ashley corr
p h o t o g r a p h y
Gallery 1 > North-East of England > Farne Islands 2, Northumberland
01. A Staple Diet On Staple Island
02. Incoming! PuffIn With Sand Eels
03. An Arctic Tern Prepares To Attack
04. Big Hitters In Action, Staple Island
17. Puffins, Staple Island
18. Razorbill, Staple Island
19. A Puffin Above Burrows, Staple Island
20. Shag Chick
13. Arctic Tern Chick, Church Grounds, Inner Farne
14. Tern Attack, Inner Farne
15. Puffin In Flight, Staple Island
16. Arctic Terns Double Up On Inner Farne
09. Shag & Chick On The Nest
10. Colonies On The Rocks, Staple Island
11. A Family Of Arctic Terns
12. Arctic Tern In Flight, Pinnacle Rock
05. Arctic Tern Above Nest Site, Inner Farne
06. Puffin Watch, Staple Island
07. Flight Of The Guillemot
08. Female Eider Duck
21. Shags At Nest Site, Staple Island
22. A Twitcher In Action, Staple Island
23. A Colony Of Guillemots
24. Puffins On The Rocks, Inner Farne
The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. There are between 15 and 20 islands depending on the state of the tide. They are scattered about 1½–4¾ miles (2.5–7.5 km) from the mainland, divided into two groups, the Inner Group and the Outer Group. The main islands in the Inner Group are Inner Farne, Knoxes Reef and the East and West Wideopens (all joined together on very low tides) and (somewhat separated) the Megstone; the main islands in the Outer Group are Staple Island, the Brownsman, North and South Wamses, Big Harcar and the Longstone. The two groups are separated by Staple Sound. The highest point, on Inner Farne, is 62 feet (19 metres) above mean sea level.
In the warmer months the Farnes, an important wildlife habitat, are much visited by boat trips from Seahouses. Local boats are licensed to land passengers on Inner Farne, Staple Island and the Longstone; landing on other islands is prohibited to protect the wildlife. At the right time of year many puffins can be seen and these are very popular with visitors; on the Inner Farne, the arctic terns nest close to the path and will attack visitors who come too close (visitors are strongly advised to wear hats). Some of the islands also support a population of rabbits, which were introduced as a source of meat and have since gone wild. The rabbit and puffin populations use the same burrows at different times, the puffins being strong enough (with a vicious bite) to evict the rabbits from the burrows during the nesting season. The islands also hold a notable colony of about 6,000 grey seals, with several hundred pups born every year in September–November.
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