|
Bird Watching in Northumberland |
|
|
Bird watchers will take great pleasure in the fact that Northumberland happens to be one of richest regions for birds in the UK. Northumberland’s diverse landscape, ranging from rocky coast to mountain moorland, as well as the eastern coastline that attracts an impressive number of migrants, has helped our region attract over 400 species of birds, including the now-extinct Great Auk, and the Slender-billed Curlew, one of the world’s rarest birds.
|
Throughout spring, Northumberland attracts a number of species of birds migrating for the summer to breed. Our resident birds like the thrushes and finches can be heard, along with African migrants like redstarts, flycatchers and warblers.
The regions forests become good homes to various raptors like the Goshawk, Peregrine Falcon and the Merlin. Auks return to breed and waders like the Whimbrel can often be seen feeding.
|
In the summer, Northumbria is home to the largest mainland Arctic Tern colony in the UK, boasting mainland colonies of Guillemots and other breeding Auks, as well as the commonest bird in the region, the Puffin, residing on the Farne and Coquet Islands.
Throughout the autumn areas like the Holy Island of Lindisfarne become migration ‘hot spots’, attracting some rare migrants from Europe and Asia. Some of the more common Migrants like the Redwing produce astonishing sights though, as they flock in their thousands to the nearby beaches.
Northumberland bird watching in the winter season in does not disappoint. It is, in fact, a season to take pleasure in as beautiful Long-tailed duck begin to gather off the beach at Bamburgh and Ross links.
The Knot, Grey Plover and Bar-tailed Godwit gather in internationally significant numbers at Lindisfarne while our region’s lakes and reservoirs become home to the Icelandic Whooper Swan. The nearby Cheviot Hills attract small numbers of Snow Bunting.
|
|
|
Not only is Northumberland great for Ornithology, bird watching in Northumberland offers the chance to see some wonderful, interesting wild life species like the endangered Red Squirrel, for which the Northumberland region is its last English stronghold.
The Otter is also prominent in Northumberland, as are Grey Seals, found around the Farne Isles and the entire coastline from Berwick to Teesmouth. Visitors to the Cheviots will even find small herds of wild goats roaming around freely in the hills.
|
Budle Bay is one of the most visited areas of Northumberland for its diverse and spectacular bird population. The bay is the southern part of the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, an area which has a history of bird protection dating back to the 7th century when St Cuthbert, patron saint of Northumberland, lived in and around Holy Island and is thought to the first person ever to order the protection of birds.
Today the birds of Budle Bay are protected by a no shooting law which makes it attractive to many of the wildfowl hunted in other parts of the region. These wildfowl are only a few among the Bay’s 225 species. From January, lots of Wigeon, Teal, Mallard and Shelduck can be found. The tail end of winter in March means many of these species are around for a while. The end of March brings the first Terns, a bird for which the area is particularly well known.
Throughout the year, numerous species in various numbers come and go from the Bay. Some impressive in number and some quite rare which makes it a favourite destination for the true twitcher. For both the ardent birdwatcher and the mildly curious, Budle Bay is not to be missed.
If you are visiting the Lindisfarne area of Northumberland to view our birds we suggest you take a close look at the newly refurbished Lindisfarne Inn as the most convenient and comfortable place to base a birdwatching tour of Northumberland.
|
