| The Farne Islands, Seahouses, Northumberland |
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| Well this is me. I am with a female eider on her nest. In the summer of 2004 I was a nature reserve warden with these fantastic birds and every four days we monitored their progress until their eggs hatched and left the nest to go to the sea. Nb. don't try this at home or in the field, disturbing wild birds is against the law and can incure a heavy penalty! |
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| The Farne islands number from 16 to 26 depending on the tide and even vary with the spring and neap tides. There are three main islands used by the wardens: Inner farne and Staple island where the visitors can land and explore and Brownsman island where the Staple island wardens live. Visitors can land on the islands fom april to september and is owned and managed by the National Trust. The islands themselves are made of dolerite (lava) and form part of the great whin sill that juts out into the north sea. Seabirds nest here and are safe from the terrestrial mammals like rats and foxes. Though the islands are very improtant for birds the seal population (c. 4000) is significant also. |
| To see some photos from the Farne Islands in my photo pages click here |