The end of second semester can only mean one thing – the annual course trip to the Farne Islands! Sadly, this year we weren’t able to go snorkelling with the seals but to make up for this we were promised a visit to a second island. I wasn’t going to complain about that.
Now, because of the tide times we had to be at university extremely early to get there in time. I took the opportunity to have a strategic nap on the bus which ended up being an excellent decision. We arrived at Seahouses and discovered that we were just a bit too late for our boat. Whilst we waited, we hung out on the harbour and watched as some of the uninitiated first years got acquainted with the hungry starlings.
Soon enough we were on our way! We were taken on a fantastic tour of the islands, their lighthouses and the birds. Every single rock face was absolutely crammed with birds, and it was an absolutely joy to watch the many species fly, swoop and dive around us. We also got up close with a small colony of seals basking in the morning sun. Naturally, the highlight for me was the amazing views of Longstone Lighthouse – the home of Grace Darling, who was my all-time hero as a kid.
Our first stop was Staple Farne, the island we visited last year. I spent a brilliant hour scrambling up and down rocks to get a look at the puffins, the kittiwakes and fulmars. This was actually my first time seeing a fulmar – incredible birds! My lecturer noticed me admiring them, and commented that nothing screws with a fulmar. After seeing (and hearing) one I can say that I’m now included on that list!
We all headed down to the boat and clambered aboard, only to find that we’d been put on the wrong one! After much hilarity we got back out again and waited for a little longer on the island – and grabbed ourselves a few more photographs of incoming puffins. Soon the right boat arrived and we were on our way to Inner Farne!
Upon arrival we were immediately greeted by a whole host of very territorial Arctic terns. Never in my life have I been more grateful to have a hat on. These dive-bombing terns provided excellent entertainment for the entire afternoon as they mobbed literally anything that moved near their nests, including other terns, a baby rabbit and humans. In fact, there was a whole family of rabbits that were definitely living life on the edge doing this. As well as the Arctic terns there we spotted common terns, eiders and, my favourite, sandwich terns.
After exploring the island, my friends and I found an excellent spot at the divergence of two paths where we could watch the terns without fearing for our skulls! We watched many, many people get dive-bombed with great amusement. All too soon it was time to leave. Dolphins had been spotted around the islands on previous days, but no such luck for us this time.
Back in Seahouses there was enough time for us to grab something to eat. Once we’d armed ourselves with chips and snacks, we headed to the main benches to tuck in and feed the starlings. A lovely end to a great day. Looking forward to coming back next year, and hopefully having a chance to snorkel with the seals again!
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