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.