NORTHUMBERLAND AND THE FARNE ISLES

JUNE 20TH - 26TH 2026

Featuring: 

• A CRUISE AROUND THE FARNE ISLES WITH A WALK ON INNER FARNE

• A CRUISE AROUND RSPB COQUET ISLAND LOOKING FOR ROSEATE TERNS

• A DAY TRIP TO LINDISFARNE (HOLY ISLAND)

• COASTAL WALKS AROUND SEAHOUSES, BAMBURGH AND ABMLE

• ALL DAY AT HAUXLEY NATURE RESERVE AND DRURIDGE BAY

• INLAND BIRDING SITES AROUND HARTHOPRE VALLEY AND THE CHEVIOT HILLS

Northumberland offers excellent birding watching opportunities across a range of diverse habitats but is the mainly coastal areas that we concentrate on during this tour. If you like Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills and especially Terns then this is the trip for you.

THE FARNE ISLANDS:

The Farne Islands lie just three miles (4.8km) off the east coast and are undoubtedly the best known bird-watching venue in the whole of Northumberland, they are accessed by boat from Seahouses and form the pinnacle of our tour, as we spend a day cruising around them and then land on Inner farne for a magical walk amongst the Puffins. Terns, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes and Fulmars. We have planned this tour to coincide with the peak breeding season when activity will be at its highest, thousands of birds will be feeding chicks and the sky will be clouded with a chaotic, swirling mass of movement, adult birds with beaks full of sand eels returning from fishing expeditions to feed their offspring. Vast rafts of resting birds can be see alongside the boat as we drift from island to island.

Many oher coastal sites are included in this tour:

BAMBURGH 

We do not usually stop in this picturesque village with its spectacular castle and association with Grace Darling (of whom we learn much of during our trip to Farne Isles), but we do stop a kilomter or so south of the castle where we can admire it from there. 

LINDISFARNE, THE HOLY ISLAND: 

This National Nature Reserve is accessed by a causeway that is submerged during high tides so we have to plan our visit very carefully.  We have a six-hour window in which to cover part of the island and usually take a circular route that takes us around te 16th Century, Lindisfarne Castle. The coastal lagoons and rocky shoreline hold many species of waders, sea-ducks and Grey seals. We may see a good variety of grassland species in the wet meadows, Common Snipe, Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew, Meadow Pipit, Yellowhammer, Reed Bunting, Tree Sparrow, Common Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler, Skylark, Linnet, Goildfinches and Stonechats.

Around the shoreline we may encounter many Eider Ducks, Goosander, Grey and Golden Plover, Dunlin, Bar-tailed Godwits, Common Shelduck, Rock Pipit and much more. 

COQUET ISLAND:

just off the coast of Amble lies the RSPB reserve of Coquet Island, it is a small island but of huge importance because it is home TO many seabird colonies. Over 20,000 Puffins breed there, will lesser numbers of Guillemots, Kittiwakes, Fulmars, Sandwich, Common and Arctic Terns, Cormarmst and Shags. Most importantly a small colony of Roseate Terns survive there with the help of the RSPB and the provision of nest boxes. Landing on the island is prohibited but we take a cruise around the island and the Roseate Terns are our priority, you will see them if they are present!

HAUXLEY NATURE RESERVE

Just a short drive from the Quayside at Amble lies the nature reserve of Hauxley, created and run by the Nortumberland Wildlife Trust this 80 acre site has become a magnet to passing migrant birds and many local breeding species use the pools as a safe roosting site. The Trust has provided embankments and islands, wader scrapes, freshwater pools, all lined with clever and strategic planting of hedgerows, reedbeds and banks of wild flowers. Imaginative path laying and the errection of a number of hides make Hauxley a must-see reserve. The wild flowers, including a number of orchid species, attract a myriad of butterflies and the pools host many species of dragonflies.

Recent bird surveys suggest that nearly 60 species of birds breed in and around Hauxley, it is a great place from where to watch Terns that come to bathe and rest. Sandwich, Common and Arctic Terns are seen in good numbers whilst Roseate Tern is iften spotted there. The non-breeding first summer Little Gull is another regular summer visitor and two or three are often there when we visit.  Alongside waders, ducks, geese, herons, egrets and grebes, all viewed from the well placed hides

Bird feeding stations attract many species where you may encounter at close quarters: Reed Bunting, Bullfinches, Tree Sparrows, Stock Doves, Great Spotted Woodpeckers, many finches and local populations of Tits.

For me the best attraction at Hauxley is the cafe and its plate glass oberservation windows! You can eat delicious home-made cakes and scones whilst sipping top notch coffee, aaah bliss!

DRURIDGE BAY COUNTRY PARK, DRURIDGE POOLS AND CRESSWL PONDS.

A trip to Druridge Bay can be combined with a vist to Hauxley and although the species list may overlap somewhat there are breeding birds found in Druridge Bay that cannot be seen at Hauxley.

Both Ladyburn Lake at the country park and the two main pools at Druridge Bay are more productive in the winter months, however, there are some species that we may encounter that will be new for our summer list. Cresswell Ponds offer the same suite of birds too, but there may be a rarity around in any one of the three sites and we can pick and choose any one or all three at our discretion during our time in the area.

We can look for Whinchat, Wheatear, Yellow Wagtail,Grasshopper and Sedge Warblers, Lesser Whitethroats, Willow and Garden Warblers. The pools may hold a duck, gull or a grebe that may be new for our trip list. 

HARTHORPE VALLEY AND THE CHEVIOT HILLS