Short visit in May (1 Viewer)

valhondo · Jan 25, 2014

Hi birding pals.

I'm a Spanish birder travelling to your patch during the first days of May. We are visiting some friends we have in Newcastle, and will travel with more friends and wifes. So, unfortunatly, time for birding will be very little.

We will stay in Seahouses for four days and we are thinking in one of those one day trips to Faren Islands; someone told us that was a must.

The question is, if you had only a few free hours any of the other days, what will be a place to go and see birds? In the coast or inland.

Any other "turistic" suggestion will also be nice: eating, drinking, visiting,...

Thanks in advance,
Jesús

_pauls · Jan 25, 2014

valhondo said:
Hi birding pals.

I'm a Spanish birder travelling to your patch during the first days of May. We are visiting some friends we have in Newcastle, and will travel with more friends and wifes. So, unfortunatly, time for birding will be very little.

We will stay in Seahouses for four days and we are thinking in one of those one day trips to Faren Islands; someone told us that was a must.

The question is, if you had only a few free hours any of the other days, what will be a place to go and see birds? In the coast or inland.

Any other "turistic" suggestion will also be nice: eating, drinking, visiting,...

Thanks in advance,
Jesús

Enjoy your stay... Like you say Farne Islands will be a great shout for the start of the season - do the full tour to see all the islands for birds and seals.

Anywhere along the coast may have some interest... up to Lindisfarne (Holy Island) or down to Blyth.

Inland you may catch some interesting birds if you head for Kielder forest or the cheviot hills.

lazza · Jan 26, 2014

May is great on Lindisfarne, but if you have only a few hours, you need to be sure of the tides, as the island is linked to the mainland by a causeway which is covered at high tide.

valhondo · Jan 28, 2014

Thank you.

As we are going to Farne, sure will walk part of the coast, and now the option to Lindisfarne, it will be great to try also some other birds.

Red grouse and grey partridge would be great. Can we try those in Cheviot hills?

Vipers · Jan 28, 2014

Hi Valhondo

The link below will show you a good location for Red Grouse.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/preview/@55.4965244,-2.0740321,158m/data=!3m1!1e3?hl=en

You should get Grey Partridge on the farmland around Seahouses.

lazza · Jan 28, 2014

In May, you have a good chance of red grouse in the valleys around the Cheviot, such as Harthope Valley, College Valley or the Upper Coquet Valley. Grey partridge can also be seen there, but also in many other lowland places.

A question for you (because of your user name): are you from the Elx region, near El Hondo? A wonderful natural reserve!

valhondo · Jan 29, 2014

Thanks again. We´ll try both of them.:t:

lazza said:
A question for you (because of your user name): are you from the Elx region, near El Hondo? A wonderful natural reserve!

Lazza, Valhondo is one of the multiple local name variations for "deep valley", and this variations are used as local names all over the country; sure "El Hondo" has a similar meaning. Valhondo is a little place near my village (in the center of Spain) were I used to go birding for hours. Farmers used to leave there the dead animals (mainly pigs) and I spent there lots of hours with griffon, black and egyptian vultures, buzzards, kites,... Now that is forbidden, and the raptors have to work harder to get food.

lazza · Jan 30, 2014

Aha! Interesting, thanks! The reserve near Elx is also alternatively called El Fondo.... is this the local (Valencia?) dialect for the same thing?

valhondo · Jan 30, 2014

lazza said:
Aha! Interesting, thanks! The reserve near Elx is also alternatively called El Fondo.... is this the local (Valencia?) dialect for the same thing?

I'm not sure about the local dialect but, for me, hondo and fondo are equivalent: a piece of land lower than the land around it. In their web, they say "El Hondo" is in a tectonic depression called plain of Elche.

Nice subject this about local names; like the local names for the same bird in diferent places.

Short visit in May (1 Viewer)

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