East coast or West coast UK (2 Viewers)

[Fozzybear]

At the rate the East coast is eroding it won't be long before us here in the West will have the best of both worlds - living in the West and just a short journey to the East!!!

I'd better get a snorkel! :-O

Certainly when you go to the Naze in Essex you really can see how the coast is eroding, the soft cliffs there are disappearing at a great rate - won't be long before the historic Naze tower ends up in the sea, like the WW2 pillboxes that are already down on the beach.

any advocates for the North Coast I wonder? :t:

Have never been up there, or visited Scotland actually - although my grandmother grew up on a croft on the north coast!

Aha! So now we've reached the bigger question: coastal or inland?

I like a mix - I mostly spend my time inland but feel a strong need to to get to the coast whenever I can. Even inland though I'm usually near water - I love being near rivers and lakes and the sea. My main patches are all along the river here, I like walking through the countryside but nothing is better than walking along the river, especially in late spring with dragonflies zooming about, Cuckoos calling in the distance and the Sedge Warblers singing in the reeds. :t:

 

[Mark Newsome]

Also, there was a paper in Birdwatching magazine (I think it was October 2007?) that said that statisically Staffordshire was the best birding county, coastal or inland. Staffordshire has the second highest bird list of any county (after Northumberland), the birdwatchers are the wealthiest per capita in Western Europe (ie they have better optics = better birders) and the county has more open space per square metre than anywhere else in Britain.

Staffordshire also has land in three separate national parks (Peak District, Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons) and has the most number of RSPB reserves of any county (16).

Staffordshire has recorded the 4th highest number of birds new to Britain since 1959 (after Shetland, Scilly and Kent).

More BBRC members and employees of the RSPB and BTO cite Staffordshire as their place of birth than any other county.

At its deepest point, Blithfield Reservoir is the deepest man made body of water in Britain - a staggering 176m. Obviously that doesn't have anything to do with birds directly, but the nitrogen rich waters of Blithfield are believed to be one of the reasons why so many birds are attracted to the county.

:-O :-O
Cracking post, and quite believeable for a couple of minutes!
You missed one stat off - also the BIGGEST English county. With a foot in the Peak District, Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons, it has got to be bigger than all others.
:t:

 

[chris butterworth]

Staffs has land in Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons!!!! Well, you live and learn :eek!: :eek!: :eek!:
Chris

 

[Adam W]

Hi Adam i definitely prefer coastal birdwatching to inland birdwatching.I have had some goods days in woods watching Redstarts,Pied Flycatchers,Wood Warblers etc and watching Woodcocks,Nightjars,Tree pipits in woodland clearings and heaths.Also i have had excellent days watching raptors up on the moors and over forests.But you cannot beat coastal birdwatching especially at migrations times. I think i would find it hard going birdwatching inland.

All forms of birdwatching can be great but i certainly prefer living on the coast and we're in easy travelling distance of some great woodland and moorland anyway.

 

[Cheshire Birder]

Also, there was a paper in Birdwatching magazine (I think it was October 2007?) that said that statisically Staffordshire was the best birding county, coastal or inland. Staffordshire has the second highest bird list of any county (after Northumberland), the birdwatchers are the wealthiest per capita in Western Europe (ie they have better optics = better birders) and the county has more open space per square metre than anywhere else in Britain.

Staffordshire also has land in three separate national parks (Peak District, Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons) and has the most number of RSPB reserves of any county (16).

Staffordshire has recorded the 4th highest number of birds new to Britain since 1959 (after Shetland, Scilly and Kent).

More BBRC members and employees of the RSPB and BTO cite Staffordshire as their place of birth than any other county.

At its deepest point, Blithfield Reservoir is the deepest man made body of water in Britain - a staggering 176m. Obviously that doesn't have anything to do with birds directly, but the nitrogen rich waters of Blithfield are believed to be one of the reasons why so many birds are attracted to the county.

I think you need to read the article again Tom, when your sober this time tho! B

:-O :-O
Cracking post, and quite believeable for a couple of minutes!
You missed one stat off - also the BIGGEST English county. With a foot in the Peak District, Snowdonia and Brecon Beacons, it has got to be bigger than all others.
:t:

Yep about the size of Wales then!! :-O

CB

 

[rokermartin]

There is another inland county that has done well for birds Nottinghamshire just last year it had Siberian Stonechat,Steppe Shrike,Whiskered Terns and in the past Cedar Waxwing,American Golden Plovers,2 Blyth's Pipits,Bufflehead,Caspian Terns,WW Black Terns.Nottinghamshire must be one of the best inland counties for birds.Still would hate living inland.

 

[rokermartin]

I wouldn't say no to Shetland

Hi Gill Shetland is a excellent place for birds and wildlife but i dont think i would like to live up there.You need to be tough to put up with the severe weather they get from time to time.I think the winter time will be very bleak and dark up there not much light that time of year.The summer makes up for it being light nearly all the time.

 

[Egret]

Reading on the Norfolk thread there are still quite alot of underwatched areas on the Norfolk coast.Birdwatchers tend to go to the hots spots like Holkam,Cley,Twitchwell,etc.I am sure birdwatchers if they wanted to avoid the crowds could find some new interesting areas to check out and find there own rarities.I think bank holidays are the worst time for birdwatching and getting round in Norfolk with all the traffic on the coast road.

Yes, but...

I love visiting Norfolk but I do find the "industrial agriculture" landscape depressing. No trees, no hedges; do the special places make up for the general destruction of the landscape?

To be fair, I am a Scot and much of the landscape that I love is either, artificially, treeless or covered in dead conifer woodland.

I vote for Costa Rica (even the name is a coast); lots of good habitat and decent hospitals.

Andy

 

[rokermartin]

Yes, but...

I love visiting Norfolk but I do find the "industrial agriculture" landscape depressing. No trees, no hedges; do the special places make up for the general destruction of the landscape?

To be fair, I am a Scot and much of the landscape that I love is either, artificially, treeless or covered in dead conifer woodland.

I vote for Costa Rica (even the name is a coast); lots of good habitat and decent hospitals.

Andy

Hi Andy i wouldn't say all the Norfolk landscape was industrial agriculture.There are still some nice wooded areas and heathland also you have the coast.

 

[Fozzybear]

Not quite sure where in Norfolk you've been going Andy, plenty of trees and hedges in the places I've visited and the north coast is lined with heaths, woods, wild places and marshes. It's not going to look like Scotland, it's an agricultural county like the rest of East Anglia although there are some pine woodlands around Holkham that might have a hint of Scotland. Personally I find Norfolk really beautiful, but then I think a lot of Essex is beautiful too (many would just look at it as a London industrial overspill, which is definitely is not!). :t:

 

[Egret]

Not quite sure where in Norfolk you've been going Andy, plenty of trees and hedges in the places I've visited and the north coast is lined with heaths, woods, wild places and marshes. It's not going to look like Scotland, it's an agricultural county like the rest of East Anglia although there are some pine woodlands around Holkham that might have a hint of Scotland. Personally I find Norfolk really beautiful, but then I think a lot of Essex is beautiful too (many would just look at it as a London industrial overspill, which is definitely is not!). :t:

I didn't intend to malign the whole of Norfolk; I do spend a lot of time enjoying the place. However, there is no getting away from the vast area wrecked by agriculture. It is long past time, in this country, that we got serious about trying to improve our agricutural landscapes. The RSPB, farmers and others have shown that it doesn't take much to make a big difference if the will and political supprt is there. Yes, we need to grow food and we want it cheep but, surely, we can do better.

How much of the little woodland remnants left in much of Norfolk shows any sign of regeneration? Around Holkham Hall, for instance, there is none. Why can't the big cereal fields have a bit of hedgerow? Did all the ponds have to be drained?

Andy

 

[rokermartin]

Alot of the agricultural land in Norfolk provide food especially in the autumn and winter for the wintering flocks of Pinkfeet.They feed on the sugar beet tops that have been left by the farmers.I dont know what would happen to the geese if they didn't have the fields to feed in.

 

[rokermartin]

Not quite sure where in Norfolk you've been going Andy, plenty of trees and hedges in the places I've visited and the north coast is lined with heaths, woods, wild places and marshes. It's not going to look like Scotland, it's an agricultural county like the rest of East Anglia although there are some pine woodlands around Holkham that might have a hint of Scotland. Personally I find Norfolk really beautiful, but then I think a lot of Essex is beautiful too (many would just look at it as a London industrial overspill, which is definitely is not!). :t:

There was a interesting programme recently on BBC2 about the wildlife of Essex.It showed you how wildlife has adapted in living in the industrial parts of Essex.Also it showed you the marshes where Barn Owls hunt and mud flats where thousands of waders and Brent geese winter.I live quite close to Teeside and that is very industrial area but it is a amazing place for birds and wildlife.

 

[Egret]

Alot of the agricultural land in Norfolk provide food especially in the autumn and winter for the wintering flocks of Pinkfeet.They feed on the sugar beet tops that have been left by the farmers.I dont know what would happen to the geese if they didn't have the fields to feed in.

Isn't that the point; agriculture can be helpful to wildlife? Wouldn't those fields be more helpful with a bit of hedgerow around the edges and a few uncultivated corners?

I am not against fields. I just think that Norfolk has suffered unduly because it lends itself to big, flat fields that make for efficient production but have little room for most widllife.

Andy

 

[rokermartin]

Isn't that the point; agriculture can be helpful to wildlife? Wouldn't those fields be more helpful with a bit of hedgerow around the edges and a few uncultivated corners?

I am not against fields. I just think that Norfolk has suffered unduly because it lends itself to big, flat fields that make for efficient production but have little room for most widllife.

Andy

Yes i agree about the hedgerow,if the fields had more hedges around them that would certainly provide more nesting areas and shelter for farmland birds and places for other wildlife to live.Just wish the farmers would leave the hedgerows alone.They make them to neat and tidy by cutting them back that is no good for wildlife.There are a number of farms in Norfolk where there are Stone Curlews nesting in the large arable fields also Marsh Harriers nest in them.

 

[rokermartin]

I live on the west here in Wales and although we do have a fair amount of good stuff, for real variety it's got to be East.

I look longingly at the scarcity reports coming in and there's always a diversity of stuff being blown in over the North Sea. It takes a real strong storm and an initially very strong bird to get across the Atlantic, and even then Ireland manages to get the best stuff.

'Fraid for birding it would have to be East coast but as a Welshie, I guess I'll just have those big diesel bills coming over to Norfolk and the likes to bump up my UK list!

Hi there never done any birdwatching in Wales before but it has some beautiful places.I dont know if many birdwatchers go to Wales i expect a large part of it is underwatched.Wales has had some mega rarities over the years such as Black Lark,Catbird,Moussier's Redstart,White-throated Robin,Dusky Thrush.Also i believe it has the biggest Raven roost in the UK.Wales has some special breeding birds Black Guillemot,Chough,Black Grouse,Wood Warbler,Pied Flycatcher and Redstart the last three are becoming scarce in other parts of the UK.

 

[Jacana]

Hi there never done any birdwatching in Wales before but it has some beautiful places.I dont know if many birdwatchers go to Wales i expect a large part of it is underwatched.Wales has had some mega rarities over the years such as Black Lark,Catbird,Moussier's Redstart,White-throated Robin,Dusky Thrush.Also i believe it has the biggest Raven roost in the UK.Wales has some special breeding birds Black Guillemot,Chough,Black Grouse,Wood Warbler,Pied Flycatcher and Redstart the last three are becoming scarce in other parts of the UK.

The North Coast is well watched and has some good birds, Inland is a bit of an avian desert when it comes to rarities, although as you say there are big populations of redstart, pied flycatcher and wood warbler.

 

[rokermartin]

The North Coast is well watched and has some good birds, Inland is a bit of an avian desert when it comes to rarities, although as you say there are big populations of redstart, pied flycatcher and wood warbler.

Anglesey is certainly a well watched area there has been a few rarities seen over the years.Also Strumble Head is a good seawatching watchpoint.The Islands off the Welsh coast like Bardsey often get some good birds as well.

 

[Farnboro John]

Does Scilly count as West Coast? I've seen the odd rarity there over the years - in fact I think over 50 of the birds on my British Isles List were ticked there!

Oct 1984

1. Eastern Olivaceous Warbler
2. Eyebrowed Thrush

(both the first day I was ever on Scilly)

3. Little Bunting
4. Rustic Bunting
5. Red-breasted Flycatcher
6. Blackpoll Warbler
7. Upland Sandpiper
8. Red-throated Pipit
9. Scarlet Rosefinch
10. Yellow-browed Warbler

Oct 1985

11. Yellow-rumped Warbler
12. Yellow-billed Cuckoo
13. Black-billed Cuckoo
14. Bobolink
15. Night Heron
16. Red-eyed Vireo
17. Barred Warbler
18. Icterine Warbler
19. Booted Warbler
20. Corncrake
21. Spotted Crake
22. Ring-necked Duck
23. American Wigeon
24. Bee-eater
25. Rose-breasted Grosbeak
26. American Golden Plover
(Siberian Stonechat)
27. Radde's Warbler
28. Pallas's Warbler
29. Dusky Warbler


Oct 1986

30. Tawny Pipit
31. Rosy Starling
32. Long-eared Owl
33. Grey-cheeked Thrush
(Bicknell's Thrush) It was one so there.

Oct 1987

34. Swainson's Thrush
35. Eastern Bonelli's Warbler
36. Black-throated Thrush
37. Red-rumped Swallow
38. Hermit Thrush
39. Greenish Warbler
40. Philadelphia Vireo
41. Ortolan Bunting

Mar 1988

42. Squacco Heron

Oct 1988

43. Baltimore Oriole
44. Buff-bellied Pipit
45. Rough-legged Buzzard
46. Richard's Pipit

Aug 1989

47. Northern Waterthrush

June 1990

48. Tree Swallow

Oct 1990

49. Isabelline Wheatear
50. Penduline Tit

Oct 1999

51. Siberian Thrush
52. Short-toed Eagle
53. Blue Rock Thrush

the years run into each other these days I'm afraid so here are some I've forgotten the dates of:

54. Lesser Kestrel
55. Common Nighthawk

There are also multiples of some of the above, birds that weren't ticks (e.g. Parula Warbler) and some I've completely forgotten for the moment.

So well over 50 then!

John

 

[Mark Newsome]

Some birders enjoy the East Coast. Some birders enjoy the West Coast. But which is best? There's only one way to find out....
F-I-G-H-T!!!

Tripods and life lists at the ready. Battle in the Pennines like the good old days.