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Northumbrian Birding (2 Viewers)

Alan, I think u need a walk down there tomorrow to see what is actually happening and keep them right ��, I hope its right mind, i can almost see the spotted crakes and pecs on the mud next summer!
 
I went down to East Chevington this morning to see how the channel cleaning exercise had gone following the introduction of the tracked excavator on Monday.

First a recap. There was a '5 year programme' in place when the reserve was taken over which included for the clearing of watercourses IIRC. In my opinion 5 years is too long when dealing with dynamic systems such as streams, where a blockage can have unwanted impacts very quickly, but that's another story. Provided there are regular interim inspections and procedures in place to rectify problems, it might suffice.

In Feb 2010, when there had already been a long-standing problem with the blocked outflow from the North Pool a wheeled JCB-type excavator was put to work cleaning out the reeds that were blocking the outlet channel, the Ladyburn, which connects the south end of the pool to the sea. This is the only remnant of the original Ladyburn which had its source behind Hadston South Farm near the Druridge Bay Country Park entrance. Unfortunately, as chronicled in these pages at the time, the job was a failure because the machine employed had insufficient reach for a section of the channel on the dunes which remained blocked over a length of about 80 to 100m (you can see it on Google Earth). This meant that the work done upstream right back to the North Pool was wasted and the channel quickly became closed again by renewed reed grown in the unflowing water. A promise was made at the time to return shortly with a larger machine but this never happened.

A couple of years ago in April 2015 I was invited to walk the channels with Steve Lowe to discuss the work that was needed to redress the situation (see pages 383/4 of this board) and it was very productive. It was expected that a larger 360° tracked excavator would be put to work at the end of the breeding season 2015. For various reasons, not, I believe unconnected with goings-on at Hauxley, this didn't happen, but here we are, two years down the line and a larger and more expensive machine arrived on Monday to clear the outlet. Unfortunately Steve Lowe left early this year.

I went there this morning to view the results, with an idea of what I would have liked to see in my mind, and an idea of what I definitely didn't want to see also in my mind. Unfortunately the second idea was precisely what I saw.

My personal (professional) opinion on the work done follows:

When I arrived at East Chevington it was immediately apparent that the machine had finished its job and left. Its track marks were there to be seen, as were the areas where it had worked. A great deal of the expense in hiring this type of machine is the cost of the low-loader that has to bring it and take it away again. They can't just travel on the roads like a JCB tractor can, so once you've got them you hang onto them until the job is finished, otherwise you are hit with the cost of another low-loader for a return visit.

The outlet from the North Pool had been cleared of all reed blockages. So far so good. But unfortunately it was filled bank high with still, unflowing water, just as it had been when I saw it in Feb 2010, when the channel was left blocked downstream, damming the water back. With the high level of water in the north pool it should have been flowing in a torrent. (photos 1, 2 & 3 below).

The reason was immediately clear (photo 4). The channel on the east side of the coastal path, where the Ladyburn runs behind the dunes was completely untouched. This land is owned by the council, but this did not prevent the attempt in 2010. It may have failed because of wrong machine choice, but the idea was right. If they didn't have access this time, why start?

A stroll down to the outlet of the Ladyburn to where it flows into the culvert connecting it and the Chevington Burn to the beach confirmed this. (Photo 5). The bracken mound is on the left and the channel where the JCB could not reach in 2010 remains untouched by the larger and more expensive machine that should have started its whole task at this point on Monday. Stream clearing should start at the downstream end so the driver can see what he's doing unhindered by water rushing in.

So there we have it. 2 years plus after a solution was promised and almost 8 years since the botched job with the small machine and another machine which was big enough for the job was finally set to work and it missed an open goal. Not only did it fail to resolve the problem, it wasn't even put to work on the section where the larger machine was needed - the bit that the JCB couldn't reach. It only dug part of the bit that the JCB could reach!

Conclusion.

Time Spent; 8 years.
Money spent; ????.
Water Level; Unchanged.
Result: Nil.
 

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For comparison, these are the photos equivalent to pics 1, 2, 4 & 5 above, taken in February 2010 after the botched job with the JCB-type tractor-mounted excavator.

Spot the difference?

Here's a clue - the JCB did more work.
 

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Hi Alan
I've emailed the Trust to see if they have any comment and I have referred them to your very informative post. To give some context, Duncan Hutt replied to an email I sent to him and Steve Lister in 2008 about the high levels with this: "I accept that the outfall channel is in need of its periodic clearance, ideally this autumn assuming the right equipment is available at the correct time." Clearly Duncan's view of what counts as 'periodic' differs from ours.

Really keen to see if they reply to me. Surely the Trust would benefit from harnessing your extensive knowledge of this site.
Cheers, Andy
 
Hi Alan
I've emailed the Trust to see if they have any comment and I have referred them to your very informative post. To give some context, Duncan Hutt replied to an email I sent to him and Steve Lister in 2008 about the high levels with this: "I accept that the outfall channel is in need of its periodic clearance, ideally this autumn assuming the right equipment is available at the correct time." Clearly Duncan's view of what counts as 'periodic' differs from ours.

Really keen to see if they reply to me. Surely the Trust would benefit from harnessing your extensive knowledge of this site.
Cheers, Andy

Andy I wrote to them years ago when I resigned my membership over this very issue and told them why I was doing it at the time. I got a letter back from them that gave me no cause for optimism, it included the phrase 'We have in fact come to the reluctant conclusion that whilst still of great wildlife value the existing water bodies on the Bay will not fulfill all the needs of wildlife into the future, especially wading birds'...and I replied in no uncertain terms. I still have the letters. That was in June 2008. I made them aware of my knowledge and CV regarding the site at that time.

I spent half a morning on the reserve in 2015 with Steve, walking the watercourses and going over the problems and describing the remedies, including the use of a tracked machine and the essential nature of clearing the downstream end of the Ladyburn if any benefit was to be gained (the very area that they avoided this week!). I also suggested that it would do no harm to do a similar job on the short stretch of the Chevington Burn which drains the south pool.

Once the big job of initial clearance of years of neglect is done, it then becomes a simple task of ensuring that the outlets are left free of debris and renewed reed growth before it takes hold - the sort of job a man (or woman) with a pair of wellies and a spade can do as part of a monthly inspection.

Steve to his credit was very receptive and I left our meeting full of confidence.

Subsequent events and his departure give me no further cause for optimism.
 
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Happy new year to all Northumberland birders. Let's see a few more posts and chat here in 2018.

Stag Rocks on Sunday had a Great Northern Diver, Red throated Diver x 3/4, Slavonian Grebe x 1, Purple Sandpiper x 2, Long-tailed Duck x 8, Shag x 10, Common Scoter x 20 but the highlight was at least 2 Little Auks on the sea.
Cheers, Andy
 
I'm guessing you had no meaningful response to your email, Andy. I was back down at Chevington yesterday and the water is standing in the Ladyburn just as it was a month ago, dammed back by the blocked channel downstream to the outlet that they didn't bother with.

It takes a special talent to stop water going where it wants to, ie downhill, but they possess that talent in spades.
 
I'm guessing you had no meaningful response to your email, Andy. I was back down at Chevington yesterday and the water is standing in the Ladyburn just as it was a month ago, dammed back by the blocked channel downstream to the outlet that they didn't bother with.

It takes a special talent to stop water going where it wants to, ie downhill, but they possess that talent in spades.

Correct - no reply at all. It may be time to send a delegation to
the AGM to directly address the issue.
 
Correct - no reply at all. It may be time to send a delegation to
the AGM to directly address the issue.
Maybe if more people kicked up a fuss it might have been sorted long ago. It's been over 10 years of neglect now and over those 10 years hundreds of people have turned up at Chevington, tutted about 'they' and the high water levels, got into their cars and driven away until next time.

A handful of people have actually tried to stir things up and get something done, but for the main part it seems like birders don't like to be seen to be making a fuss.

In the meantime. The 'they' that they think should be doing something just got on with doing something else instead.
 
Due to few posts here I am getting in early to ask for the usual heads up re our visit to Cresswell/Chevington/Hauxley on the weekend of 9 _ 11 February. Any advice will be gratefully received.
 
Wallington Hall on Sunday produced a new bird for me at this site Willow Tit seen in a hedgerow near to the start of the Riverside Walk. It was calling in classic fashion - Chick, chick, dee, dee, dee !
Also the usual Marsh Tit and 3 Bramblings at the Wildlife Hide feeding station and 7 Bullfinch in the Walled Garden area. No red squirrels here now - I fear the worst.
Andy
 
Another cracking day up the coast on our dawn to dusk trip. We started at Linton Lane and proceeded via QE 2, Woodhorn Flash, Snab Point, (+ the Drift Cafe), Cresswell Pond, Druridge Pools, Widdrington Lake, East Chevington, Druridge Bay CP, and Hadston Carrs. The plan to walk to Hauxley and view the reserve was amended to a stroll back along the beach which proved a good call. We then headed back to Druridge on an owl hunt and were rewarded with little owl. I still haven’t walked the new path right round Hauxley! We had 73 species and a brilliant day which started with heavy rain and ended in a glorious sunset in a clear blue sky, but would add the following comments and welcome replies.
• Missed out on whoopers which are harder to get than they used to be.
• No pochard at all.
• No yellowhammers or tree sparrows at Cresswell but lots of tree sparrows at Druridge Pools.
• Smaller numbers of pinkfeet noted and harder to see!
• Where do we look for great crested grebe?
• Why have they closed access to Hauxley from the beach?
• Is there a better coffee and walnut cake on the planet than the one in the Drift?
• Feeders at Druridge Bay CP appear to be locally sourced and maintained, what happened to the feeding station run by the centre?
• Chevington definitely needs drained and Cresswell was high as well.
• Greylags and Canada geese could do with a cull!
Main report is on the blog at https://bangorwestndcp.blogspot.com. If any one wants a more detailed list of what we saw stick a comment on the blog or here and I will give you a list.
 
• Missed out on whoopers which are harder to get than they used to be.

** Small group feeding 2 fields inland from Druridge Pools at approx NZ 262 968 on 21 Feb

• No pochard at all.

** Killingworth Lake is the best place for these now; 20-30 in the last couple of weeks

• No yellowhammers or tree sparrows at Cresswell but lots of tree sparrows at Druridge Pools.

** Yes, Yellowhammer decline very worrying

• Smaller numbers of pinkfeet noted and harder to see!

** Thousands from A1068 at around NZ 264 931, and a couple hundred just in from Druridge Pools at approx NZ 272 963 on 21 Feb. It's pot luck where they're feeding on any one day, just have to search for them.

• Where do we look for great crested grebe?

** Next month! It's still winter here, and most haven't arrived back yet

• Greylags and Canada geese could do with a cull!

** Nope, just need a White-tailed Eagle or two :-O
 
Whoopers: opposite the QE Country Park regularly of late; also in fields off the A1068 between Warkworth and Hipsburn.

Yellowhammers: by the C115 past the Widdrington Moor lake; also along the track from the C115 up towards the old Sisters landfill and Stobswood.
 
Wallington Hall (again) with the family on Sunday produced 3 Hawfinch (as you're looking at the white horse in the water feature in the Walled Garden look up to the beech trees behind - 2 here) and 1 in a tall tree next to the boat house at the boating lake, not far from the house. Also Marsh Tit, Goldcrest & LT tits in the Wildlife Hide and Dipper on the river walk.
 
Well, the snow here seems to have driven some of the fieldfares and redwings which over-winter in fields all around here into the gardens, as we have about half a dozen of the latter and 8 of the former rifling through the garden shrubs and getting into fights with the resident male blackbird.

Still waiting for some bramblings to show up there <-------.
 
Well, the snow here seems to have driven some of the fieldfares and redwings which over-winter in fields all around here into the gardens, as we have about half a dozen of the latter and 8 of the former rifling through the garden shrubs and getting into fights with the resident male blackbird.

Still waiting for some bramblings to show up there <-------.

Yep - had fieldfare in our garden in Bedlington earlier... first time since I've lived here.
 
Well, the snow here seems to have driven some of the fieldfares and redwings which over-winter in fields all around here into the gardens, as we have about half a dozen of the latter and 8 of the former rifling through the garden shrubs and getting into fights with the resident male blackbird.

Still waiting for some bramblings to show up there <-------.

Had one of each in my suburban Gosforth garden at the weekend. Only the second Fieldfare ever for my garden, the first appearing in the really bad winter a few years ago and the first ever Redwing.
 
Female marsh harrier is back at East Chevington, just inland of the southern pool around lunchtime today.

Still a couple of goldeneye lingering at DBCP.
 
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