Another visit to the Atlantic Puffins and other birds on Inner Farne - 13th June 2025

I was a little early for the boat trip around the Farne Islands on 13th June, so I wandered along the cliffs at Seahouses instead of waiting at the harbour.  There I came across a Common Whitethroat on a twig.

View of Inner Farne and the lighthouse from the cliff at Seahouses

Fulmar circling around above the cliff

and perching on the cliff face

Puffins at the edge of the cliff on one of the Farne Islands

Atlantic Puffin testing whether the metal ring is edible?

Puffin on the cliff face

Sight-seeing boats queuing up at the edge of one of the Farne islands

Oystercatcher standing on rock at the edge of Inner Farne

Pair of Arctic Terns in the long grass on Inner Farne

You never know what is going to happen with the Arctic Terns as you walk up the path from the landing stage on Inner Farne - their nests line the walkway!

Puffin having something to shout about with its pals

and again!

Black-headed gull trying to steal sand eels from a Puffin that had just landed on the island

Atlantic Puffin sitting amongst the white Sea Campion flowers

Pair of Puffins at the entrance to their nest among the flowers

Atlantic Puffin posing in front of the pretty Sea Campion flowers

Female Eider duck and Puffins

Pair of beak billing Puffins - part of their courtship ritual

Puffin just coming in to land amongst its friends

Oystercatcher at the edge of the island

Arctic Tern with a couple of well-hidden babies

Arctic Terns in flight

Oystercatcher sitting on a nest

Group of adult Arctic Terns with one juvenile Tern on rock at the edge of Inner Farne

One hour landing time on Inner Farne is just not enough!

Irises, Peonies and other lovely flowers in Alnwick Castle Gardens on 12th June 2025

It was much too windy for a trip to the coast on Thursday, 12th June, so I went to Alnwick instead

View of Alnwick Castle as I tried to find the entrance to the gardens.  I had gone to the wrong place and had to walk along the road on the outside of the castle until I came to the garden entrance.

Green archway at the side of the famous central fountains with steps up to the flower garden at the top of the hill.  This photo was taken from the top of the steps.

Pretty white and mauve planting near the entrance to the flower garden

The flower garden was full of dramatic colourful plants:

Bright blue Delphinium

Coral frilly Poppies

Beautiful white Iris

Magnificent blowsy cerise Peonies

Impressive clipped hedges forming the entrances to the steps on each side of the fountains

Delicate Allium head in the wild flower planting area in the Cherry orchard

Sloping Cherry tree orchard with plenty of wooden swings for tired garden viewers!

I then came across a wedding group posing for photographs in front of the central fountains

View of the fountain in between showers

The fountains go through a series of water displays - this was one of them

Large urn in the rose garden, decorated with monkeys round the lower edge and a fox on the top

I went back up to the flower garden on the top of the hill in order to admire some wonderful Irises again

plus a pretty mauve Lupin

and I found a male Blackbird under a Strawberry plant

Close-up of the white/mauve planting at the top of the hill, near the entrance to the flower garden - with a rogue blue Iris in the centre!

and I couldn't resist another photograph of the impressive green entrance at the top of the leafy tunnel containing steps along the side of the grand fountain cascade