2017 Farne Islands Calendar

Last month I made a number of calendars as Christmas presents for friends and family based on my visits to the Farne Islands in Northumberland. The islands are a paradise for seabirds and provide the photographer with an inexhaustible source of subjects. It was difficult to chose 12 photos from the many I have taken over the past few years but I eventually settled on the following images.

Guillemots

Puffin



Fulmar

Arctic Tern

Grey Seal



Shag

Flying Puffin



Razorbill

Arctic Tern

 

Return to the Farne Deeps.

Whales and dolphins are addictive. Once you have experienced the high of a close encounter with any of the world's cetaceans you are liable to become a marine mammal junkie and the next fix can't come soon enough!
I had a very successful encounter with the North Sea's White-beaked Dolphins last July on a trip with the "sealdiver" himself, Ben Burville, and I was keen to return so my partner Jane could also witness this unique marine spectacle. But ocean going trips are always subject to the vagaries of the weather and I was gutted when I received a text from Billy Shiels Boats saying that due to forcasted high winds the pelagic was to be postponed from the Saturday afternoon to the Sunday morning. Our hotel had already been booked and the chances of finding somewhere to stay in Northumberland at the height of the summer holiday season seemed remote to say the least; and a fruitless hour spent phoning dozens of hotels in the area proved the point.
I reluctantly phoned Billy Shiels boats to inform them of  my decision to cancel, but was given a tip on where to find accommodation for the Saturday night in Seahouses itself, local knowledge is priceless.
Saturday was spent on a seven mile walk around the beautiful Cheviot Hills. The remote rolling hillsides (we hardly saw another person all day!) and changeable weather (wind and rain) provided a challenging but rewarding excursion.

The iPhone takes a good snap, this could be a
 cover photo for a country walking magazine.

Early Sunday morning found us at the harbour as the tide slowly edged closer to our viewpoint in the car-park, threatening to disturb the Eiders loafing on the rocks below. We made our way along the harbour wall and joined the intrepid band of potential dolphin-watchers being briefed by Ben. We donned our life-jackets and were soon speeding away from Seahouses on board the fast RIB, skippered by the experienced Alan Leatham.
We were only  a few miles out from Seahouses when we came across an unexpected sight. A large and well-scattered group of grey seals were to be seen bobbing in the water. Alan slowed the rib as we all took in the amazing view of myriads of seal heads bobbing in the water, most looking directly at us. Ben told us that they were there to hunt herring and, despite his extensive experience of this part of the North Sea, this was only the second time that he had witnessed this amazing phenomenon.

The seals were spread over a large portion of the sea so it was difficult to estimate their numbers, but there could easily have been over one hundred animals in the area. But they were not our target species, so after a few minutes we continued out to sea, being careful not to disturb the seals.
The Farne Deeps is an area 20 miles off the coast and is one of the best places in the country to observe White-beaked Dolphins. But it goes without saying that the sea is vast and our first stopping point proved fruitless, but there were a lot of seabirds in the vicinity which is always a good sign when looking for cetaceans.



Fulmar gliding past the boat.



Feeding Gannets can be a sign that dolphins are nearby.

We headed off again scanning the ocean intently for any signs of dolphin activity. Suddenly, Ben shouted out saying he thought he had seen splashing in the distance, a sure indication of dolphins; and he was right! Through my binoculars I could see splashes below the horizon, and they were moving closer. White-beaked Dolphins produce distinctive splashing as they "porpoise" through the water, so much so that at a distance the animals themselves are barely visible while the splashes they produce can be clearly seen.
We waited with baited breath, but soon there were at least four dolphins zipping around the boat. Ben jumped in the sea to obtain film of these amazing animals while the rest of us attempted to take photographs, not an easy task as they moved through the sea at some speed. It is a real priveledge that the dolphins choose to be with the boat and, without wishing to be anthropomorphic, they clearly seem to enjoy riding the rib's bow-wave; this behaviour allows us to appreciate these wild animals within touching distance! But it's important not to disturb them so our time with any cetaceans is limited and rightly so. It was soon time to leave this group and go in search of more dolphins.
And it wasn't long before we encountered another group of about eight White-beaked Dolphins. They are inquisitive animals with keen underwater hearing, and this group also made a beeline for the rib. Once again Ben entered the water to obtain video footage and did his best to point out the positions of the animals to the excited watchers on the boat. (N.B. Ben Burville has a special license to film the dolphins.)

They went that way!

And again we obtained magnificent views of the dolphins riding the bow wave, and my partner Jane made use of a bathyscope to watch the dolphins under the water from the safety of the boat. This device, although sounding like some apparatus used by Captain Nemo on board the Nautilus, is in fact a wonderfully simple viewing scope that once placed in the sea eliminates glare and, depending on the clarity of the water, provides stunning views of the dolphins as they swim past below the surface of the sea.

The dolphins played around the rib for about ten minutes, after which they swam away from us but were still visible in the distance as Ben explained about their biology and his own research. I continued to watch the dolphins through my binoculars and was amazed so see some of them leaping out of the water. Their acrobatics reminded me of similar behaviour that I have witnessed amongst the Bottlenose dolphins of Cardigan Bay when they are chasing fish. Alan turned the boat so we could obtain better views, but did not approach the dolphins so as not to cause any disturbance. One individual White-beaked Dolphin breached at least six times; an amazing sight to see, but the position of the boat and the distance of the animal precluded anything but record photos.

We were all more than satisfied by the day's sightings as Alan turned the boat to head back to Seahouses. But we kept our eyes peeled on the return journey and were rewarded with more sightings of the Grey Seals along with numerous Manx Shearwaters and an Arctic Skua.
My craving for dolphins had been sated for a short while, but I'm sure I'll be back soon for another mind-blowing fix!
 

New Quay part 1

Late last August I spent a day in the lovely seaside town of New Quay in West Wales with the aim of photographing some of Cardigan Bay's resident Bottlenosed Dolphins.
The sun was cracking the flags when we pulled into the carpark early in the morning; conditions were perfect for a spot of land-based dolphin watching. But, initially, other wildlife was to distract me from photographing my target species.
While obtaining my parking ticket I noticed a small flock of House Martins flocking around the window of a house adjacent to the car park. Not one to resist a photo opportunity, I grabbed my DSLR off the car's back seat and positioned myself below the window. Surprisingly, there was no sign of any House Martin nests on the building, so I thought the birds must have been exploiting a feeding opportunity. But there was no evidence of any potential prey such as insects around the window. The birds would swoop up to the window, hover, then swoop back towards the sea. I have no idea what they were doing and the sight of distant dolphin fins breaking the water of the bay precluded me from staying for more than a few minutes. But I did manage a few record shots of the martins in flight.

 But there were insects near the car park; butterflies in fact. A number of species were making the most of the sunshine, including Small Tortoiseshell and a Painted Lady. The latter was the only butterfly of that species that I saw last year. It was quite a tatty individual, but they are long-distance migrants and are always a joy to observe, so I had no qualms about photographing this battered insect.

We made our way through the throngs of summer holiday makers down to the harbour, where we found a suitable spot on the harbour wall and settled down for a day's land-based dolphin watching in the sun.
While the resident Bottlenosed Dolphins were our main quarry, the presence of numerous species of seabirds were an added distraction. The Herring Gulls were easily tempted close by our picnic. A juvenile Herring Gull provided me with one of my favourite flight shots of the year.

 But gulls were not the only seabirds to be seen. Gannets could be seen diving in the distance; clearly the fish that support the dolphins in this area are also dinner for a variety of birds. The mini-albatross that is the Fulmar swept past on stiff wings and moulting Sandwich Terns were also seen.

A pair of juvenile Shags drifted past on the current and were eminently photographable.

And the seawall also provided rich pickings for a Rock Pipit, but the midday sun was a bit harsh for decent photography.

A great wildlife day was unfolding and then the dolphins appeared close inshore. But those photos will appear in New Quay part 2!

Dolphin Watching in the Farne Deeps

Last Saturday (13th) my friend Jane and I drove to Northumberland. We were booked on a trip with North Sea Pelagics who take their fast rib boat 20 miles offshore with the aim of observing White-beaked Dolphins.
Our small group assembled in the carpark of picturesque Beadnell Bay, where a film crew were photographing our tour leader Doctor Ben Burville. Ben appeared last year on the BBC's Countryfile programme with John Craven who undertook the same trip as us and had great views of the dolphins, so hopes were high. The tractor towed the rib to the water's edge and we clambered aboard. We decided to occupy the front seats so we could spot anything directly ahead of the boat. Although people at the front of the rib experience more of the bouncing motion as the boat skims over the waves we were undeterred, and enjoyed the roller-coaster ride!Conditions were excellent with a sea state of only 1 to 2, and the early morning fog had mostly dissipated by lunchtime.
The trip to the "Deeps" takes about 45 minutes but there were plenty of seabirds to keep us occupied, including many winter-plumaged Guillemots, Razorbills and the occasional Puffins without their bright summer bills. Fulmars and Gannets were numerous as well.

 

Then ,along with another passenger. I spotted a falcate fin breaking the surface and the unmistakable profile of a Minke Whale! The rib slowed to halt and we spent a short time with this magnificent animal ensuring everyone got a good view while being careful not to cause any disturbance. It was definitely a tricky game trying to predict where it would surface again. At one point it surfaced quite close to the rib and we were treated to a shower of its stinky breath! Interestingly, this whale had a distinctive notch cut out of its dorsal fin; perhaps a close encounter with a ship's propeller or maybe a close shave with an Orca?

 



After this fabulous encounter we continued on our way to where we hoped to see the White-beaked Dolphins. We constantly scanned the calm sea for the tell-tale splashes of dolphins and closely monitored the activities of the seabirds; a flock of circling and diving Gannets is often a sign that cetaceans are in the area. And wow! How amazing are Gannets when they dive!
Soon we saw a flock of Fulmars feeding on something in the water, and even appearing to stand on the waves! We edged the rib closer and discovered what was attracting these "mini-albatrosses"; a dead dolphin! And they were standing on the corpse ass they fed.  It was a large animal with most of its guts showing and its skull almost devoid of flesh. This unfortunate animal was identified as a White-beaked Dolphin; not the view I had hoped for. After a few photos of the Fulmars we beat a hasty retreat from the putrefying stench.

Another Minke was seen by some of the group but it was more distant than the first. We continued on our journey and soon reached the "Deeps". The engine was cut and we scanned the calm waters.It's amazing to be that far out at sea with no sign of land, and not even any other vessels to be seen. Conditions were perfect for viewing cetaceans; if anything at all had broken the surface we would have seen it. But, alas, nothing was seen. We scoured the area, and closely monitored the Gannets to see if they had found any fish shoals. But, unfortunately, there were no large flocks of seabirds and, sadly, no dolphins.
Although some of the Gannets did make sweeping passes of the boat providing fabulous views and a chance to test our skills at aging these magnificent seabirds. Additionally, we saw good numbers of juvenile Kittiwakes which were carefully scrutinised in the hope of finding a Sabine's Gull.

We made our way slowly back and were very fortunate to find another confiding Minke Whale that provided another photographic challenge in the dull evening light.

The sun was getting lower in the sky and it was time to head for the shore. But our ever vigilant group did not give up hope.
And then there they were! A pod of dolphins in the dusk! The group of maybe a dozen animals swam adjacent to the rib, with some even riding the bow wave! Amazing! Everyone on the rib was ecstatic with high-fives, whoops and cheers all around. But, wait, these weren't the expected White-beaked Dolphins. They had pale lateral flank stripes that were clearly visible when they leapt from the water despite the fading light. Photography was difficult in the evening gloom but record shots were taken which later confirmed the species as Atlantic White-sided Dolphin; a species I had never seen before! Very unexpected, but that's the beauty of wildlife.
A tired but very happy crew made their way back the sandy bay at Beadnell, where we said our thank yous and goodbyes. And no doubt we were all planning our next northern pelagic as soon as we left the carpark!

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