Squirrel image copyright © Laurie Campbell 2005
All other material copyright © Alnwick Wildlife Group 2007 2008

Meetings

Meetings are held on the last Wednesday of the month from September - May each year. Venue: St. Michael's Church Hall, Canongate Alnwick Time: 7p.m.

 

Wednesday 28th May 2008-7p.m

'Kielder: Wildlife and Conservation '

 Speaker: Kelly Hollings

 

Meetings are free to members and visitors are requested to pay £2.

The venue provides a pleasing and warm environment with good acoustics and has proved to be a most pleasant venue for members and speakers alike. Parking and access are easy.

Free refreshments are provided at the end of each meeting and all who attend are warmly welcomed and invited to stay for tea /coffee /biscuits and a chat.

Report of meeting 26thMarch 2008

Speaker : Mark Winter

  

Mark Winter “Birds of the Cheviots”. Mark works as a lecturer . He is on the Council of NWT and also runs Birdwatch Northumbria.

Mark first talked to AWG in November 2003 when Roger brought along a road-kill Merlin. This bird was taken by Mark to be stuffed and the excellent result, in a very life-like pose, was displayed at this meeting for members to look at. Another point of immediate interest – although nothing to do with the Cheviots – is that there are currently two Common Cranes in a field near Ashington where they have been for some weeks.

Mark showed slides of species that are found in the Cheviots, some rare, some common, some all year round, some wintering, some summer breeders.

· Curlew displays and sings from March to May. It is the symbol of the National Park.
· Goosander are fish eaters on fresh waters and a few pairs breed in the Cheviots.
· Common Buzzard is now the commonest raptor in Britain. 25 years ago there were none in Northumberland. There is enormous plumage variation and in Scotland it is often called the ‘tourist eagle’ because so many people mis-identify it.
· Peregrine Falcon. Several pairs in the Cheviots, but still subjected to egg and nestling theft because thieves can sell eggs and chicks. In towns some birds are learning to become semi-nocturnal, taking advantage of the constant artificial lighting to hunt by.
· Merlin is a bird of heather moorland and forest edges in the Cheviots.
· Sparrowhawk is another common raptor in this area.

Overall the Cheviots are good for raptors. As well as the more common ones there are occasional sightings of Red Kite, Osprey especially in the spring, and Goshawk. Currently a Golden Eagle roams the northern edges of the Cheviots and in 2001 a Hobby was seen in the Harthope Valley. Hen Harriers are present but tend to be persecuted because they feed on young Grouse, although there is a protection scheme operating in the Hepple area west of Rothbury.

· Red Grouse are very vocal and can be aggressive. Mark has been chased by a male bird (and bitten by a Capercaille, but not in the Cheviots!).
· Black Grouse are present particularly in the Otterburn Ranges but there may be a few in the Northern Cheviots. The best lek of all is in Co Durham near Langdon Beck.
· Oystercatcher are common in the heugh lands by the rivers.

· Lapwing gather and nest on farmland in spring.
· Common Snipe are present in numbers in wetter areas.
· Woodcock are more numerous in winter, but they do stay and breed in wet woodland. Roding flights occur at dusk in spring and represent the best chance of seeing these birds – although a football match at St James’ Park was held up one Saturday because a Woodcock had landed on the pitch.
· Common Sandpiper have a characteristic bobbing action and are frequent on the upper stretches of rivers in spring and summer.
· Dotterel do not breed in the Cheviots, but can sometimes be seen in May as they migrate through to their breeding grounds in the high Scottish mountains.
· Common Gull. Gulls are not frequent in the Cheviots but this species is an exception.
· Cuckoo are in local decline, but areas such as the Harthope Valley present a good chance of sightings.
· Dipper. Mark played a sound recording of singing birds by Geoff Sample. These early breeders are often heard singing in winter on fast-flowing rivers.
· Short-eared Owl is the only diurnal owl. It breeds on Cheviot moorland and by forest edges.
· Great-spotted Woodpecker is common in the comparatively rare areas of Cheviot woodlands.
· Green Woodpeckers are in local decline, but the Cheviot valleys are good sites.
· Skylark is in national decline but the Cheviots hold plenty.
· Meadow Pipit is the commonest small bird in the Cheviots. It is hunted by Merlins and parasitized by Cuckoos.
· Tree Pipit is best distinguished by song and may occasionally be found at woodland edges.
· Wheatear arrives early, in late March or early April.
· Stonechat is a resident species anywhere where there is scrub vegetation.
· Whinchat is a summer visitor especially in bracken, but it doesn’t arrive until early May.
· Mistle Thrush often sings in winter and Autumn post-breeding flocks gather to feed on Bilberry.
· Ring Ouzel is often called the ‘mountain blackbird’. It likes craggy habitats. The Carey Burn holds at least two pairs which arrive in early April.
· Fieldfare. Large flocks from Scandinavia gather in autumn. The Breamish Valley is a good area.
· Redstart is found in oak woodland – Holystone and near Langleeford are good areas.
· Willow Warbler has paler legs and longer wingtips than on Chiffchaffs.
· Wood Warblers are in sharp decline, but in 2007 there was a singing male in Happy Valley.
· Long-tailed Tits form winter feeding flocks especially in hedgerows and scrub.
· Snow Buntings are normally found on the coasts in winter, but flocks of up to 20 can be found in the Cheviots from October onwards.

Other birds shown on Mark’s slides were Blackcap, Common Whitethroat, Carrion Crow, Raven, Marsh Tit, Spotted Flycatcher, Pied Flycatcher, Treecreeper, Starling, Siskin, Bullfinch and Swallow.