© Alex Ash

Seal pup says hello!

One of the 1,200 Atlantic grey seals born every year on the rocky shores of the Farne Islands between late September and January. This chap is about two day old. He will be suckled by his mum for about three weeks, during which time he will moult his downy fur and learn to swim. She'll then leave him to fend for himself.

© Alex Ash

Battered by the elements

The seal colony living around the Farne Islands tends to breed a little later than others around the UK - no one quite knows why. This can leave them vulnerable to winter storms. In an average year only about 50 per cent of pups survive. From 10 to 13 November 2007 the Farnes experienced some of their worst tidal surges and northwesterly gales for many years. Sadly, many young seals were swept away.

© Alex Ash

The Farnes' media hub

The Farne Islands are regularly featured in local and national newspapers and TV due to our amazing wildlife stories. The wardens' cosy wee cottage doubled up for a TV studio during Autumnwatch 2007 as camera man John Aitchison broadcast live to four million viewers.

© Alex Ash

Little Auk takes a breather

On Sunday 11 November 2007 a staggering 29,000 little auk were counted flying past the Farne Islands by the wardening team. 18,000 had been spotted three days earlier. Both tallies smashed the UK's previous best sighting of 11,000 birds, recorded at Flamborough Head on the Yorkshire coast in 1995.

The closest breeding sites for this diminuitive puffin-sized seabird are around the Arctic Circle in Greenland and Spitsbergen, but gale force winds in late autumn and early winter tend to drive large numbers of them
into the North Sea.

National Trust Head Warden, David Steel, commented, 'It was remarkable to see so many of these small auks bravely battling north against the strong head wind, the birding community will be talking
about this for years to come!'

© Alex Ash

Caring for the Farnes

Head Warden, David Steel, greets one of his seal pup charges on Brownsman Island. He has lived on the Farnes for seven years, and is looking to beat St Cuthbert's record of 12 years out here!

He and his team of four wardens monitor the breeding birds every summer and seal births every winter. The job of marking new born pups with paint can be quite a difficult one as the mothers are fiercely protective of their young. Five staff have been mauled over the past 30 years.

© Ant Hurd

A rare sunny moment

Over the past 20 years changes have been recorded in the breeding patterns of Atlantic grey seals on the Farne Islands. In the 1980s, the first pup was usually spotted at the end of October. Now, 20 years on, the pups are born from the end of September.

Seals have made their home on the Farne Islands for at least 800 years. For many centuries they were hunted for their fur and blubber and, during the Victorian era and very nearly became extinct.

Find out more about the history of the Farne Islands

Today they can be seen hauling themselves onto rocks, basking lazily in the sunshine or bobbing about in the water whatever the season. Though they tend to keep out of the way at birthing time, the huge bull seals (growing up to 3m in length) are a truly imposing sight.