Northumberland
Escape to wild border country for dramatic scenery and wonderful birding opportunities
Head out into wild border country, where you will be very surprised at what you might find
North-west Northumberland, the great triangular chunk of land between Hadrian’s Wall and the coastal plain, is dominated by the wide-skied landscapes of Northumberland National Park, whose 400 windswept square miles rise to the Cheviot Hills on the Scottish border. The bulk of it is taken up by Kielder Water and Forest Park, a superb destination for birding; the small town of Bellingham makes a good base for the reserve, as do Rothbury and Wooler, both of which also provide easy access to superb walking in the craggy Cheviot Hills. This is dramatic country.
Waders spend their spring and summer breeding in the upland areas of the park, returning to the lower ground in the winter. You’re most likely to see Oystercatcher, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Snipe, Redshank and the park’s emblem, Curlew. The park has been surveying to find out the best areas for breeding, and farmers in it improving nesting habitat by cutting rushes, blocking drainage ditches and creating wet areas for them to feed. Except for Snipe, some of which remain all year, they arrive in March and April and stay until July/August.
All nest on the ground, so they need to camouflage themselves and their eggs in rush, heather and
bogs on moorland and hills. Some, like Lapwing, prefer shorter vegetation, with a few rush patches; while Snipe like wet areas with lots of cover. Curlew often nest higher up the hill amongst heather, but need wet areas to probe with their long bills. Oystercatchers are often found along rivers, nesting on shingle and short grass. Golden Plovers nest on bogs high up in the Cheviots.
Red Grouse make their home on heather moorland all year round, but rarely seen is their larger cousin, the Black Grouse. The male is black with a white undertail, revealed when he fans it out during courtship, while females are a speckled brown, camouflaged to aid nesting on the ground. Cocks gather at leks at dawn to compete for the right to mate with a female (aka greyhen). They make a bubbling call that travels a long way in the still early morning air.
Black Grouse need a mixture of habitats, with heather, rushes, bogs and scattered woodland. Once very numerous in the park, there are now only a few remaining. In order to help them recover, the park is working with landowners by planting woodland and restoring bogs in an attempt to link the last survivors with bigger populations in the North Pennines.
The adult Red Grouse eat young heather shoots, while the chicks eat insects. They often lie low in the heather, before surprising you by rocketing up from your feet, calling ‘go back, go back, go back’.
A mosaic of different ages of heather, together with bog and rushy moorland, suits them.
Unsurprisingly, their numbers are highest in areas of the park that are managed as grouse moors. Gamekeepers burn and cut heather to create patches, while also controlling predator numbers. The park claims that they work with landowners to ensure that sensitive habitats such as bogs and areas near watercourses don’t get burnt and that only legal predator control takes place, but quite frankly, the idea of driven grouse shooting in a national park is a national disgrace.
A flash of dark brown flying low over one of the rivers or burns is likely to be a Dipper. These stocky birds walk along the riverbed looking for insect larvae and freshwater shrimps. They live in the park year round, so waiting quietly by a river at any time should prove fruitful. Ideal places to look are where one can see white bird droppings on a stone in the middle of the river, as they often return to perch in the same spot. They characteristically bob up and down, showing their white
breast and cocking their tails. Their nests are often hidden away in a crevice by the water, for example, near bridges or rocky outcrops. The park claims to hold some of the cleanest rivers in the country, which should mean plenty of aquatic invertebrates for Dippers to eat.
The park also says it is working with farmers to keep the water clean by improving sheep dip facilities and by ensuring there is no run-off from farmyards.
Mammals and insects
It’s not just birds, though – Northumberland National Park is rich in other wildlife. Bumblebees found here include White-tailed, Garden, Tree and Buff-tailed, but the park also holds the rare Moss Carder Bee, which is bright ginger and prefers clovers and wet meadows. The park has been planting Goat Willow to provide spring pollen and nectar sources, while working with farmers to increase the numbers of flowers in hay meadows. The similarly rare Bilberry Bumblebee lives on moorland, but also visits flower rich hay meadows.
Red Squirrels are also found here, in broadleaved and conifer woodland, feeding on nuts, pine and spruce seeds and berries. Planting woodlands that favour Red Squirrel, while controlling
Grey Squirrels where they are threatening the former, has ensured they survive. The best time to look for them is in spring and autumn, when there are fewer leaves on the trees. Hareshaw Linn, Holystone Woods and Simonside Hills are good places to try. Look out for nibbled pinecones and cracked hazelnuts.
Roe Deer are the only native deer here. You’ll often see their white bottoms as they lope away in woodland or on a hillside. They’re mainly solitary, but you can see them in small groups. They often lie up in long grass or Bracken during the day, and are more active at dawn and dusk. Roe Deer like to browse trees and are therefore damaging where new woodlands are developing.
Some control does take place, but using (environmentally damaging) tree tubes to protect newly planted trees allows the tree to grow beyond the deer’s reach. In and around Billsmoor Park on Simonside there is a herd of Fallow Deer. These are larger deer (nearer to a metre at the shoulder), often lighter brown than Roe Deer with white spots and large palmate antlers.
Brightly coloured waxcaps are also found here. Waxcaps favour short moss-rich grassland where there has been no ploughing or artificial fertiliser applied; sites containing a variety of species indicate an ancient grassland site was once present. The best time of year to look for waxcaps is from September to November. A recent survey of waxcaps along Hadrian’s Wall has revealed this site to be one of the richest in the country; and there are some locations of international importance.
Reptiles include the Adder, Britain’s only venomous snake. The male is generally grey, while the female is brown, but both have a distinctive black zigzag along their backs and grow to be around half a metre on average. Slow Worms are also present. Shiny in appearance, adults are a brown to copper colour, females often having dark sides and a stripe along the spine. Both grow to at least a half metre. Common Lizards occur, too.
Owned and managed by the Forestry Commission, but within the national park, and Forest Park is the most rewarding area. Consisting of commercial coniferous and broadleaved woodland, it has most notably held a successful Osprey breeding programme since 2009. Tawny Owl, Great Spotted and Green Woodpeckers, Jay, Goldcrest, Nuthatch, Song Thrush, Dipper and Siskin are found year round. Spring and summer brings Goshawk, Raven, Willow Warbler, Chiffchaff and Redstart, while thrushes and Crossbill occur in winter. There is an impressive display of Northern Marsh Orchids at the entrance to Kielder Castle from June to July. Equally impressive are the mammals, with Red Squirrel, seven species of bat, Badger, Otter and Red Deer found within the park.
A FLASH OF BROWN FLYING LOW OVER ONE OF THE RIVERS OR BURNS IS LIKELY TO BE A DIPPER. THESE STOCKY BIRDS WALK ALONG THE RIVERBED LOOKING FOR INSECT LARVAE AND FRESHWATER SHRIMPS