With a world slowly opening up before me as lockdown gradually eased up, new vistas appearing and hearing the birds calling me, what better time to take a short holiday. With a desire to see the world beyond Suffolk, Northumberland seemed the best option available, to recharge the batteries and restore my soul. June is the perfect time to visit, to witness what is one of Britain's best wildlife sights, the sea bird colonies that line the coast of this picturesque area. Compared to Suffolk Northumbria is a rugged land, but is still within the bounds of civilisation, with cultivated land, whilst still being very touristy, yet wild with the add ons of comfort.
It was a short stay, I would spend five full days in Northumbria, with days spent roaming the coast on the look out for birds, and the conditions favoured me. Whether it be the sheer spectacle of hundreds of thousands of birds on the Farne Islands, to the robust walking of St Abb's Head and the more civilised nature of the Druidge Bay reserves, there were lots of birds. Because although numbering in the hundreds of thousands here in Northumbria, these sea birds are quite rare in East Anglia, where Suffolk records maybe a couple of puffins a year, distant specks on the sea. And throw all that in with a self found lifer - a LESSER SCAUP hidden in a flock of tufties - there were good rewards.
However this trip has a tinge of sadness. This may be my last trip up here, the last time I visit the area. I have visited Northumberland four times now and have visited a lot of its bird sites and seen a lot of birds, but its now time to say farewell as I set my eyes to further lands. There are just so many places to go bird watching, even in the UK, so many birds to see and that keeps a good vibe flowing within me.
Whilst in Northumbria, I stayed in a flat which looked over Budle Bay, a small estuary which forms the southern part of the vast Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve. The bay is a bulge of mud that opens up inland from the sea. The views from the flat were fantastic giving large vistas of this tidal estuary as it sprawled out in front of me. The water was deceptive, as for most of the day the tide was out and the estuary would just lie there, then an hour before high tide the water would rush in filling the sandy mud flats in minutes.
Being June the numbers of birds were at their lowest. A maximum of six CURLEWS, six OYSTERCATHERS, and one REDSHANK, were the only WADERS. The curlews represented the beginning of Autumn migration, failed breeders returning back to their wintering grounds. This is really one of those strange caprices of nature that autumn is underway so early, when other birds are still nesting and busy raising families, there is only a small gap between spring and autumn. Autumn is always a prolonged season and can last for months, as there is no real rush for the birds to go anywhere.
Wildfowl numbers were again low, there being a maximum of four RED BREASTED MERGANSER along with some EIDERS. The eiders had some ducklings with them, again this is a common northern bird that's scarce down in Suffolk. A pair of MUTE SWAN were in the area, the birds would rest on an area of mud, a little hump above the water, not doing much for long periods of time, it was so interesting to watch them from the flat. They never strayed far and they always seemed to be in the area, although they showed no particular signs of breeding. A lone BRENT GOOSE was on the mudflats, a bird that didn't want to head north to breed, instead spending its lonely time here during the nesting season. Plenty of TERNS would visit the area, COMMON and ARCTIC being the most abundant, with a couple of SANDWICH, and one LITTLE seen splashing down into the water to catch a fish.
I would visit a lot more bird places across the course of the holiday and I would see a lot of birds on the wildlife rich Northumbrian coast. I shall post site specific posts later on in my continuing blog of what its like to be an early 21 century bird watcher.
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