Worst Place....Best Birds ?? (1 Viewer)

jpoyner · Sep 14, 2004

Posting on another thread about Fraserburgh (superb seawatching but the worst place you could ever wish to spend a day) I wondered just what would you vote as the UK's Worst Place to visit yet with the Best Birds. Sewage farms excluded!!!
The Black Redstarts in Birmingham's gas street basin certainly used to feature high in the charts but they've improved that now.........are they still there???

JP

Mike Pennington · Sep 14, 2004

jpoyner said:
Posting on another thread about Fraserburgh (superb seawatching but the worst place you could ever wish to spend a day) I wondered just what would you vote as the UK's Worst Place to visit yet with the Best Birds.
JP

One of my more surreal days birding was when I was at Uni in 1981. We went to Ladybower to look for Goshawks but it was pouring so we ended up going to see an American Wigeon on Wath Ings, which in those days was a bird-filled poor surrounded by bare, black coal-bings, then went to an industrial estate in Barnsley to tick off my first Great Grey Shrike, before finishing the day dipping on a Waxwing which was using the only tree in an housing estate in Rotherham.

Apologies to anyone who is from South Yorkshire, but it was some of the most bizarre birding I've ever indulged in. The fact that it was a grey, drizzly day didn't exactly improve the ambience.

Edward woodwood · Sep 14, 2004

UK?
Anywhere within three miles of Central Rotheram

to expand a bit
my local patch in Jakarta was Muara Angke Bay - absolute murder to work; stinking, filthy, red hot, mangrove reclamations built on tons of plastic bags, a rotting donkey for a large part of one year. A tower hide that was so rickety and poorly welded you took your life in your hands using it. Plus the fact that it was popular with some of Jakarta's less-than-salubrious residents all added up to make it a pretty unappealing place.....some damn fine birds though and only real place in world to see Sunda Coucal!

The rubbish tip at Fraser's Hill, Malaysia is pretty rank too at times but with quality birds.

Adey Baker · Sep 15, 2004

Dunge

Any rubbish-tip in the 'Gull Season'

When the wind's coming off The Wash in the middle of winter the 'shanty town' on Snettisham beach can be a bit grim but there's always lots of good birds around

Darrell Clegg · Sep 15, 2004

In the Uk Newbiggin takes a lot of beating!

Darrell

Nightranger · Sep 15, 2004

It has to be Frieston Shore with a north-easterly coming straight down off the ice s-s-s-sheet. When I say we had some cool views of avocets - I do mean cool! Strangely enough, it seemed warmer at Gibraltar Point. The place has forever gained the nickname Freezing Shore in the office.

DJ Sideboard · Sep 15, 2004

Great thread!

My top three grim birding sites:

1) Dungeness. A bleak featureless desert capped with a leaky nuclear power station.
2) Staines Res. Trapped on a dog-sh*te encrusted path with a spiked fence to keep you in, you stare against the light at dots in a huge concrete bowl, deafened by the noise of jet planes coming into Heathrow. Having arrived there via the M25.....
3) Peterhead. Having been asphyxiated by the stench of rotting fish and marine diesel in the harbour, you stagger across the road, dodging boy-racers, to a grim bar where every one stares at you as you are overcharged for a flat pint of slops. Trying to sit incongruously in the corner you hear a moan and find a smack addict semi-conscious under your table.....

Andy Atkinson · Sep 15, 2004

Darrell Clegg said:
In the Uk Newbiggin takes a lot of beating!

Darrell

I'll have to agree with Darrell about Newbiggin.......burnt out cars, herds of horses galloping over the golf course and numerous 'locals' with shotguns, lighting fires, fly tipping, vandalising and sizing up your bins. Great birds though and the local birding regulars seem to come away unscathed.

A council estate in Hetton-le-Hole (aptly named) waiting for a Rose-coloured starling to show, was a close second. A small, valient knot of birders huddled together for protection as the local kids, wagging from school, thought we were their entertainment for the day........happy days!

Johnny1 · Sep 15, 2004

How about Seaforth nature reserve (Liverpool). full of mounds of brick rubble, the docks and a mountain of scrap iron there. But still a great place to birdwatch.

Jane Turner · Sep 15, 2004

Frodsham.... surrounded by indusrty.. Chlorine leaks is you are really lucky.. sludge beds... foul smells and waders to die for.

Seaforth is a close second!

Bluetail · Sep 15, 2004

Worst place I've ever birded is Seaton Carew. God forsaken heavy industrial landscape, but stacks of birds.

On second thoughts, the stench of Cantley Beet Factory near Norwich may have been worse.

Nick-on · Sep 15, 2004

Rubbish tip in Morocco (near the Tagdilt track!). Dead dogs, rats, people scavenging amongst the rubbish, stunk to high heaven, live (wild/feral/rabid?) dogs, bits of black plastic bags on every twig.........Superb birding. Temminck's Horned Lark, Thick-billed Lark, Trumpeter Finch, Red-rumped (or Red-tailed, I forget which) Wheatear etc etc
Spent 4 hours there one freezing January morning, it was the highlight of the trip.

Nick

Edward woodwood · Sep 15, 2004

Remember that too Nick.......and yes Jason CBF is pretty grim - despite it's proximity to Norwich it's no wonder I go to Buckenham instead

Andrew Whitehouse · Sep 15, 2004

Cantley Beet Factory - there's a 'charming' place, thanks for reminding me. Leven is not the most pleasant town you'll ever visit but there aren't many better sites for seaduck. I'm getting kind of intrigued about Fraserburgh now - maybe a trip up there if these northerlies continue.

jurek · Sep 15, 2004

Johnny1 said:
How about Seaforth nature reserve (Liverpool). full of mounds of brick rubble, the docks and a mountain of scrap iron there. But still a great place to birdwatch.

Yes! Yes! I was there about ten years ago and I still remember a sign: Dont tread on "grass". The brackets were justified: it was moss growing on chunks of rubble (not even grass!), and rabbits were nibbling it among resting waterbirds. Ross Gull was fantastic, though.

I wonder, if grass managed to get hold since then ?

DJ Sideboard · Sep 15, 2004

Andrew Whitehouse said:
I'm getting kind of intrigued about Fraserburgh now - maybe a trip up there if these northerlies continue.

I quite like Fraserburgh, although I did get bitten by a dog last time I was there! .Its nothing like as grim as JP would have it, just an average working fishing town (albeit one with a large drugs problem). It's faded away on the gull front in recent years, with most attention being on Peterhead (urgh!) these days it seems.

Vectis Birder · Sep 15, 2004

Never been anywhere really, totally, grim, apart from Staines Reservoir which, as mentioned by DJ Sideboard, ain't nice.

Portsmouth Harbour is a good birding spot and isn't the nicest place around.

florall · Sep 20, 2004

DJ Sideboard said:
Great thread!

My top three grim birding sites:

1) Dungeness. A bleak featureless desert capped with a leaky nuclear power station.
...

I can't agree about Dungeness. I admit I've never visited in summer, so I'm quite prepared to be persuaded that it's horrible then. My only two visits were in January and February this year - it's a wonderful place then. |;| Don't know what you're talking about.

Bluetail · Sep 20, 2004

I agree, florall. Dunge may be bleak and the power station won't win any prizes for architecture, but there are far more unsightly places.

DJ Sideboard · Sep 20, 2004

Bluetail said:
I agree, florall. Dunge may be bleak and the power station won't win any prizes for architecture, but there are far more unsightly places.

Crumbs!. I'd hate to see 'em.....

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