Our End of the Earth

Longstone and Longstone End, the eastern end of our world and mega for migrant birds.

What a strange day, the odd whiff of NNE breeze and rolling bouts of low visibility didn't do it for my home, Inner Farne, however the outer group went mental! A female Redstart and Whitethroat skulking around the Veg Patch this morning hinted that birds were dropping but it wasn't til early afternoon when Staple closed that the lads out east struck oil.

Initially a call saying 'Bluethroat Brownsman' came through, then 'Cuckoo Longstone', then '2 Bluethroats Longstone End!' Whoa whoa whoa! Whats going on?! We had no birds so it was a strange feeling knowing how much could be, and evidently was out there!

Anyway, like any sane group of people we steamed out east for 2 miles to the great and mighty collection of slippery rocks that are Longstone and Longstone End. Birds were immediately evident with several Willow Warbler (including a totally grey/white bird) along with Whitethroat and Robin all flitting among the rocks. Duly the ultimate crevice hopper, the female Bluethroat showed and whist watching this beauty an Icterine Warbler pounced into view! A bird many have lost hours of their life dipping on was now casually flicking across rocks 10ft away. This is an aspect of Farnes birding I will always cherish, seeing birds so out of their element yet still doing well, and allowing brilliant views to boot!

Maritime Grassland - Icterine Warbler combo. A. May. Zing.

From here on it was time for another twitch, this time the Cuckoo on Longstone main, and a Farnes tick and bird I unfortunately see less and less of these days (mainly cos I'm on the Farnes). Our luck continued as the bird appeared intstantly giving good, if not distant views as it was mobbed by Rock Pipits, Gulls and Oystercatchers...here's hoping for some nice ginger babies this summer!

Other migrants were about in small numbers including this stunning Lesser Whitethroat:





Lesser Whitethroat in, on and around Longstone Lighthouse.

Well that was today. What will I be writing tomorrow?!

Steady Rollin'

The morning after the fall before....An unlucky Whitethroat who met its match with our Red-backed Shrike

The season feels like its picking up pace, as the monster fall was preceeded by a monster clear-out the day after, followed by some monster weather....at last! Eggs and chicks were popping out everywhere with most of the breeders now settled. Heads and any other exposed body parts are becoming bloodied while my neck is rapdily adopting the 'tern defence' posture. Here's some pics what I did with me lens and that:

Roosts are getting tasty.

Especially when they hold stonking treasures like the Black Guillemot

Outside my house is getting rowdy!

Its all about these, peck peck peck!

Hashtag Crippled

Classic Farnes combo...sure to make you weak at the knees!

Ok, so maybe not a 'PC' title, but those in the birding fraternity will be familiar with the term. Basically it describes a bird or situation involving a bird that is so awesome it produces adrenalised weakening of all body parts! And today was one of those days.

We all quietly knew today could be good. Mid-May NE winds and heavy rain was never going to bring huge numbers (as the majority of birds have completed their northerly spring migration), however quality was always on the menu. As with all Farnes falls, birds didn't materialise until late morning with a fine younge male Pied Flycatcher in the Veg Patch briskly followed by Garden Warbler and Blackcap. Further searching produced another Garden along with a few Whitethroat and Willow Warblers (including some nice pale northern birds). Then it hit. Male Red-backed Shrike in the Veg Patch! That alone made my head recoil in a semi-spasmodic cripfest. The bird was fresher than a morning flower and showed nicely producing some awesome Farnes photo ops:



Looking pretty out of place....and MEGA!

Whilst soaking this little gripper into our collective psychees a flick across the boardwalk caught turned into a stunning male Bluethroat! Number two this spring, we are back on form! The bird worked its way up the boardwalk, eventually 'giving itself up' at the Lighthouse...

Amazing.

The scent of rare was in the air and like rabid dogs we stomped and bounded across Inner Farne in search of fresh meat and at 15:22 the final cherry forn the cake dropped into the Dock Bank gulley in the form of a smart 1st summer Red-breasted Flycatcher! Which duly joined the Pied and Spotted Flycatchers feeding on the rock. Unique. What a day.

It may be brown but its a good un!

Lastly life as a ranger is becoming busier and busier with more visitors to engage, more birds to monitor and more tasks to complete. But the weather as always dominates our life and the fresh NE winds tha brought our birds today also closed us. Hopefully we'll get some sun soon as birds on eggs can cope with rain but chicks might find it tougher....