Hauxley Nature Reserve
Today was my first proper chance at kicking off my year list, so we headed off to Hauxley Nature Reserve near Amble in Northumberland.
Hauxley is run by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust and comprises of two fresh-water lagoons which are overlooked by five hides. The large lagoons have several islands and the area covers a total of around 80 acres.
Weatherwise it was cold (to be expected in January!), overcast, raining and windy. Birdwise - a low number of the usual suspects only - but at least my list is now underway.
Hauxley is run by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust and comprises of two fresh-water lagoons which are overlooked by five hides. The large lagoons have several islands and the area covers a total of around 80 acres.
Weatherwise it was cold (to be expected in January!), overcast, raining and windy. Birdwise - a low number of the usual suspects only - but at least my list is now underway.
The view from Reception (posh!) Hide
Reception Hide
On the lagoons:1. Greylag
2. Goldeneye
3. Mute Swan
4. Mallard
5. Wigeon
6. Shelduck
7. Teal
8. Moorhen
9. Canada Goose
10. Redshank
11. Curlew
At other areas around the reserve:
12. Oystercatcher
13. Coal Tit
14. Blue Tit
15. Chaffinch
16. Greenfinch
17. Tree Sparrow
18. Robin
19. Magpie
20. Carrion Crow
21. Blackbird
22. Pheasant
23. Woodpigeon
Also seen today (en-route):
24. Grey Heron
25. Turnstone
26. Black-headed Gull
27. Great black-backed Gull
28. Herring Gull
29. Pied Wagtail
30. Rook
31. Starling
32. Collared Dove
33. Jackdaw
34. Lapwing
35. Kestrel
36. Wren
37. Cormorant
Mute Swan
Look at all the birds!
Ah, here's a few!
Two (distant!) Greylag and a single Canada Goose on the Island in the middle
Greylags take flight
Gloomy
Plenty Mallard and Wigeon
Lots of nest boxes dotted around the reserve - some of which were being inspected by Blue Tits
Teasle
Oystercatchers on the shore - part of the reserve
We managed around an hour-and-a-half on the reserve before Birdboy (4) had had enough and wanted to head back to the car - not too bad considering the lack of action on the lagoons and the very cold weather.
The next sites will probably be local: Dundock Wood, The Hirsel & Lake. Birdboy starts back at Nursery on Monday morning so I hope to be able to walk around my local patch for an hour each day.Year list so far: 37 (hey, there's plenty of time!!)
posted by The Bird Woman at 7:58 PM
4 Comments:
Hi Bird Woman. I'm sorry to say that Hauxley is like that most of the time. The Druridge Bay reserves are usually better and often have some birds too!
Cheers, Stewart
At least you did`nt let the gloomy weather dampen your spirits Emma + you got your year list started. Like you said still plenty of time. 51 weeks so i believe :)
All the best for the rest of the year.
Dean
I bet there were loads of LBJ's in the shrubbery across the water. LBJ's = little brown jobs = all the songbirds.
I am now thinking I should start a weekly list like you did in 2006 - let's see how I get on . . . . I'll start by filling the bird feeders.
Hi Stewart - Yeah, we used to go there regularly a few years ago - we never stayed long! Always had more luck at Cresswell and Druridge - which we'll go to soon.
Dean - Yep, year list started! Have to see if I actually manage to keep it up! It's going to be a very limited list anyway, I imagine, so I don't want to exhaust it too soon!
Peggy - I'm still doing my weekly list - there's just not a lot on it at the moment as the garden is so quiet. I'd be really interested to see your lists if you get round to doing it. I'll start blogging the lists again this week.
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