Farne Islands, Northumberland

It's been a few years since my last visit to the Farne Islands, so I was looking forward to another boat trip from the nearby harbour of Seahouses across to the bird sanctuary in high season. Thousands of seabirds breed on the islands each year, which attracts people in their droves who pay a visit to get much closer to nature. Firstly, a brief insight to the islands -

The Farne Islands are a group of islands off the coast of Northumberland, England. There are between 15 and 20 islands depending on the state of the tide. They are scattered about 2.5–7.5 km (1½–4¾ miles) from the mainland, divided into two groups, the Inner Group and the Outer Group. The main islands in the Inner Group are Inner Farne, Knoxes Reef and the East and West Wideopens (all joined together on very low tides) and (somewhat separated) the Megstone; the main islands in the Outer Group are Staple Island, the Brownsman, North and South Wamses, Big Harcar and the Longstone. The two groups are separated by Staple Sound. The highest point, on Inner Farne, is 19 metres (62 feet) above mean sea level.

Every year, between the months of May and July, the Farne Islands is an impressive seabird city. Naturally, with excessive numbers of birds on the islands this place is very noisy and smelly during the breeding season, but that doesn't deter the average visitor from making the most of their experience. Today I travelled with my son Christopher, who'd been looking forward to this day for some time, given his big interest in bird life, which made my experience even better. We pre-booked our places on the boat trip, which was all day affair, so we needed to leave home at 7.30am in time to catch our boat which sailed out of Seahouses at 9.30am. Of course, we checked the weather forecast before booking the trip, so we knew we were in for much sunshine, which gave us something else to look forward to. Quite often the weather plays its part and occasionally the tour operator cancels sailings because of it, but no such drama today as it was sunshine and warm temperatures all the way. We arrived at Seahouses at 9am, giving us ample time to park up before making our way down to the harbour. We paid and collected our boarding cards then waited for our boat, which arrived bang on time. We were at the front of a large queue, so we had pick of the seats once we boarded. By the time everyone else had joined us the boat was crammed with around 45 people, plus the 2 man boat crew. And that was it, we were off and running.

Our boat, Glad Tidings V, swiftly headed towards the islands. The all day boat trip is particularly suitable for the ornithologist/ photographer who wants to spend more time observing the wealth of nesting species. This trip only runs during the breeding season and lasts approximately six hours (two hours on Staple Island on the morning, and two hours on Inner Farne during the afternoon. The other two hours includes a cruise around the islands to view the nesting birds on cliff faces and the Grey Seal colony at several vantage points. Inner Farne and Staple Island are major sanctuaries in the UK for approximately 22 species of breeding sea birds, including Guillemot, Razorbill, Eider Duck and 4 species of Terns, not forgetting the small detail of 70,000 puffins!  

Our first point of call was the cliff faces at Inner Farne. The boat engine was temporarily cut as we took in the sight and sounds of the nesting birds. The skipper commentary was interesting enough, although most people at this point were snapping away with their camera's and seemingly taking little interest in it. From Inner Farne we then headed out to Staple Island, through Staple Sound, then onward to Brownsman, Bluecaps and Longstone, the furthest point of the boat tour. After circling Longstone we were now heading towards Harcars, passing Grey Seal as we went, plus many species of birds which were flying low near the surface of the North Sea. Apparently a Minke Whale was spotted near the Farnes two weeks before, and although the skipper asked us to keep our eyes peeled for it, the animal didn't appear. We had been on the boat for an hour and our first landing was coming up shortly - Staple Island. As this is a National Trust property a landing fee applies, which works out at £6.40 per adult and £3.20 per child. Obviously the same figures apply to the afternoon landing at Inner Farne, so the cost of your day out can work out quite expensive, unless of course you know someone who has a NT membership and he lets you borrow it for the day (wink). The sea was very calm today, so we had no problem getting off the boat and leaving our sea legs behind for a couple of hours. A queue formed as we stepped onto Staple Island, as most of the trippers weren't members of the National Trust. Those who were members were fast tracked past the queue before making their way up the entry path towards the action.

Staple Island is very flat and rocky. The numbers of Shag were well down compared to my last visit in 2008, and this was evident on the rocks where I only managed to see around half a dozen nesting pairs. This area was awash with them five years ago. There are no facilities on Staple Island so most people take a packed lunch, which we did, and it nice after an hour or so on the island to sit our arses down and take advantage of our packed goodies. After our pit stop we hit most corners and outreaches of Staple, pulling in a few decent shots of flying Puffins en route. Razorbills and Guillemots were top heavy as they gathered in their thousands on the ledges and outcrops that were readily available. Many were lined up, facing the same way and sheltering their single pear-shaped eggs, which was quite a sight. Almost everyone carried a camera of some description. I photographed a group of 'Big Hitters' who were positioned nearby and those customers were carrying some expensive kit. There wasn't a telephoto lens with a reach of under 400mm, so these punters were almost guaranteed the cream of the crop, as far as photographs are concerned. Me, well I was packing a modest 300mm Sigma piece of glass, so in essence I was a Conference League player up against the money men of the Champions League! Oh well, what to do eh - but then again, you can only pee with the tail you've got!!! I could only dream of owning one of those white Canon lenses, but ya never know, maybe one day...

In no time it seemed our two hour limit was up, so next thing we knew we were back on Glad Tidings and travelling around the remainder of the Farnes before our last landing on Inner Farne, which was scheduled as another 2 hours on land. By this time I was confident I had pulled in some decent shots, although my lens went hunting on more than ten occasions and had trouble locking on to subjects, even stationary birds. With that in mind I was expecting an uphill task when photographing birds in flight, but against the odds this is where I managed to pull in my best shots. We didn't see a great deal of eggs today, although Chris and his eagle eyes (binoculars) picked out a few here and there. He was loving the whole experience. As the breeding season was at an early stage we expected to see plenty of eggs, but the majority of parents were sitting, so that put paid to that prospect. It would be at least two weeks before chick were visible, but we had anticipated this before our journey, so we weren't gonna be disappointed on that particular score. Again, we passed a few Grey Seal en route to Inner Farne as they basked on the rocks. High tide isn't the best time to see them however, as low tide has many hundreds of basking seals on show around this time of year when they are also breeding.

At 1.20pm we approached our second landing at Inner Farne. We tethered to the jetty before disembarking and were told in no uncertain terms that the 'Head Bangers' were waiting for us just a few metres ahead. Enter the Arctic Terns, who were nesting in their hundreds along the path we were about to tread, and these customers don't take kindly to visitors who trespass their domain. We were well prepared for what lay ahead though, as I told Chris the tale of my last visit here, when an Indian boat tripper decided his turban was sufficient protection against the dive-bombing terns - WRONG !!!!!  The poor fella seemed to be singled out by at least five angry as fcuk Terns, who in turn (no pun intended) took it upon themselves to drop shat over his dark head wear. Hey, this was hilarious to say the very least, that was until I got whitewashed myself down the left side of my laughing face. Needless to say I wasn't laughing anymore, especially as I was now providing laughter to all around me, whilst poor Abdul scurried off, seeking refuge in the nearby visitor centre. Welcome to Inner Farne!!!

But that was then. Today there was just the usual pecking of the head and no whitewashing, not that we saw. At the top of that path lies the NT visitor Centre, and opposite is St Cuthbert's Chapel, originally built in 1370. All around this area is nesting Arctic Terns who are just as hostile as the others, with eggs on display. On my website slideshow there is one shot which shows a Tern heading straight towards my camera with a look of anger in its eyes (Link at bottom of blog entry).
We expected to see dozens of Eider Duck nesting on Inner Farne, as is usually the case in May, but numbers were down and we only saw three or four sitting females. Next to Inner Lighthouse there were many nesting birds on the cliff faces, including Shag & Kittiwake, plus the Guillemots across the way on Pinnacle Rock. It was the amount of Puffin burrows that caught the eye too, with literally thousands of them everywhere we walked. I dropped anchor near the path an waited for Puffin's to appear, which they did, any they were anything but shy, as my photo's prove. Puffin's are peoples favourite bird of the Farne Islands, or so it seems. The 'Clowns of the Atlantic' are certainly photogenic, make no mistake about that. In the visitor Centre there is a newly installed 'Puffin Kam', where visitors have the chance to see one incubating it's egg in a burrow. I saw a video clip of it laying its egg, apparently the first time it has ever been filmed. Photographing Puffin's in flight is one of the hardest tasks I've done with a camera, as these birds are quick. I managed to shoot one or two with a quick shutter and I was chuffed with the results - one is shown here, of an incoming bird above a small colony of 'Friends' on the cliff edge.

Before long we were back on the boat and making our way back to Seahouses Harbour. Everyone aboard seemed to have enjoyed their day out - I know we certainly did, and it was worth every penny. Chris reminded me that I promised him Fish & Chips when we were back on the mainland - he doesn't forget stuff like that, he he. And by this time we were ready for a meal. The sun was still shining brightly as we disembarked, so off we went, up the ramp and into the restaurant. A nice way to end the day. I'd recommend this trip to anyone who shares an interest in this type of thing, so if you do, then check out the links below for more details. And that is all for now. I'll be beck again soon with more ramblings and the usual photograph accompaniment, so until then I shall tootle off and return at a later date. Hope you enjoyed your read!
Ash

Farne Islands - Wikipedia
Book A Farne Islands Boat Trip
My Farne Islands Slideshow, 2008-2013 

Cherry Blossom, Saltwell Park, Gateshead

Back again!
Not much time to spare today so I'll be swift this one. A recent, and first time visit to Saltwell Park in Gateshead presented a an opportunity to grab a nice photo or two of Cherry Blossom in full bloom - always an eye-catching site. You see plenty of this stuff during the month of May and early June, before it falls to the floor, creating a bit of a mess, it has to be said. This time was different though, as a pathway through Saltwell Park was flanked with trees in fine colour, offering me the chance to grab a shot at its very best. My favourite shot is the first one, with the couple walking hand-in-hand along the path. Other people stopped to take photo's, either on mobile phones or digital camera's, and I captured one such person here, although his hair style almost stole the show entirely - what do you think?

Back soon.
Ash

P.S - Check out my latest update featuring my recent visit to the Farne Islands. Blog entry coming next...

Guisborough Priory, North Yorkshire

Guisborough (pronounced 'Gizbra') is a market town and civil parish within the authority of Redcar and Cleveland and the county of North Yorkshire, England. From my home in Houghton le Spring it is approximately 41 miles, 28 as the crow flies. As I have made more of an effort to travel South lately, and beyond Seaham, I targeted this area as one that I needed to photograph, as there are many other points of interest nearby. With this in mind I put a plan together in my head to do an 'All day' photography shoot when I had some spare time, and of course a nice sunny day to do it on. And I didn't have to wait too long for the opportunity. I headed down the A19 towards Middlesborough, passing the A66 turn off and heading towards the A174, which would lead me East, towards Whitby. In fact, it was perfect weather for the coast, but I hadn't intended on venturing that far across, so I stuck to my original plan which would see me tick off places like Guisborough and Great Ayton, including Roseberry Topping, a distinctive hill on the border of North Yorkshire. It is situated near Great Ayton and Newton under Roseberry. Its summit has a distinctive half-cone shape with a jagged cliff, which has led to many comparisons with the much higher Matterhorn in Switzerland. But more of that another day. Today's blog entry concentrates on Guisborough Priory, my mid-day visit in the baking hot sun...

A brief insight to the Priory -

Gisborough Priory is a ruined Augustinian priory in Guisborough, the borough of Redcar and Cleveland and ceremonial county of North Yorkshire, England. It was founded in 1119 as the Priory of St Mary by Robert de Brus, 1st Lord of Annandale, an ancestor of the Scottish king, Robert the Bruce. It became one of the richest monastic foundations in England with grants from the crown and bequests from de Brus, other nobles and gentry and local people of more modest means. Much of the Romanesque Norman priory was destroyed in a fire in 1289. It was rebuilt in the Gothic style on a grander scale over the following century. Its remains are regarded as among the finest surviving examples of early Gothic architecture in England. The priory prospered until the Dissolution of the Monasteries in 1540, when it was abolished along with England's other monastic communities. The priory buildings were demolished and the stone re-used in other buildings in Guisborough. The east end of the priory church was left standing with its great window forming a distinctive arch, a well-known landmark used as a symbol for Guisborough. It became part of the estate of the Chaloner family, who acquired it in 1550. The east window was preserved by them as part of a Romantic vista adjoining their seat, Gisborough Hall, from which the priory takes its idiosyncratically spelled name. It is owned by the Chaloners but is in the care of English Heritage as a scheduled monument.
Since the 19th century archaeological excavations have taken place in the priory grounds, though a substantial part of the site has not yet been investigated. In addition to the east window, surviving visible fragments of the complex include the lower courses of the west range, a vaulted undercroft, a gateway and a 14th-century dovecote still in use today. The adjoining Priory Gardens, laid out by the Chaloners in the 18th century, are under restoration by a volunteer group. The priory ruins and gardens are open to the public throughout the year.

Parting with two of my hard earned quids, I entered the priory grounds after parking at a very handy spot directly in front of the main gate. There were one or two other visitors on site, which was good for me and the camera - don't want too many people inviting themselves into the frame, do we? The bright sun was across to my right, hitting the side of the priory ruins, leaving the main wall in shade, which wasn't ideal, but after twenty minutes or so it had travelled enough to cast its rays onto the stonework, bathing it and bringing out the colour that I was waiting to see. Time to start some photography. Pigeons flew in and out of crevices every few minutes, which was a tad distracting. They were making regular visits to feed their chicks which were sheltered in shade - an ideal place to build a nest. The grounds were very well maintained, although there wasn't a great deal of colour on show as far as flowers and plants were concerned, but I did manage to include what there was on offer, just to add that odd burst of colour to my shots. It was in the nearby wooded area that an abundance of colour was visible, in the form of a bluebell plot. quite photogenic, it has to be said. I got down low and took a few photo's, one of which is shown below.

The wooded area included a collection of ancient stones which were obviously part of the priory buildings at some point. Laid out in a circular fashion, these pieces of stone, although covered in moss, were hundreds of years old and ancient relics of bygone times. Scattered amongst the trees were knitted figures, forming a trail of some description, but I didn't pay much attention to them before heading back out and onto the grassy area near the Priory ruins, which was clearly the focal point of the site. It was now simply a case of finding a few points to photograph from, so off I went, grabbing shots here and there. Here is a few examples...

Coming next - Roseberry Topping. Until then...
A

 

Littlehaven Sunrise, South Shields

A rarity from me - a summer sunrise photograph by Ashley Corr. This has to be the earliest time of day that I've gone out with the camera, of that I'm certain. Winter time is when I regularly shoot sunrises, due to the fact that there's no need to get out of bed during silly hours, which can't be a good thing. So, what made me shoot a Summer sunrise at 5.00am, you may be asking yourself. Well, I'd slept for a few hours during the day, followed by a few more hours at night, then awoke at 4.00am and couldn't get back to sleep. That was it - up and out with the camera. I drove down to Roker Beach, expecting the sun to rise behind the pier, as it usually does, but that is during the Winter months and today was very different. The early morning colour on the horizon gave a clear indication as to where the sun was about to rise, and it was nowhere near Roker Pier, but this is Summer, so the sun was about to rise further North, up the coast. With little time to spare before sunrise, I made the short journey to Littlehaven Beach, South Shields, where the sun was ready to rise over Tynemouth. I took up position in the sand dunes at Littlehaven and waited for some colour in the sky. It wasn't long before that happened. There wasn't a soul around, which was perfectly understandable. Only idiots get out of bed to photograph a sunrise at 5.00am!!

Here are three photographs. The first was taken shortly before sunrise. The second one shows the sun peeping over the low cloud cover, shortly after sunrise. The final shot, which is my favourite of the three, shows the sun over the cloud, as it shoots a ray of orange across the North Sea towards the dunes. Hey, maybe I'm not such an idiot after all. These shots were worth getting out of bed for, but somehow I don't think I'll be making a habit of it until Winter arrives once again. 
AC

 

Night Tyne Photography

As promised, a couple of photographs from my brief outing to Newcastle Quayside. Following on from a visit to the Angel Of The North (Last blog entry), I headed over to the Quayside to try out my 24-105mm lens, which I hadn't tested on the Quayside to date, so I was itching to give it a first run out at this location, albeit a very brief one. It was literally a five minute stop, as I parked up in the Fish Market Car Park, next to the Swing Bridge, before setting up my gear and shooting down the river, towards the Tyne Bridge, Millennium Bridge & Baltic Arts Centre. It was getting late, so I made sharp and ran off two exposures, which were around the 5 second mark. There was cloud above, which is always a good addition to a night-time shot, as opposed to a flat sky with little or no detail in it. There was many a Geordie reveller on the Quayside, dodging from pub to pub, and there's plenty of choice in that department. It was rowdy, to say the least. Aye, been there...done that. Nowadays I'm focusing on Rivers and Bridges instead of getting rat-arsed and staggering home with a dirty kebab in my hands. Ahhh, those were the days!

But more of that another time. Here are the shots I took, only two, but very similar, although one is cropped to give an almost panoramic feel to it. Turns out the L-Series glass was more than capable...
CLICK TO ENLARGE
Speak soon.
AC

Enter The Angel

Two weeks ago I made another of my regular visits to the Angel Of The North, shortly before sunset. The Angel is an ideal stop off, especially when the plan involves a trip to Newcastle Quayside later in the evening, when timing is ideal for photographing at both locations. As the sun sets, and the photo's are in the bag, a fifteen minute car journey through Low Fell to Gateshead Quays is all it takes to pick off another photogenic 'Hot Spot' here in the 'Not so Grim North'. And that was the plan tonight, two into one, as I covered two popular locations in one night. Some nice colour in the sky, add in some nice to profiling, and Robert is your Father's Brother! Enter the Angel . . .

As the sun went down on the horizon there was a burst of colour in the sky. I photographed visitors as they walked back down the path towards the car park. Some interesting silhouettes (shots 3&4), and in particular, the elderly couple who stopped to take photographs of the colourful horizon (last shot, below). Very straightforward photography. All you need is a decent sunset and that burst of colour shortly afterwards. I got it tonight. The shots wouldn't be the same without people, as scale is all important here. It's a simple case of waiting for those unsuspecting folk to plonk themselves right into the frame, just where they appear best, as they pose for their own pictures, oblivious to the fact that they're also posing for mine  - A prime example is shown below (shot 2)... 

 

And that's about it, for now. Next I'll show you the shots I took an hour later, on Newcastle Quayside.

Until then, see ya later.

Ash

New Addition - Canon 17-40mm Lens (L Series)

Last week I added another lens to the arsenal, in the form of a Canon 'L Series' 17-40mm Ultra-Wide. This is my second 'L' purchase, following the 24-105mm lens that came with my Canon 5D MK2 body (Full frame upgrade). For anyone who is unfamiliar with L-Series, these are the 'Luxury' lenses in the Canon EF family line, and what a difference the results are, compared to the EF-S series that I was using alongside the now departed Canon 7D crop body. Naturally, the L-Series glass comes at a price, but they're worth every penny. So, what is the difference between EF (L-Series) and EF-S lenses, you may ask...

EF-S lenses are specifically designed for APS-C digital bodies and optimised for the fact that they have smaller sensor and mirror. EF-S lenses are marked with a white dot on the mount instead of red one that EF-glass has, and can be only used on EF-S compatible bodies (almost all of smaller-sensor Canon DSLRs, up to EOS 7D). Film and larger-sensor digital cameras (5D, 1D, 1Ds) take only EF lenses. If you have a camera with EF-S mount support (such as EOS 7D, 50D or 500D), you can use both EF and EF-S lenses. EF-S lenses are a slightly different format whereby the rear element sits closer to the lens, this is possible due to the smaller mirror with APS-C sensor. The distance from the back of the lens to the image plane is known as the back-focus distance, hence the S in EF-S standing for short back focus. Other manufacturers have lenses designed for smaller sensors with appropriately smaller image circles but they don't have a different back focus distance. Having the lens sit slightly closer does make it slightly easier to design wide angle lenses, however I've heard the reason Canon introduced EF-S lenses was so they could scale down existing lens designs as a base for the optical design to avoid having to start from scratch. It's often said you can't use EF-S lenses on a full frame body (such as the 5D, 1Ds) but this is not strictly true. Canon use a different shaped rear baffle to physically prevent you mounting as the mirror could hit the lens and cause damage. However this can be removed to allow mounting, and since the rear element moves when zooming there are positions that allow shooting. Vignetting is a problem as EF-S lenses project a smaller image circle, but again the image circle can get bigger while zooming so some focal lengths work ok.

EF (L-Series) is Canon's professional line (though used extensively by non-professionals) of EOS EF auto focus 35mm SLR and DSLR still camera lenses. Some say L stands for "Low Dispersion" - achieved by the UD lens elements found in these lenses. But, the true answer is probably the one in Canon's Lens Work III Book - "L" is for "Luxury". Watch the sidelines at the next professional sporting event you attend or watch on TV. Look for the identifying L-lens red stripe around the end of the photographers' camera lenses. These are the people who make a living with their equipment - and they frequently trust the Canon L Lens Series for their income. About their L lenses, Canon says "these lenses use special optical technologies [such as] Ultra-low Dispersion UD glass, Super Low Dispersion glass, Fluorite elements, and Aspherical elements to push the optical envelope."
OK so what does that mean - practically speaking? What you can get when you use Canon L lenses (if you do your part right) are amazing pictures. In fact, this amazement is said to cause a disease know as "L-Disease". Once caught, it is incurable.

After upgrading to the full frame 5D MK2 with 24-105MM lens, I couldn't wait to get started. If you trace back my blog entries you'll find many photographs that I've taken with my new kit. To the viewer there may seem little difference between the photographs on my blog from each camera, but there is a noticeable difference between the prints, especially at A2 (25x17 inches). Obviously, when you factor in the full-frame side of things, the upgrade has been a master stroke in my opinion, as it has opened up more capability, mainly the ability to get that much more subject onto a full frame sensor. As for my two lenses - the 24-105mm is my everyday 'Walk around' lens, which covers most aspects of my photography needs, whereas it doesn't quite cut the mustard up close, hence the need to go wider in that pursuit. That's where the 17-40mm glass makes an appearance. A popular misconception with some photographers is that Wide Angle lenses are to 'Get it all in'. I tend to disagree. Ultra-wide's are for getting yourself, and therefore the viewer, right smack into the middle of something. If you can't or won't get close, leave the Ultra-wide at home. These lenses have the ability to rub the viewer's nose in your subject. Properly used, Ultra-wide's grab your viewer and yank him into the middle of your situation, bringing the viewer into the photo, not for fitting a subject into a photo. Ultra-wide's require you to get very close and personal to anything you are shooting. Even a fraction of an inch (or cm) will make a massive difference in your composition, so you need to be very deliberate with your movement. If you use them properly, you should be rewarded with dynamic images. I find that regardless of which lens I use, and however many photos I make on a trip, the ones I like the most are always those made with a wide angle lens. My old 10-22mm Wide was a brilliant lens and gave me the experience I now carry forward. As the weather up North has been sh1te recently, I haven't had a decent chance to road test my new 17-40mm Wide, but rest assured it will put through its paces soon enough. Until then I'll twiddle my thumbs and plan my next outing. Lots of printing/framing to get through, which is ideal when the weather is poor. Indoors all the way, but not for long. Until then...

Ash