Huffin' 'n' a Puffin

Big Sea! Lucky it isn't mid-summer! 

Peek-a-whoop! Today's adult Whooper Swan (Bex Outram)

Super Whooper (Bex Outram)

A bunch of scrubbers! The team cleaning the information centre.

A bunch of nutters! The team in good spirits!

Friday 22^nd March comments: So it’s been another bitter day on the Farnes as the cold weather just keeps on coming. The islands feel like they are still in the icy grip of winter rather than last year’s glorious start which saw the team getting sunburnt and the seabirds getting down to business!

 

There are certainly no signs of our seabirds settling down yet as the waves smash against the cliffs and the wind whistles across the island tops. However a glimmer of hope came in the form of the first Puffin of the year discovered bobbing around on a very rough sea, looking decidedly miserable. This faint whiff of summer was swiftly eclipsed by two winter wanderers; a single adult Whooper Swan and a cracking second calendar year Glaucous Gull, reminding us that winter isn’t over just yet!

There is no rest for the wicked as the team braved the conditions to continue getting the islands ready for our first visitors (one week today!). This included a good old fashioned scrub down of the information centre and some other much need TLC to the islands infrastructure. Who knows what the next few days have in store for the team? More snow? More wind? The team are fired and ready for another season on the islands and we’re all hoping we can share the ups and downs of our time on one of Britain’s most amazing seabird colonies. Whatever this year throws at us we’ll handle it in the only way we know how, Farnes style. Bring it on!!!