjar (David Steel)

Over the sea and away (David Steel)

Little Bunting makes day three (David Steel)

No chance of boats at our jetties (David Steel)

Wednesday 2nd October comments: September and October are the peak months for bird migration and the east coast can experience some exceptional days if the weather is ‘right’. However it takes a combination of easterly winds and rain to produce those perfect conditions.

Over the last few days we’ve had strong (gale force) south-easterly winds although sunny conditions, so not everything was perfect but we’ve had some great birds from two Little Buntings to a Richard’ Pipit.

However this afternoon the islands produced another bit of magic as a Nightjar was discovered on Brownsman. The bird was flushed from close range and was seen hovering in the strong winds giving great views before eventually departing west towards the mainland.

This migratory healthland dweller remains a rare discovery on passage and this was only the third record on the islands in thirty years!! The islands total has now reached ten and this represented the first ever autumn record.

As well as this stunning sighting, the Little Bunting remained for its third day and the Mealy Redpoll also did likewise. With more easterly winds forecast, we are not finished yet…not by any stretch. So for today, it’s good-Night from the Farnes!

Boo Hoo-poe!

Big seas dominate (David Steel)

Little Bunting lingers for second day (David Steel)

Northern visitor; Mealy Redpoll showing well (David Steel)

Goldcrest eating spider (David Kinchin-smith)

Migrant Song Thrush and Redstart (David Steel)

Tuesday 1st October comments: Welcome to October. The winds have continued to blow from the south-east although have cranked up a notch today with mountainous seas pounding the islands. As a result the islands remained closed and it may be a few more days before we see any visitors or the outside world.

Birding has been productive again with the star bird of yesterday; the Little Bunting, still present on Brownsman with a supporting cast of Yellow-browed Warbler, two Lapland Buntings and Ring Ouzel across the islands. However we did miss out on one special visitor, as a Hoopoe was reported at nearby Bamburgh mid-morning. Had it flown over the islands? Who knows, but one thing is for sure, we didn’t see it. BOO HOO-POE!