BERWICK ON TWEED
Varied birding around a historic border town
Berwick on Tweed was a popular destination for some of Bird Watching’s short breaks back in the 1990s, but it still has plenty to offer, with walks along the river and around the walled town likely to bring plenty of birds.
WHERE TO WATCH
1 This former road takes you down towards the River Tweed. This length has a mixture of scrub and trees to make you work to find the birds. I visited in spring and found several warblers singing here with plenty of Willow Warbler, Garden Warbler and even Blackcap. Both Song Thrush and Blackbird were here with Chaffinch and Woodpigeon.
2 The road joins a lane which takes you down to the river with a hedge and agricultural fields either side. A public footpath also runs down to the river parallel to the A1 here, but I used the quieter route, running into a small copse of trees with Rooks and Jackdaws around. Whitethroats bred in the hedge along with Reed Bunting. Quail has been heard in the fields in summer.
3 The track is now level with the floodplain, offering waders like Redshank, Oystercatcher, Lapwing and Curlew in winter. Some passing migrant waders like Greenshank, Black-tailed Godwit and Ruff can stop off and feed. Both Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser fish the river, along with Cormorants. Several Mute Swans were here on the river but adjacent fields can sometimes hold geese, with mainly Greylags drawing in migrant European Whitefronts and even Barnacle Geese.
4 A large gull roost uses the island in the middle of the river with Black-headed, Herring, Lesser Black-backed and Greater Black-backed Gulls. It is worth looking for white-winged gulls here in winter with both Iceland and Glaucous possible. Check the Pied Wagtails for White Wagtails, especially in the spring.
5 A public footpath runs along the river back to the town with woodland and the town walls. A number of rarities have been found around here, such as Yellow-browed Warbler, Black Redstart and even Hawfinch. The river has drawn in birds found mainly on the estuary in winter like Red-throated and Great Northern Diver, Long-tailed Duck and Red-necked Grebes. Little Egret has made its way north to fish here and check for raptors like Peregrine, Buzzard, Sparrowhawk and Kestrel in the area.