The sun shines on the righteous

Well, that’s what I believe following yesterday’s Farne Islands trip. After collecting four clients from the Queen’s Head in Berwick, the spectacular views from the A1 suggested that the Cheviots were ‘enjoying’ a bit of a downpour. By the time we’d reached Seahouses, just a few drops of rain had fallen on us. As Glad Tidings headed towards the islands the view of Holy Island away to the north became obscured as the storm moved over there and away to the south we could see another area of heavy rain. However, where we were the sun was shining; Arctic Terns were at every stage from incubating to feeding very tiny chicks all the way to young that were capable of flying. Puffins were sitting around and every so often a puffling would poke it’s head out of a burrow, only to decide that the world was a big scary place and rapidly disappear again. Kittiwakes, Razorbills, Guillemots and Shags are still present on the breeding cliffs and Grey Seals were sunbathing and scratching. It’s remarkable to think that our first Farne Islands Safari this year was mid-May and now, just 2 months later, many of the seabirds have departed the islands and the breeding season is nearly over. The Arctic Terns will soon be making that extraordinary journey to the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere. Even as a full-time wildlife and birdwatching guide, the natural world still takes my breath away.