#warkworth

16/06/19-Afternoon: Amble, Coquet Island and Bamburgh 

This afternoon we headed first to Amble where we would board a boat trip around Coquet Island. First we looked around it looking down the beautiful River Coquet an area shown in the 7th picture in this photoset, taking in views of the really nice Warkworth Castle too. It was interesting there seeing so many more Eiders one shown in the 1st picture in this photoset they really do seem like Mallards up here a bird I usually see at a great distance out to sea at home. It was also nice seeing Shelducks, I don’t remember seeing this one of my favourite birds the same day as the cliff nesting seabird ones such as Kittiwake, Guillemot and something else that I saw later such is the mix of habitats here which I spoke about earlier in my last blog. 

Before and after the boat trip here we were delighted to spot several Painted Lady butterflies, one I captured in the 6th picture in this photoset. These were my first this year, my 30th butterfly species of my season I am in a really good place with this when I get home. They are striking butterflies to see as always. This once again emulated my Yorkshire holiday of June 2018 in that I saw my first of these last year at Bempton Cliffs. 

We then boarded the boat taking the 2nd picture in this photoset of a Sandwich Tern in the harbour and the 4th of the lighthouse on the island and had a really good trip with Puffin cruises despite a heavy shower catching us for the latter half. On the way I got my first view this year of one my headline birds this week, the Puffin of course. I photographed some later in the 5th picture in this photoset. We saw so many of these legendary birds throughout the trip, as it ensured this really precious bird for me appeared on my fourth year list running which means so much to me. 

Also on the way we caught sight of some seals which was brilliant and saw them closer to the island too. I know there are grey seals about there but of the ones I saw well enough to try to identify and one I photographed in the 3rd picture in this photoset I thought it’s a Common Seal, which if the case is only the second time I’ve seen them. 

On the way and closer to the island we saw many many terns and were told and could make out for ourselves with those much longer tails many were Arctic. This was another really big bird I wanted to see this holiday and they were actually my first ever. My 261st bird is one I’ve always dreamt of seeing it’s such an iconic species too and I was in aw of seeing them. It means for the first time since I created my life list spreadsheet Avocet is not the first bird that appears on it as its alphabetical. 

We also saw the main thing we had come to around this particular island for, some Roseate Terns. They are very smartly marked birds too. I was so happy to see these as well and it was bird 167 of my year making 2019 a highest a year list of mine has ever been on this date. What’s more it’s the eighth consecutive year tick for me that was either a new bird, one of my 27 favourites or a bird I had only seen for the second time ever. 

Overall I was very impressed with Coquet. I am blessed with Terns at home on a flat coast but I had never seen a massive nesting colony that included terns. Seeing four species of them together with Puffins and Kittiwakes mixed in was a wonderful new experience for me. 

We then headed to nearby Bamburgh getting great views of the impressive castle, the Farnes and down the beach and coast in now sunny conditions. I took the 8th, 9th and 10th pictures in this photoset here. It was also great to see more Painted Ladies and Sandwich Terns here as well as Sand and House Martin.