Mystery egg

I made my first trip of the year to the Farne Islands last week.  I was with friends so I didn't take a big camera, which was liberating as I already have more than enough puffin photos, etc.  However, I did put the little Panasonic TZ90 in my pocket in case we saw anything unusual and it came in handy when we saw this.

The kittiwake was standing staring at the egg as if unsure what to do.

The mystery was explained by a National Trust warden.  The egg was laid by a razorbill in the kittiwake's nest in error. The razorbill wasn't allowed back to the egg and the standoff had been going on for two days.  By then the egg was probably non-viable but the kittiwake hadn't worked out how to get rid of it so it could lay its own (two) eggs.

Inquisitive grey seals

A few more photos from my recent trip to the Farne Islands.  Although most of the seals stayed on shore some of them were very interested in the boat and came out to have a look at us.  These are a few of the characters who came up close.  I suspect they all have very individual markings.

Grey seals on the Farne Islands

This was my first autumn trip to the Farne Islands.  I go out once or twice each summer, mainly to see the birds but we usually get to see a few dozen grey seals as well.  The first seal we saw on this visit was asleep at the top of steps on Staple Island, at least until we approached.

As we got nearer it set off down the steps but was then put off by the drop to the water because the tide was at it its lowest.  It decided not to dive into the shallow water and was relieved when we moved away.

As we toured around the islands we saw hundreds and hundreds of seals.  They were spread along the rocky shores of most of the islands.  The Farne Islands population is about  5000 - 6000 at this time of year and I think we must have seen most of them.

Although they are called grey seals there is great variation in their colour.  Males are larger and darker in colour than females.

Some of them were very interested in the boat and kept a close eye on us as we passed.

Others hardly bothered to look up.

Grey seal pups are born from September to November but there had been only a few when I went out last week. Neonatal mortality is high - around 30% - and several of the earliest born this year did not survive.  The first one we saw was newborn and was lying not far from its mother above the high tide line.

I expect several of the seals lower down the beach are females due soon to give birth.

Last year there were 1500 pups.  About 1000 survive the first month and around 750 live beyond a year.  A few metres from the first live pup we saw was one which didn't make it.

A bit farther on was another newborn, again asleep above the high tide line.  It is top left in this photo.

Many more pups will be born in the next very few weeks.  Newborn pups weigh about 14kg, four times heavier than a human baby, and they are milk fed for only 18 days, in which time they quadruple their weight.

Adult survival is 20-25 years for males and 30-35 years for females so for those pups that make it through the first year the prospects are good.

Arctic terns on Inner Farne

One of the joys of a trip to the Farne Islands is watching the aerobatics of the arctic terns.  They have one of the most amazing migrations of any animal.  After breeding these birds will fly across the British Isles to the Atlantic, down to the Southern Ocean past South Africa, perhaps as far as New Zealand before going on to Antarctica where they spend our winter, before returning next spring to almost exactly the same spot to nest.  Just amazing.

Grey seals on Longstone Rock

Time for my first visit of the year to the Farne Islands, just up the coast from here.  The grey seals seemed very interested in the boats and the people.  As before I went out on Serenity II and our skipper, Andrew Douglas, said that the seals are even more interested in the divers who visit them.  These were on Longstone, one of the outermost islands.

The Farne Islands population is over 4000 grey seals with over 1000 pups born each autumn.

Bird of the week - Razorbill

Razor Bill sounds like Sweeney Todd's accomplice.  Razorbills (Alca torda) are much less numerous than puffins and guillemots on the Farne Islands with only 500 pairs - less than 1% of the UK breeding population.  Like puffins and guillemots, razorbills spend most of their lives at sea, only coming ashore to breed.  They pair for life and share duties of brooding the egg and feeding the chick.

I find the razorbill very difficult to photograph.  The very dark eye surrounded by very dark plumage is almost always in shade making it hard to get the eye catchlight that brings a photo to life.

Listen to the BBC Radio 4 Tweet of the Day on razorbills here.