The Farne Islands are located between Bamburgh and Seahouses on the Northumberland coast and are home to one of the largest seal colonies in the UK with around 1,000 seal pups born each year. This was the first clue that seals moved across the North Sea and such large distances. Female fasts can be over 20 days, while male fasts can be over 50 days. Our boats have toilets on board and our catamaran has disabled access when the tides are right. Seals and Seal Pups. In the Farne Islands wildlife comes in abundance, and in particular it’s home to a colony of over 8,000 grey seals, 37,000 breeding pairs of Puffins and an abundance of other bird life. Male seals have a lifespan of 20-25 years and female seals have a lifespan of 30-35 years. After 18 days of drinking their mother’s milk, the pups have quadrupled in weight and are weaned. Seals on the Farne Islands. Total trip duration is 2.5 hours. Scuba Diving with Seals If you’re lucky and have a keen eye, you might even spot a Harbour seal in the mix. These islands offer better protection from storms and high seas, preventing wave-wash which can be devastating to pups on low-lying islands which haven’t yet grown waterproof fur. This was the first sign that they travel huge distances across the North Sea. The colonies here are one of the most important in Europe, and this species of seal is the largest surviving carnivore in the British Isles. A common method used to tell them apart is that Harbour seals are more ‘dog-faced’ due to the dip between their forehead and nose creating a snout, while Grey seals are more cat-like with a rounded profile. Another popular seal-spotting place is from the top of the Heugh, and of course you might see them on any of the other beaches as you walk around the island, but that is less predictable. In comparison, Harbour seals are much smaller, weighting up to 170kg and reaching 1.5 metres in length. If you’d like a closer encounter with seals (as well as amazing birdlife and puffins in season), plan to take one of the cruises to or around these islands. In September most of the sea birds have left as nesting season is over. The islands have the largest breeding colony in England with some 1,000 pups born here each autumn. The water around the islands is among the clearest in the country and offers superb diving from wrecks to scenic and not forgetting those inquisitive grey seals who will appear from nowhere to play with you. The Holy Island colony haul-out among the Grey seals on the exposed sandbars at Fenham Flats. Say hello to the new seal pups on the Farne Islands, This seal has a yellow paint on its fur, showing it has been counted, Drones are a new way of counting seals that can be more accurate than traditional methods, Seals are born all across the Farne Islands. The pup travelled 400 miles in a maximum of 14 days. This means we know exactly how many are born and how many die every season. 2,737 pups were born in 2018 – this equates to a colony size of 9,580 based on multiplying the number of pups born by 3.5. The Farne Islands, which lie off the coast of nor Seabirds sit on a cliff edge on the Inner Farne, which is part of the Farne Islands, off the Northumberland coast, northern England, July 19, 2013. The primary species seen on Holy Island are Grey seals, also known as Atlantic seals. The rangers have also noticed a change in the behaviour, with more seals breeding on Brownsman and Staple islands. The Farne Islands are open for visitors between the 28th March to the end of October. There are an estimated 3 to 4 thousand Grey Seals at the Farne Islands and large numbers can be counted basking on the rocks, especially at low water when more of the Islands are exposed. Dr Burville, a researcher from Newcastle University, was diving off the coast of the Farne Islands when he witnessed a male Grey seal ‘clap’ underwater during breeding season – which he then spent 17 years trying to capture on camera! For three months every autumn they are visited every four days to monitor breeding success, and new pups are marked with harmless dye to keep an eye on them. Where are the Farne Islands The Farnes Islands are a group of islands just off the coast of Northumberland. Pictured on the right is the late Billy Shiel MBE whose grandfather founded Farne Island Boat Trips in 1918 shortly after the 1st World War. The boats leave year round from Seahouses harbour (about 40 minutes drive from Holy Island). They are very rare on the Farnes with an average of 1 recorded per year. Our skippers and crewman are there to help you with any question you like so pleased do not hesitate to ask. Using a rotation of three or four colours we can work out how many pups are born, how many die, and how many ‘disappear’ before they would be able to survive. Up to 4,000 Grey seals haul out onto the sand flats at Lindisfarne national nature reserve. In the Autumn months, female Grey seals come ashore the islands to pup. Sandwich tern July* Islands: Both Staple and Inner Farne are open. The Farne Islands are located just below the Scottish border on the east side of England for this Seal Diving Trip and are known as one of the best locations in the UK to dive with seals. The Farnes boast one of the third largest colonies of Grey seals on the East Coast of England, providing a home to around 5,000 seals and contributing 2.5% of the annual British pup production. While the pups are young, the males and females stay on land to protect and feed their offspring with extremely high-fat milk. These trips will typically take you to see the seal colony up close first, and also either take you around the islands, or land you on one of them. Because of this, they are protected in Britain under the Conservation of Seals Act of 1970. The first tracking experiment in the 1950’s found one alive at Jaeren, 20 miles from the south western tip of Norway, having travelled 400 miles in 14 days. Counting the pups. Photo: Mick Knapton, CC BY-SA 3.0. They are 28 islands, some very small and some only visible during low tide. The longer a male can stay and defend his territory, the more successful his pups will be – they can fast for over 50 days! A much-loved addition to the fauna of the islands, the seals are not subjected to high human threat. Although they may look small from afar, Grey seals can weigh up to 300kg and reach 2.6 metres in length. Pups are weaned in 18 days, in which time they will have quadrupled in weight. As the tide rises and forces the seals off the sand, they’ll swim around. The Farne Islands are most famous for the puffins and seals, plus many other species. Since they can’t hunt for food, the parents fast during this time, gaining energy from the blubber they have stored up. Seal and pup on the Farne Islands An annual seal census at one of Britain’s most important colonies has had to be carried out from the air due to … This year we are repeating this experiment as it's much less intrusive for the seals and much less dangerous for the rangers. During this time, the seals gather in their thousands on the shores of the Farne islands, with the end of October being the peak time for the pups, and the best time of year to be out looking for them. They are curious and often look in on divers in the water and are impressive to watch underwater. Seals and pups on the Farne Islands in the North Sea off the coast of Northumberland (Owen Humphreys/PA) National Trust ranger Harriet Reid said: “Due to … Pups are born with fuzzy, white fur, which is not water-resistant. The seals of the Farnes are the stars of their very own scientific discovery. It's tough being a seal pup. There’s a reason that Sir David Attenborough called the Farne Islands his “favourite place in the UK to see magnificent nature” – the islands and the surrounding seas are an internationally important wildlife reserve. Sadly, we don’t know too much about where they go when they leave the colony. Seals can reach depths of 30 metres. This gives us the number born annually and allows us to calculate the mortality rate. Of these, three are accessible: Staple Island, Inner Farne and Longstone (home to the ‘Grace Darling’ Lighthouse). Given the right weather conditions, the seals are visited every … They spend 80% of time below water, 20% on the surface breathing. Seals and pups on the Farne Islands in the North Sea off the coast of Northumberland (Owen Humphreys/PA) National Trust ranger Harriet Reid said: “Due to … Due to the COVID pandemic landing on the island is not allowed so you can only view the islands from a boat, trips go from Seahouses Harbour. Longstone Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse located on Longstone Rock in the outer group of the Farne Islands off the Northumberland Coast, England. 2.5% of the annual British pup production is from the Farnes, compared to 20% from the Monach Islands in the Outer Hebrides – the largest British colony. Visitors to Holy Island often ask us about the best places to see seals on the island. As well as being the most famous Sea Bird Sanctuary in the British Isles they also have a large colony of Atlantic / Grey Seals. A cautionary tale is that of the man rushed to hospital in Devon, after he attempted to pat a seal on the head and was bitten. Since 1952 the Farne seal colony has been monitored and counted, so we have an excellent record of how the populations are doing. From the 12th century onwards, the seals were harvested by the Islands' monks. All ages are welcome as well as dogs. In 2017 Farne Islands rangers experimented with drones to capture seal pup numbers from the air. What type of seals do we see? This is the second-largest seal colony in the UK. The Farne Islands consist of between fifteen to twenty small islands. Their numbers swell during this time as over 1,500 pups are born across the islands – the highest ever count was 2,295 in 2016. As part of this work we carefully monitored the response of the seals to the drones. The work was started by the Natural History Society of Northumbria in 1952 (counts had been undertaken long before this but were only on certain islands). The plan was to paddle out to the Farne Islands for a leisurely day of Seal and bird spotting. The first experiment in tracking seals was on 16 December 1951 when ten pups were fitted with metal cattle tags. In 1378-79 a seal calf could fetch about 22p which works out at about £140 in today’s money.
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