Check this migrant hotspot on the edge of Holy Island
The Northumberland coast is becoming a year-round destination for birdwatchers, offering so much, including amazing history with its castles, and islands full of birds. Holy Island’s causeway means you may have to wait for the tide to drop, wondering what you might find once you can get across, so The Snook offers a great place to wait. A quick look at the Hawthorn bushes by the small car park before you cross may give you an idea if there is a fall of birds on the island. I once had a Pallas’s Warbler here, but even lots of Goldcrests can suggest that things are going to be interesting. The causeway itself is a yearround location for waders, with channels left by the falling tide offering species including Redshank, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and Greenshank, while Little Egrets have been making slow progress this far north. The channel is famous for its pale-bellied Brent Geese, all the way from Labrador in Canada. Large flocks of Wigeon are another speciality here, so don’t be surprised to see a Peregrine hunting them. Once you are heading for The Snook, check every bird, as so many rarities have been found in the area, everything from Yellow-browed Warbler, Firecrest and Bluethroat to Great Grey Shrike. The dunes are full of Meadow Pipits, Sky Larks and Reed Buntings as many of the lower areas can hold water. The individual bushes can hold roosting Long-eared and Short-eared Owls, with Merlin dashing over looking for the pipits. The coastal area of The Snook has very shallow seas, with a lot of sand ideal for migrating Wheatears, as well as breeding Oystercatchers and Ringed Plovers. In the autumn, large numbers of Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese often drop off here to rest.