Recommended sites for next week?

[Birdingben]

Hi

I am staying in Craster next week from Saturday & would be grateful if anyone can recommend some sites to visit in the area based on the current birding 'conditions'?

Many thanks in anticipation

Ben

[John Fleet]

Hi

I am staying in Craster next week from Saturday & would be grateful if anyone can recommend some sites to visit in the area based on the current birding 'conditions'?

Many thanks in anticipation

Ben

You'll certainly want to visit Cresswell and see if you can find the Shorelark that's been there since December, amongst a flock of Linnets and Twite. If you pop into the hide at Cresswell pond any local will be able to tell you of its most recent sighting, but if there's no one about it's usually to be found to the east (seaward) side of the road just north of the farm that you can see from the hide. If you pass the farm heading north towards Druridge you'll see a gate on the rhs of the road and that was from were we saw it on Saturday last.

Good luck!

John Fleet

[Birdingben]

That's great,John.
Many thanks for your help-I'll certainly try & give this site a visit.
Cheers
Ben

[Birdingben]

Made a trip to Cresswell Pond last Thursday morning,22nd,in quite drizzly conditions, with the northerly wind blowing straight into our faces in the hide.Grateful for your suggestion though,John,as I saw my first Pink Foot of the year.

We decided to drive along to the Druridge pools area & was going to stop off to search for the Shore Lark or Twites but the road was flooded so we backtracked & took the main road to the Druridge Pools site,stopping at the first hide(standing only - not aimed at anyone taller than 5'6" :eat: )where there were a large number of common species -very entertaining to watch the displaying all the same.
Cheers
Ben

[Pete Mella]

Low Newton By The Sea and Bamburgh are both beautiful places and always good for a look round. I was there at the beginning of March, and between the two sites saw Common and Velvet Scoters, Long-tailed Ducks, Eiders, Sanderlings, Purple Sandpipers, Goldeneye, Oystercatchers, Redshank, Stonechats... I wasn't there for very long either!

Weather permitting, a trip round the Farne Islands never goes amiss too, although I suspect the trips from Seahouses are going round the islands and not landing just yet, and you'd be a bit early for all the best stuff. Go in May, June or July and it's amazing!

[Birdingben]

Thanks NaturePete for the info & apologies for the delay in replying.
We enjoyed a couple of 'bracing' walks to Low Newton during our week(& several pints in the Ship!).There were a large number of common species congregated at mid tide on the beach there,a great spectacle. I also heard a Willow Warbler by the small Reserve there.
We also paid a visit to Bamburgh & walked along the cliffs,spotting both a male Long Tailed Duck (a first for me!),& Common Scoter.
Eider was present throughout the coastal waters from Craster,north & south.We were also fortunate that the breeding Fulmars,Guillemots & Kittiwakes arrived at the end of our week to start nesting on the cliffs at Dunstanburgh Castle.
Despite living the first 20 years or so of my life in Dover,& experiencing many very rough cross-channel ferry journeys,I did not fancy enquiring if the boats were going to the Farnes - the week we were in Craster,17-24th March,the weather was,shall we say, a little inclement (you know,force 7/8 gusts,snow,hail,rain).
Loved it all the same & certainly will be back.
Cheers
Ben