Spectacular islands
D.K. BHASKAR
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A trip to the Farne Islands is an experience to cherish.
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Photos: D.K. Bhaskar
Star attractions: The sandwich terns.
ENGLISH weather can be very unpredictable. On one of those summer days when the weather was really "lovely", I decided to make the most of it and visit the coast. I called up my friend, a professional sea diver, and a couple of phone calls later we headed towards the Northumberland Coast from the historical town of Durham. Our destination was Seahouses, a fishing village, from where we would set sail to the Farne Islands or the Farnes, as it is popularly called.
Farne Island is about three miles off the coast from the Seahouses and is accessible by boat. Between April and July, over 30 species of sea birds congregate to breed in these desolate coastal areas. Most of the fishermen in Seahouses have converted their fishing boats into tourist boats to ferry visitors to the islands. We had already contacted Billy Sheel, a local expert in these exploratory ferry rides, to guide us. His knowledge of the local birds and their habitat could be extremely useful for serious wildlife enthusiasts and photographers.
Unique landscape
The sea was quite rough, yet sailable. As the boat rocked in the uncertain wind conditions, a flock of shag flew past the boat with mouthfuls of nesting material. Another flock of kittiwakes was looking curiously at the moving boat while on the other side were a congregation of guillemots. I could not decide what to focus on. Just at that moment, a pair of puffins flew past with a mouthful of feed for their young ones. "This is getting better by the minute," I mused!
A view from the harbour at the Seahouses reveals nearly 30 little islands, popularly called the Farnes. They are divided into the outer Farne, Inner Farne and Lindis Fane. The Linidisfarne houses the other important island of significant importance, known as the Holy Island. The number of islands visible depends solely on the tides. At low tide, one can see nearly 25 to 30 and at high tide, only about 15 are visible.
Time just flew by as we neared the outer Farne, our first stop. A colony of grey seals was lazily sunbathing while a few others gazed at us with great curiosity. It is estimated that over 10,000 seals have colonised these islands. Regardless of the undulating boat, my camera was firing away to capture the moment.
Aggressive terns
We sailed past the island and landed on the pier at the Inner Farnes. A huge flock of black and white sandwich terns were making loud noises as they pecked on the white sands. A few yards off the coast, Arctic terns had nested on the ground on either side of the approach road. Aggressive as they are, a few terns decided they would not have us there and started attacking with their sharp beaks. We ran trying to protect our skulls from the rather excruciatingly painful attack. Running for cover while carefully avoiding stepping on other ground nesting birds, I whizzed past an eider duck incubating its eggs camouflaged amid heather. I don't know which of us was more surprised.
The strikingly beautiful puffin.
The rocky cliffs along the coast rise up to a height of 24 metres as if competing with the towering lighthouse in Inner Farnes. The vegetation on these rocky cliffs originates from a layer of light peat. This supports numerous flowering plants in addition to mosses and lichens. Out of the 116 species of plants recorded on the inner Farne, a Californian Amsinckia intermedia is the most visually unusual plant, as it produces an orange-yellow flower. In summer, Staple Island, Brownsman and the Inner Farne have delicate white blossoms of the Sea Campion. None of the islands has tall trees. A remarkable feature is the islands' lichen population, which is a reflection of their unpolluted environment. Lichens are extremely sensitive to the acidic pH produced by the greenhouse gases and will not thrive in environmentally polluted locations.
A survey of the islands gave me a broad idea of the way the bird colonies were distributed. Human beings can learn a lesson or two about peaceful co-existence from these birds. It appeared as if every colony had demarcated its own nesting area in an attempt to provide the best living conditions to the young shags, guillemots and kittiwakes.
Puffin territory
Undoubtedly the star attraction is the puffin. With a curious multicolour-wedged beak, soft black and white body and brilliant big eyes, they are strikingly beautiful birds. Popping in and out of burrows where they nest, male and female puffins were taking turns to feed their offspring. As I approached, dominating herring gulls trying to gatecrash into the puffin territory attacked puffins carrying mouthful of sand eels. I watched mesmerised as the puffins deftly evaded the gulls and managed to feed their young ones.
A brown rabbit appeared from nowhere while I balanced at the edge of the cliff to photograph a pair of kittiwakes. A strong breeze from the ocean was pushing me hard as I groped my tripod for support. I was forced to retreat inland because of bad weather but was rewarded with a priceless sighting: A shag started laying eggs. Dark clouds emerged from nowhere and soon it started drizzling. We walked back down the hill with great reluctance. I was not convinced I had seen enough but it was time to leave.
How to get there
By Air: Newcastle-upon-Tyne is the nearest airport and Seahouses is 65 miles from the airport
Rail: The nearest railway stations are at Berwick-upon-Tweed (18 miles to the North) and Alnmouth (18 miles to the south)
Bus: From Berwick, Alnmouth and Newcastle, there are a limited public bus services to Seahouses.
Contact Visit Britain: http://www.visitbritain.com/in
Ph: 0091 124 4103281-84
Billy Sheel's Boat Service:
Ph: +44 (0) 1665 720308
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