Coble Chronicles

Ian and Mark are fishing for Lobster and Crab at the moment. They are using our larger boat ‘Amathus’, a 30 foot catamaran. This enables Ian and Mark to work further out to sea and on days when the weather is not suitable for our traditional Northumberland built coble ‘Kindred’. Ian and Mark’s day starts depending on the tide, often putting to sea early on dark mornings and returning to harbour anytime from mid morning to late afternoon.

These views from Coble Cottage were taken 2005. Cobles at Anchor show Ian and Mark rowing ashore during a summer evening. Sunrise was taken at the end of October when we saw some exceptional sunrises.

Wildlife News

At the beginning of the year a common newt was spotted in our pond. This is the first year in which we have had a good hatching of baby frogs and toads. The majority went off to pastures new but we have retained 1 adult and a couple of babies around the pond and we are hopeful that some will return to breed in 2006. During June I stocked the pond with several goldfish which have grown and bred. At the last clean up there were several baby fish at various sizes.

Throughout the year we have three or four resident wild rabbits and at times their babies, which can often be seen on the grass outside the cottage or in my flower garden. In August Ian and I watched a weasel playing along our wall before it disappeared into the undergrowth. One balmy evening in July bats were seen flying and swooping along in front of the houses. It will soon be time to start feeding the birds and the most common to spot are starlings, sparrows, greenfinches, chaffinches, collard doves, blackbird, thrush, blue tit, pied wagtail, robin and several others.

Bird Watching News

Every year has exceptional sightings of rare birds, some of the ones I know about are Hoopoe, Siberian Wagtail, Baird’s Sandpiper, Stone Curlew, Curlew Sandpiper and during early summer a Corncrake.

Some of the most common birds you are likely to see from the cottage are listed below:

All Year Round

Shelduck, our resident duck and drake usually return from their moult on New Year ’s Day – Ian and Mark have another drake who comes to the boat to be fed on the days they are at sea.

Eider ducks and drakes are present a lot outside Coble Cottage, and during the summer months bring their babies very close to shore to feed and for a fresh water drink.

Gannets, flying north each evening on their way home to the Bass Rock, cormorants & chags - drying their wings on boulders. Heron - Fishing in the rock pools. Gulls - creater black backed, lesser black backed, herring and common, black headed and kittiwake.

Starlings, house sparrows, rooks & carrion crows, pied wagtails, ringed plover.

Summer Only

Terns, sandwick, common, Artic and little Artic. Swallows and house martins.

Late Summer through the Winter

golden plover, oystercatchers, curlew, redshank, grey plover, bartailed godwit, dunlin, sanderling, turnstones, goldeneye ducks, common scoter and red breasted merganser.

Migrants: Spring and Autumn Only

Wheatear, yellow wagtail, ring ousel, whimbrel, black tailed godwit, great skua and common skua.