Having visited the Isle of May early in the puffin breeding Season last year this time we opted to visit the Farne Islands which are about 1.5 – 4 miles off the coast of Northumberland boasting some 23 species of seabird, including around 37,000 pairs of puffin, the islands are also home to a colony of Grey Seals with see more than 1,000 pups born every year.

Grey seals being rather inquisitive about the visiting boats.

On land there many birds nesting, the Shag here with it’s young and a nosey Guillemot peering from behind.

Guillemot with a nice catch, It comes to land only to breed, spending the rest of its life at sea, when breeding they do not build a nest they lay their egg on the bare rock.

The puffin is a comical little seabird with a black back and white body, distinctive brightly-coloured bill, which often has the bird referred to as the ?clown of the sea?. When breeding they nest in burrows which they usually excavate themselves but they have been known to re-use rabbit borrows.

Loved taking pictures of these little fellows and they provided quite the challenge to capture them returning to their nests with a beak full of sand eels or fish.

Here the puffin has to make a scramble for it’s nest as the waiting gulls try to steal it’s catch as it lands.

Last shot of the day was an Arctic Tern, these birds are very aggressive when defending their nest, often attacking the head of anyone passing and I did notice some had drawn blood from some passing photographers. Top tip for next time…. wear a hat!!