North East Coast - September 12th – September 15th
To View a previous report from this trip, please click here.
~ Introduction ~
Durham and Teesside are premier sites for wader and seabird watching in the North East. Rocky coasts, busy marshes and sandy beaches, combined with picture postcard settings give the holiday a relaxing overture with the birds filling in the gaps.
Waders and seabirds can be tricky with birds losing their breeding plumage and being joined by juveniles. You will be guided through the pitfalls of identification with behaviour tips and expert knowledge. If these birds worry you this is a chance to put those worries to bed once and for all. The birds that confuse birdwatchers the country over are here to see. On this holiday you will enjoy these birds and be filled with wonder at their amazing lifestyle and journeys that we as humans would or could never contemplate.
~ Itinerary ~
Day One
Arrive at hotel mid-afternoon and settle in. A walk before dinner in the local area will set the scene.
After dinner
there is a chance to go out looking for waders in the area.
Day Two
Setting off after breakfast we will head for the Tees marshes. This time of year is one of the busiest times for wader migration along the east coast. Adults and juveniles of a range of common and not so common waders use the east coast as a highway back to their wintering grounds.
We will look for Whimbrel, Spotted Redshank, Greenshank and Little Stint. There is a chance of Curlew Sandpiper and a whole host of more common waders. There is always a chance of some of the rarer waders at this time of year.
This time of year has produced rarities such as the American birds – Pectoral Sandpiper, Semi-palmated sandpiper and Baird’s Sandpiper as well as Tundra birds such as Temminks Stint.
Day Three
We will have an early start sailing a short distance off Hartlepool in the Tees Bay.
We will be close to skuas and gulls as well as the possibility of shearwaters and some migrating birds in the bay. Previous trips have included Pomarine, Arctic and Great Skuas, Sooty and Manx Shearwaters, Sabine ’s gull and a good range of waders and wildfowl.
In the afternoon we will visit the area around Crimdon to the north, for divers and sea duck with the chance of Little Gull and the tern roost. Roseate Terns sometimes can be seen in the tern roosts at this time of year, Britain’s rarest breeding sea-bird.
Crimdon is a huge attraction to passage sea birds because of its very shallow waters and healthy fish stocks. This allows the birds to be seen relatively close at a distance of only a few metres off-shore, the divers can still be resplendent in their summer plumage.
Day Four
Depart from
the hotel after a morning bird watching in the local area.
~ General ~
This holiday involves a boat trip into the Tees Bay. We are completely guided by the vastly experienced crew of the boats and always err on the side of caution. Adverse weather may result in this trip being omitted from the holiday but we will ensure that the holiday experience is not lost because of this.
It would be advisable that waterproof tops be worn for the boat trip and that sea sickness tablets are taken should the individual need them.
Some of the places we will be visiting will require some walking, however, the walks are generally flat and pleasant and done at a comfortable pace.
We will have packed lunches at selected points. We will always try to ensure there are sufficient comfort stops.
