Hello all you RSPB community users
First of all I should give my apologies on getting a bit carried away with Facebook and not posting on here in ages !
A lot has happened I guess. The builders have finished until September and all the plots are sorted ready for the terns return. We are also all set for the roseate terns to come back to this special island
The shingle is collected and in place
The 'New look night hide' is up and ready for 24hr protection
and the boxes are painted and out pout in the same spots ready
The black-headed gulls look like they are about ready to lay - the kittiwakes are busy nest building and the Sandwich terns are building in number by the day. We have had lots of extra help this year from the new residential volunteer scheme (hint hint) and are looking forwards to a grand season.
Look forwards to waving at you all on the boats
Wez
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After resisting for some years Coquet Island has joined Facebook !!!
We will carry on with the blog - probably on a fortnightly basis - and will keep you up to date with whats happening on the island from day to day on Facebook
For now I am just catching up with the backlog - but keep your eyes out for the silly season which is just around the corner !!
It is also a fantastic chance for you to post your photos from the boat trips - and maybe even our birds on there way down south
................. All the best for the New Year .. Wez
You can find us here http://www.facebook.com/pages/Coquet-Island/313790595306424
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The renovation of the cottages is striding along in leaps and bounds
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The fire in the centre room was lit for the first time since 1926 the other day
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And it wasn't till the evening that we realsied that that was the year that Jimmy Savile was born and that was the day that he passed away - Now then - that is a coincidence
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Bird wise we have had more blackcaps, fieldfare and redstarts moving through - and the first FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN
snow bunting have arrived FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN
The purple sandpipers are gaining numbers by the day and a long tailed skua zoomed passed the kitchen window as I was washing up yesterday
Work wise - the big strim continues along with the re-wiring of the 12v system
It best shown below I guess
Right --- FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN FOG HORN - onwards and upwards
Things are moving along Coquet
A trinket of goldcrests have taken up dropped in for an extended stay over. They arrived with a merl of blackbirds and smaterings of redstarts, brambling,redwings, thrushes and of course chiff chaffs.
They have spent their time watching 'Team Restoration' who are restoring the old lighthouse keepers for us.
GOLDCREST CAM
The work on the cottages is a joint venture between the RSPB, Civic Trust, Northumberland Estates and Trinity House. The cottages are nestled in-between the remaining towers of the monastic lodge.
On the reserve side of things the tern plots are almost all strimmed. And as good as all this warmer weather is for working in, it does mean that the first plots have now been strimmed and raked three times!
Right back to the grind : )
We have had a young kestrel visit the island for a few days now. He turned up in a squall looking a little sorry for himself.
As we have no small mammals on the island, this little fella worked out that we do have a seemingly endless supply of earth worms and had his fill
He arrived in a fall of red-wings, song thrushes, Gold-crests, a spotted flycatcher, chiff chaffs, robins, blackbirds, 7 twite, and a dozen brambling.
Hopefully he will recover from his soaking and head for a vole filled field on the mainland soon