With the breeding season underway and all the terns having returned to the UK, it was the perfect time to head to Northumberland to see the roseate terns on Coquet Island. Some previous attempts had been thwarted by the Covid pandemic, and on another occasion, we had visited too late and missed the puffins altogether.
This year, however, we arranged another trip with our friends Kev @kev07713 and Karen Heath @karenheath62, spending a couple of nights in the area and booking the Puffin Cruises Seabird Special 1½-hour trip, departing at 10.00am on the Wednesday morning. With rain forecast for later in the afternoon, the morning sailing promised ideal conditions and the opportunity for excellent views of the island's spectacular seabird colonies.
One of the keys to the trip's success was the timing, as Charlotte was especially keen to see puffins, one of her favourite birds. If we would be seeing those, all the other birdwatching would simply be a bonus and go off without a hitch.
We set off just before 6.00am for the journey north-east, making an early start to maximise our time in Northumberland. We stopped at a pre-arranged service station to meet up with Kev and Karen for breakfast, giving us the chance to catch up and discuss the plans for the next couple of days. After a short break, we were soon back on the road and heading towards Druridge Pools, eager to begin our birdwatching break.
Situated just north of Cresswell on the Druridge Bay coastline, the 24-hectare reserve is managed by Northumberland Wildlife Trust and is a remarkable conservation success story, having been transformed from a former opencast coal mine into a thriving wetland habitat.
The reserve consists of a large freshwater lake, shallow pools and wet grazing meadows, all linked by easy walking paths and a pair of bird hides. The varied habitats attract an impressive range of species throughout the year, with surrounding scrub and dunes providing additional habitat for passerines and migrants.
During migration, Druridge Pools regularly attracts scarce and rare birds, earning it a reputation as one of the North East's top birding hotspots. Species such as spoonbills, wood sandpipers, garganey and water pipits are regular visitors, while the reserve has produced an impressive list of rarities over the years.
Even without a rarity present, the reserve offered great wildlife watching. With the dunes and beach of Druridge Bay just a short walk away, it was an ideal place to spend a few hours exploring.
We drove along the access lane to the turning circle at the end and parked up, already enjoying sightings of stonechats, corn buntings, reed buntings, and several other species along the way. After leaving the car, we initially headed away from the pools, following the path alongside the surrounding farmland before eventually making our way back to explore the wet meadows and pools themselves.
From the first hide, we enjoyed a panoramic view across the reserve, where snipe, avocets, sand martins and redshanks were all on show. The pools also held a variety of geese and ducks, including a couple of lingering wigeon that were somewhat unexpected for the time of year, along with three barnacle geese adding to our growing list.
After an enjoyable spell at the first hide, we moved on to the second, which offers a more central view across the pools. Another birder was already there with his scope and told us that a garganey had been reported at the end of the reserve we had just left, although viewing conditions were said to be better from this hide. Despite a search, neither he nor we could locate the bird, and after a while he moved on.
The number of avocets increase as our wider vantage point revealed more of the shallow bays, while a couple of stunning summer-plumaged black-tailed godwits showed well through the scope. As we continued scanning, Kev picked out a pink-footed goose, another unexpected bird for the time of year, although it soon wandered behind a fence line and disappeared from view.
Three curlews were roosting against a stand of reeds, while a family of grey herons stood almost motionless along the far edge of the wetland. Kev continued to work his scope across the pools before calling me over to look at a gull he couldn't quite identify - at first glance it was asleep, but when it shifted position just off the water's edge amongst a gathering of mostly black-headed gulls, its identity became clear - it was a little gull, a welcome addition to the day's sightings.
Leaving the hide behind, we made our way down onto the beach where sandwich terns, herring gulls and gannets were feeding just offshore. The gannets repeatedly dropped in to join the gathering gulls on the water, but rather than performing their spectacular high-speed plunge dives, they simply lifted a metre or two above the surface before diving back in after their prey. A couple of cormorants were also feeding successfully nearby, although each time they or the gannets surfaced with a catch they were immediately mobbed by the ever-opportunistic gulls hoping to snatch an easy meal.
By now the sun was shining and the temperature was climbing, providing a welcome contrast to the cooler start to the day. While the girls relaxed on the rocks enjoying the warmth and the view, Kev and I continued scanning the sea, picking out guillemots as they flew low across the waves or sat feeding on the surface offshore.
By now we had racked up a respectable list of around 50 bird species, but with lunchtime passing by it felt like the right time to move on. With appetites beginning to grow, we packed up and headed for our next destination, Hauxley Nature Reserve, where we could enjoy a bite to eat before continuing our birdwatching. This is one of the jewels of the Northumberland coast and a site that has become one of the region's premier wildlife destinations. Managed by Northumberland Wildlife Trust, the reserve occupies land that was once part of an opencast coal mine before being transformed into a mosaic of freshwater pools, reedbeds, grassland and woodland. Today it attracts around 140 bird species each year, with its proximity to the coast adding even greater variety during migration and the winter months.
A well-maintained circular trail links a series of hides overlooking the pools, providing excellent opportunities to watch wildfowl, waders and passerines at close range. The reserve is also well known for breeding tree sparrows.
At the heart of the reserve sits the Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre, an award-winning eco-friendly building constructed using sustainable materials, including straw-bale walls. Large panoramic windows overlook the main lake, allowing visitors to enjoy the wildlife even while taking a break indoors. The centre also houses the popular Lookout Café, serving drinks, lunches and homemade cakes, together with a small gift shop and information area displaying the latest wildlife sightings. Entry to the reserve is free (donations accepted), with a very reasonable parking charge of just £2.
After enjoying a delicious lunch, we headed out onto the reserve, deciding to follow the circular path clockwise towards the Skua Hide before continuing to the Tern Hide. As we strolled along the trail, the calls of gulls and terns drifted through from the pools beyond the trees, although they were almost completely drowned out by the song of a willow warbler perched conspicuously on top of the hedgerow, as willow warblers so often seem to do.
Our first stop was the Skua Hide, where we found ourselves with the place entirely to ourselves. Several well-stocked feeders hung from a nearby pole, although they were strangely devoid of visitors. The reserve volunteers had told us that tree sparrows, tits and a variety of other small birds regularly frequented them, but on this occasion they remained quiet.
Despite its name, the Skua Hide offers only a narrow window onto the sea, making it difficult to pick out passing seabirds unless they happen to fly through the limited field of view. Even so, we managed to watch sandwich and common terns, along with what we believed were a few Arctic terns, while the occasional guillemot sped past offshore.
Pleasant though the watch was, we decided to continue around the reserve in the hope that other viewpoints would provide better and more prolonged views of the birds using the coastline and surrounding pools.
Reports from the previous day had mentioned five first-summer little gulls on the reserve, with as many as nine having been present a few days earlier. With that in mind, we stopped at a bench overlooking the pools to see if we could pick one out, although the sightings had come from a hide on the opposite side of the water.
As we scanned the pools, groups of terns, predominantly Arctic terns, passed back and forth overhead, with some flocks numbering a couple of dozen birds. While photographing one such group, I managed to capture what appears to be a first-summer Arctic tern, a pleasing bonus overlooking the pool.
We had only just started to continue our circuit of the reserve when a few spots of rain began to fall. Within minutes the shower intensified, sending us hurrying to the Tern Hide for shelter. No sooner had we settled inside than the rain turned to hailstones, rattling noisily against the roof and windows.
As the weather swept across the reserve, I watched the gulls huddled together on the far edge of the bay, doing their best to shelter from the sudden deluge. Then a tern came powering in and dropped down amongst them, seeking refuge from the worsening conditions. Something about it caught my eye, so I quickly trained my scope on the bird. To my delight, it was a roseate tern, one of my main target species for the trip and a very welcome addition to my year list.
The roseate tern is the UK's rarest breeding tern and one of its most sought-after seabirds. Elegant and pale, with a long forked tail, black cap and bill that can develop a red base in summer and a subtle rosy flush on the breast during the breeding season, it is often described as the most graceful of the terns. Today, most of the the UK's breeding population is concentrated on a single island: Coquet Island, close to here off the Northumberland coast. Intensive conservation work has transformed the island into an internationally important stronghold for the species.
Once the hailstorm had passed and the rain eased, the roseate tern flew to a nearby rock where it spent several minutes preening and drying its feathers. Eventually it took to the air again, circling gracefully over the pool before dropping onto the water for what appeared to be a quick wash and freshen up after the soaking it had endured.
After a few moments it lifted effortlessly from the surface and, as suddenly as it had appeared, powered away across the reserve and disappeared behind us.
The Arctic terns soon followed suit, with small groups of birds dropping onto the water to splash about and enjoy their own wash and brush-up after the passing storm. It was fascinating to watch their lively bathing behaviour and provided far better views than I had managed from the shoreline in Ayrshire a few weeks earlier, where the birds had remained much more distant and largely silhouetted against the sky. A lone female goosander stood at the water's edge and seemed to be one of the few birds that carried on regardless during the hailstorm, appearing completely unfazed as the icy shower swept across the reserve.
On arrival, we had been warned that the car park gates would be locked promptly at 5:30pm. With the clock now ticking past 5.00pm, we reluctantly began making our way back towards the visitor centre. As we passed through, we heard the distinctive chirping call of a tree sparrow and almost immediately spotted one perched on top of a nearby bush to our left. A couple more birds appeared, flitting between the surrounding shrubs and giving us some final views before we eventually packed away our binoculars and cameras and headed off to our hotel to check in. In the hotel cark park we found three more tree sparrows - so hard (or almost impossible) to see locally in Oxfordshire, but yet here in our car park!
The following morning we were up early, enjoyed breakfast and then set off for Amble Harbour to catch our boat for the eagerly anticipated trip around Coquet Island. Operated by Puffin Cruises, the family-run business has been taking visitors to the island since 1969 and offers one of the best opportunities to experience Northumberland's internationally important seabird colonies.
Coquet Island is one of the county's hidden gems. During the breeding season it teems with birdlife, while the island provides nesting sites for several hundred eider ducks. To protect this internationally important colony, the island is designated as a bird sanctuary and public landings are prohibited. Owned by the Duke of Northumberland since 1753, the island remains uninhabited throughout the winter, with seasonal wardens residing there during the breeding season to safeguard the nesting birds and monitor the colonies.
On arriving at Amble, we headed to the booking office pod in Amble Harbour Village to collect our tickets, joining several other passengers doing the same. We had initially been told that around 23 people had booked onto the Birdwatching Special sailing, but by departure time that number had grown to 32, still comfortably within today's imposed capacity of 35 passengers - usually more on other sailings.
While waiting to board, we passed the time watching sandwich terns patrolling the harbour, repeatedly plunge-diving into the water in pursuit of fish - a fitting prelude to what promised to be a superb morning of seabird watching, the weather predicted to stay dry until late lunchtime.
As we headed out across the water towards Coquet Island, sandwich terns were the first seabirds to accompany the boat, but as we drew closer, they were increasingly outnumbered by Arctic terns, their elegant flight and piercing calls adding to the excitement of the approach. Common guillemots were also much in evidence, with birds both resting on the sea and flying low over the water as they commuted to and from fishing spots.
As we approached the island, I found myself eagerly scanning for roseate terns, knowing that this would probably be my only remaining opportunity to see this tern species during our short break. The breeding season is still in full swing, so the final census for this year had yet to be completed, but the colony has enjoyed a remarkable recovery in recent years. Last summer, 144 breeding pairs nested on Coquet Island, the third-highest total ever recorded and a significant rebound following the devastating impacts of bird-flu during 2022 and 2023.
Our first encounter involved the roseate terns hanging out around the boxes on shelves on the slope down to the water. While the roseate terns nested peacefully in their small, tightly packed colonies, there was still plenty of activity and the occasional dispute as neighbouring birds defended their territories. Brief skirmishes would break out as one bird ventured too close to another's nest site, with much calling, wing-flapping and aerial chasing before order was quickly restored and the colony settled once more.
We began circling the concrete landing pier and, on the far side, were rewarded with superb views of a couple of roseate terns quietly resting. It was the perfect opportunity for photographs, although as I lined up my shots another birder had edged slightly in front of me. Fortunately, he was a little shorter, allowing me to shoot over the top of him for the most part, though I have to admit that the occasional pan of the camera resulted in my lens touching his head/cap!
The pier itself held much larger numbers of Arctic terns, with birds lining the concrete - others wheeled overhead or arrived carrying small fish, creating a constant flurry of activity.
I turned my attention to the puffins, and where Charlotte's had been all the time - this is what she'd come to see. Coquet Island is home to one of England's largest puffin colonies, with an estimated 18,000 breeding pairs returning each spring to nest in burrows across the island. Although no official count has yet been published for the 2026 breeding season, the island remains one of the country's premier locations for seeing these charismatic seabirds at close quarters. We noticed that the greatest concentrations were around the northern end of the island, where hundreds could be seen standing at their burrow entrances, or flying in with sand eels for their chicks.
Despite their comical appearance on land, puffins are exceptional swimmers and divers, using their wings to "fly" underwater in pursuit of fish, often reaching depths of 30–60 metres. During the breeding season, the birds sport their familiar bright orange feet and colourful triangular bills. Once breeding is over, they shed the brightly coloured outer plates of the bill, leaving a much duller appearance through the winter. I hope these photographs do justice to just how colourful these charismatic little clowns really are.
Other species were also much in evidence, and we spent time scanning the shoreline and rocky ledges, picking out eiders, goosanders, rock pipits, fulmars and kittiwakes. The island supports a small breeding colony of fulmars. Around 50 pairs nest on the island's rocky ledges and cliffs, their stiff-winged gliding flight and tube-shaped nostrils making them instantly recognisable as members of the petrel family rather than true gulls.
Other tern species were also very much in evidence, with sandwich and common terns perched on the rocks or wheeling out across the water. Last season saw a record 2,282 breeding pairs of sandwich terns, the highest count ever recorded on the island, alongside 536 breeding pairs of common terns, up from 353 pairs the previous year as both species continue their recovery following the impacts of bird flu.
The boat sailed around the island and gave us views of the kittiwakes, on rocks but predominantly nesting on the cliffs. The most recent published figures indicate there are approximately 150 breeding pairs on the island - a relatively small but stable colony, especially compared with the island’s massive tern populations. Kittiwakes nest mainly on cliff-like structures and suitable ledges around the island, often alongside fulmars, taking advantage of the same exposed nesting areas.
Although not traditionally a breeding species here, razorbills have recently begun to establish themselves on Coquet Island, with the first successful fledging recorded in 2025 and small numbers now being seen around the rocky edges of the reserve. Once pointed out they were easy to see in small pockets, and occasionally heading out across the water. Razorbills are cliff-nesting auks that usually breed on steep, rocky sea cliffs with deep crevices or ledges. Coquet Island is relatively low-lying and flat, with only limited rocky edges, so there has traditionally been very little natural nesting space for them. Their recent appearance suggests a combination of population redistribution and changing local conditions, allowing a small number of birds to experiment with breeding here.
We eventually approached the area with the highest density of grey seals that continued to take an interest in the boat, popping up their heads and watching us as we watched them. They do not breed on Coquet Island itself due to the heavy seabird activity and lack of suitable undisturbed haul-out beaches. The rich tidal waters around the island, particularly where sand eels and other small fish are abundant, make it a good feeding ground, so seals are often encountered during boat approaches.
The Northumberland coast supports several thousand grey seals in total, with the main haul-out sites found at places such as the Farne Islands. Even so, seeing them here at such close range felt special.
Eventually it was time to head back to the harbour, where we stopped for lunch while starting to plan our next outing. After some discussion, we decided that a visit to Long Nanny would be the obvious choice. It had several things in its favour: our friend Nick always mentions there asking whether we’ve seen the American black tern (which we haven’t yet managed to do); it holds a large Arctic tern colony, with birds nesting at close range; and it also supports a little tern colony, a species I had yet to see this year, making it an easy decision.
We made our way from Amble towards Long Nanny, passing through areas where it looked as though rain had already fallen - perhaps we had managed to dodge the worst of the showers. However, as we pulled into the car park, a torrential downpour began, which we were thankfully able to avoid by remaining in the cars.
A few walkers were already out on the reserve and had clearly been caught in it, including one couple who eventually found shelter beneath a tree, and another pair with nowhere to hide who simply had to endure the full force of the storm but at least they were dressed for it.
The Long Nanny Nature Reserve lies on the North Northumberland coast between Beadnell and Newton, where the Long Nanny Burn meets the sea. It is a nationally important coastal site managed for its breeding seabirds, set within a landscape of dunes, sandy beach and a small tidal estuary. The area is carefully managed, with fenced nesting zones and on-site wardening to protect birds from disturbance. A key feature of Long Nanny is the close viewing experience - visitors can watch the colony from a designated viewpoint near the warden’s hut, where birds can be seen feeding, displaying and ferrying fish just offshore. The American black tern is also currently nesting by the warden's hut.
Once the rain had eased, we layered up and got our kit ready in case another shower swept through, then set off on the roughly 1km walk towards the warden’s hut. Along the way we picked up stonechats, meadow pipits and skylarks, before eventually beginning to see flocks of terns gathering along the beach ahead.
On arrival at the warden’s hut we found a volunteer already in position, scope trained on the little tern colony further along the shore. The nesting area lies beyond here, within a clearly marked roped-off cordon designed to protect the breeding birds from disturbance.
The National Trust manages Long Nanny and provides the most authoritative population counts for the site. It has reported that Arctic terns reached a peak of around 2,800 breeding pairs in 2018, although numbers can fall to nearer 1,000 pairs in poorer seasons. The little tern colony is much smaller, typically numbering around 30–60 breeding pairs.
Although we were enjoying bright spells of sunshine, darker rain showers could be seen all around the horizon, and we tried to work out which way the weather was tracking across the coast.
In the meantime, we located the area where the American black tern had been nest sitting and all managed to get good views of it before turning our attention through the scope to the little tern colony within the protected nesting zone. Kev and I then returned our focus to the American black tern, only to see an Arctic tern suddenly drop in and take over incubation duties, prompting the black tern to vacate the nest and head off up the coast, quickly disappearing from view.
Since around 2020–2021, this adult bird in breeding plumage has been observed repeatedly at the site in Northumberland. It has become something of a “regular”, often remaining through the breeding season and feeding among the colony of terns along the beach. This is unusual behaviour for the species in Britain and has attracted considerable attention from visiting birders. Originally assumed to be a male, it was initially nicknamed George, but when it began showing breeding behaviour, the name was informally updated to Georgina.
With the black tern still absent, we turned our attention to the Arctic terns, some of which nest remarkably close to the designated viewing area, with others further along the beach nearer the little tern colony. The Arctic and little terns repeatedly erupted from the colony in swirling flocks, wheeling and calling as they climbed into the air before circling overhead and eventually settling again, either on their original nest sites or out along the shoreline. Even the birds nesting directly in front of us would occasionally join in, lifting off with sharp calls and then announcing their return just as loudly as they came back to the ground.
One particularly bold Arctic tern seemed remarkably unfazed by our presence, regularly fluttering overhead before landing on the warden’s hut and, increasingly, on a post that marked the boundary between the viewing area and the dunes - at times less than four feet from where we were standing. On one occasion it was noticeably more vocal than usual during its visit, prompting me to take a short video on my phone. What exactly it was trying to communicate, I have no idea - though perhaps I spent too much of my youth watching Lassie and Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.
Down on the beach and across the nesting area we were able to pick out little terns among the much larger numbers of Arctic terns. They are superb little birds, and I hope to get the chance later in the year for closer views, particularly when they are fishing along the shoreline, perhaps at Lymington (Pennington & Normandy Marsh).
Our luck then ran out and a period of heavy rain set in, forcing us to take shelter under umbrellas while we watched the terns hunker down and ride out the downpour. It lasted for some time, but eventually the rain eased and we returned to waiting for the American black tern to reappear - what exactly had she said when she left? - “I’m just nipping down the shops and will be back soon”? She had, in any case, been gone rather a while ...
Our patience eventually paid off as we watched her approach and land, only for her to be airborne again within a minute. She circled over this section of the dunes before being mobbed and chased off by some of the resident Arctic terns, eventually dropping back down to land on the beach.
Eventually she returned to the nest, where she and the Arctic tern appeared to exchange a few words over where she'd been. Whatever was said seemed to satisfy him, as he soon took to the air, leaving her to resume duties while he enjoyed a well-earned bit of "me time".
We eventually made our way back towards the car, with another heavy shower catching us enroute and giving the umbrellas another useful outing for five or ten minutes. Along the path we encountered a group of young lads being led by a couple of instructors, who explained that they were completing their Bronze Duke of Edinburgh's Award exercise. Having been out for around five hours, they looked thoroughly soaked and weary and couldn't wait to reach the minibus that was due to collect them from the car park. Whoever had arranged the pickup had clearly timed it well, as the vehicle had not been there when we left.
By the time we reached the car, the rain had stopped and the sun had reappeared, making for a much more pleasant drive back to Amble. There we enjoyed a delicious evening meal at The Boathouse before returning to the hotel to round off the day with a couple of well-earned drinks.
The following morning, Kev and I headed off to Northumberlandia while the girls enjoyed a well-deserved lie-in. Several quails had reportedly been calling there in recent days, and we felt it was worth trying our luck.
On arriving in the car park, however, the first thing to catch our attention wasn't a bird at all but a large milk vending machine standing beside the entrance to the Lady of the North. Operated by Moobile Milk, the self-service machine dispenses fresh whole milk along with a selection of rotating milkshake flavours, such as strawberry, chocolate and banana, all produced using locally sourced dairy. Visitors can bring their own bottle or cup, or purchase a reusable glass bottle on site. It was certainly something neither of us had come across before and an unexpected sight in a country park car park.
Consulting our OS map, we worked out the best route to the area where the most recent quail reports had come from and set off across the reserve. Along the way we encountered lapwings, avocets, geese and lots of brown hares, while skylarks seemed to be everywhere, their songs filling the air as they hovered high above the surrounding fields.
We spent some time along the route and at the spot from which the quails had most recently been reported, standing quietly and listening for their distinctive calls, but despite our efforts we came away empty-handed. A kestrel drifted effortlessly across the fields, while the number of brown hares continued to rise - we had counted more than 30 by this point. Scanning the surrounding farmland, we eventually picked out a pair of grey partridges feeding on a distant hillside alongside a small group of woodpigeons, little more than specks without the aid of our optics.
We eventually turned back towards the car, pausing for improved views of adult avocets feeding in the pools. As we watched, Kev picked out two tiny avocet chicks busily feeding in the shallows, a delightful sight and a fitting way to round off our visit.
We skipped breakfast at the hotel and instead headed back to Hauxley Nature Reserve, planning to enjoy a late brunch before spending a final few hours on the reserve. The forecast suggested the weather would deteriorate, and before we had even reached the Tern Hide the first spots of rain began to fall. A warden passing in the opposite direction jokingly questioned whether we were heading the right way as the showers intensified.
As we neared the hide, the rain grew heavier, but through it we could hear the distinctive reeling song of a grasshopper warbler from the dip beyond the path. While Charlotte and Karen continued to the shelter of the hide, Kev and I stayed outside in an attempt to locate the calling warbler. Despite our efforts, the only bird we managed to see was a sedge warbler.
After lingering in the rain for a while longer, we finally admitted defeat and joined the others in the hide, turning our attention to the terns and gulls gathered around the pools. Arctic, sandwich and common terns were all present, but one Arctic tern immediately caught our eye. It appeared noticeably smaller than the surrounding adults, with black legs, a predominantly dark bill, a pronounced carpal bar and a patchy head pattern, all suggesting it was a first-summer bird. Around it, other Arctic terns came and went, many returning with small fish for their mates or chicks.
Once the rain had eased a little, Kev and I ventured back outside to see if we could finally track down the grasshopper warbler. As before, we were greeted first by its distinctive reeling song, which at least gave us a good indication of where to concentrate our search. Patiently scanning the bushes, we eventually caught sight of the bird as it worked its way through the vegetation. It briefly dropped onto a tangle of thicker branches that initially obscured our view, but after a few moments it shuffled into a more open position, rewarding us with a welcome and unobstructed look before disappearing back into cover.
We returned to the café for a well-earned coffee and cake before it was time for Charlotte and I to begin our journey home. After saying our goodbyes, we set off on the long drive south, arriving back with just enough time for a good night's sleep before heading out to our pickleball session at 8.45am the following morning.
Year list: 263.
