2017 kicked off with some fantastic news from 'From the Notebook' donating £250 pounds for the sales of their Roseate tern 'Blush IPA' to Coquet Island!

The bird reserve is home to variety of breeding seabirds including the endangered puffin, the vulnerable eider duck and the UK’s rarest breeding seabird ‘the roseate tern.’  In 2016 there were only 106 nesting pairs of roseate terns in the UK, with 104 pairs nesting on Coquet Island in Amble. Consequently, this donation will greatly strengthen and assist these stunning birds by aiding the conservation work undertaken by the wardens.

The creation of this bespoke beer came about through the collaboration of, From the Notebook (Graeme Denton), Credence Brewing (Michael Graham) and Coquet Warden, Paul Morrison.  

From the Notebook produces dedicated beers which honour and publicizes the uniqueness of wildlife. Through these aims this trademark aligns itself with various nature conservation charities, and dedicates its royalties to them. In this case, the beer is linked with our own Roseate Tern LIFE Recovery Project, while their other beers cover charities including BugLife, Bat Conservation Trust and the Marine Conservation Society.

The bottle is designed around the features of the charismatic roseate tern, with the pink bottle cap alluding to the slight rosy hue the birds get on their breast feathers during the summer. 

Credence Brewery which is based in Amble, give this beer not only a unique and tasty flavour but also an added local link to the area which these rare terns are so enamoured with. 

Another tribute to how vital Northumberland is, is the label on the Roseate Tern beer. Each From the Notebook beer label is tailored specifically to the wildlife that is being promoted, creating a lovely method of communicating the animal’s story and the Blush IPA is no different.

The label’s artwork is originally a painting by artist Paul Henery, a former wildlife crime officer for the RSPB, and it features a roseate tern in courtship standing in front of its only British breeding colony: Coquet Island emphasising the tenuous situation these birds are in.  

However the donation from From the Notebook and Credence brewery sales will greatly benefit these vulnerable seabirds through funding some of the ongoing conservation work on Coquet Island.

Check out the press release in the Ambler about the people behind the beer! http://www.theambler.co.uk/2017/01/19/amble-beer-takes-flight/ 

From the Notebook: http://www.fromthenotebook.co.uk/index.php/component/k2/blush-ipa 
Credence Brewery: http://www.credencebrewing.co.uk/

Photo Credits: Paul Morrison

As we enter autumn, the roseate terns' breeding season is coming to a close and parents with their newly fledged offspring are starting to head to their wintering grounds of West- and South- Africa, stopping occasionally along the water's edge to rest.


















Although the numbers at their nesting areas are dwindling, there is still lots of tern activity being captured on the webcams. The photo above shows a synchronized preening session with an adult roseate tern and its chick.

Right now the chick on the webcam still looks quite fluffy, but given time and lots of fish from its hard-working parents, this chick will continue to mature, taking on a more fledgling appearance. It has already started! Note the pattern on the wings are just about visible on this roseate tern chick, revealing that it is already growing in its flight feathers.

Better keep your eyes peeled as soon this little chick and others will begin jumping and helicoptering about, building up wing muscle!


Once they have successfully 'fledged' - these young birds will continue to improve, getting more flying practice in and also start working on catching their own fish!

Common tern adults and fledglings are also still about and are also preparing for the up and coming migration.

For both tern species it is quite a lengthy journey, but the family unit will stick together allowing the fledglings to perfect their fishing technique.

Here is a quick way to identify between these two different fledglings (courtesy of Rockabill Blog).


"Roseate Tern fledglings are a little bit smaller than their Common counterparts, and are generally darker in their feathering, with black legs and a black bill. Overall they bear a closer resemblance to Sandwich Tern chicks, despite not being particularly closely related to them. Common Tern fledglings have a mostly orange bill with pink-ish legs and warmer brown and light grey colours to their plumage."

Below is some fantastic footage of a roseate tern chick on Rockabill Island practicing its flying skills. This one has got the hover part down, but it might have to work on its landing - though it is hard when your tail is still very short!

If you are interested in watching these fantastic moments live - just check out our webpage COQUET LIVE, otherwise we shall continue to upload small video clips onto our VIDEOS page in GALLERY.