Un-bridled disappointment

Me and Mark had been toying with the idea of a trip to the Farnes again this year and when the Bridled Tern returned to Inner Farne last weekend after a spending a few days on Fair Isle it made our minds up, having missed it last year due to one thing or another it was a good chance to get it back. Deciding not to risk leaving it till next weekend we both booked today off and headed up to Seahouses this morning, we booked the Boat then did a couple hours birding between Seahouses and Stag Rocks although there was nothing particularly of note. The Tern was reported at around 10am and it was an anxious wait for the Boat to go out at midday doing a tour of the Islands before landing on Inner Farne at 1-40pm by which time of course it had buggered off, just a small window of an hour on the Island and unfortunately it didn’t come back before we had to leave, it was not a total waste though because the other stuff was brilliant as usual, being bombarded by Arctic Terns and getting so close to the Auks etc, they are super Islands and well worth a visit. On the way home we got a belated report at around 6pm that the Bridled Tern had returned at 3-45pm why it took so long for the news to get out is a mystery, but as Mark said there seems to be a distinct lack of updates on it this year.

Inner Farne

approaching by boat

well we got a Bridled Guillemot

differing light in the shade of the rocks

Longstones Lighthouse

Brownsman Island

lots of Guillemots

but relatively few Razorbills

Sandwich with lunch

unusual perch

the Aw factor