Burdon Moor 21st April 2015

After completion of yet another working day, I drove South to Burdon Moor for an afternoon/ evening of chilled birding in the sun.  The weather conditions were great, still and warm, and I began my wander around the wild upland that is Burdon Moor.

Yellowhammer was the first species I clocked onto as I left the car park, followed swiftly by Willow Tit, Chiffchaff, Blue Tit and Great Tit. I noticed a distant pair of Roe Deer grazing near a break in the wood to the South, seconds later they were disturbed by a cyclist heading my way. It wasn't long before they turned and disappeared off into the conifer wood.

I managed to see my first Newts of 2015, in the form of three Smooth Newts with two males and a female in a pond near the red brick wall.

My attention was drawn from the pond to a nearby post where a Chit Lark was perched, ever observant. An older folk name, the Chit Lark is of course a Meadow Pipit or 'Mippit' as I've noticed most birders seem to call them.

I finally nabbed my first Wheater's of 2015, three females and a male were hanging around an area of scrub. This migrant quartet were not too confiding, keeping their distance and eventually disappearing into a field over to the West.

A good number of Golden Plover flew overhead, great to see them in their stunning breeding plumage, despite how distant the flock flew and every now and again a Lapwing would zip overhead emitting that most extraordinary of calls.
The rest of my time at Burdon was spent looking for Owls, after a decent wait I was treated to a hunting Long-Eared Owl near the entrance car park until it headed off in the direction of the moor. Unfortunately all my photos were subpar at best.....at very best!
Stunning to see.....as always.

David
Nature North East / The Northern Owl Project 

The Lady Of The North & My Thoughts On Opencast Mining

Last week I had time to have a good old rummage around the lady of the North, no I don't mean that as a euphemism, I am of course referring to Northumberlandia located on the western fringes of Cramlington, Northumberland. 
She was created using excess clay, rock and soil from the Shotton surface mine which is located a stones throw west from the landscaped art and was built by The Banks Group, a group surrounded by controversy at the moment due to their proposed plans for an opencast up the coast near Druridge Bay, hence the 'Save Druridge' campaign. 
You may have seen signs up the Northumbrian coast, articles on TV or activity on social networks. The debate goes on and my lack of research into the proper plans and management strategy have left me without a solid opinion either way on that specific proposal. 
Yeah, open casting looks dark and bleak but is it really all that bad? 
The areas of habitat that surround opencasts both active and being restored, play host to a wealth of wildlife species. The rough grasslands, scrubland and plantations which surround Northumberlandia for example are home to a variety of fauna. On my visit I observed Meadow Pipits, Brown Hare, Grey Heron, Skylark and multiple species of birds of prey. Within the plantation I witnessed numerous Woodcock,  multiple Tit species, Goldcrest, Bullfinch, Robin, Dunnock, Song Thrush and Roe Deer tracks.

Kestrel feeding on the plantation edge at Northumberlandia.

Patch Gold! A Cramlington first for me and a treat to see, a Peregrine hunting over the Shotten Opencast. Unfortunately this shot is heavily cropped as the bird was some distance away.

The highlight of my wander around Northumberlandia was the brief view I had of an adult Peregrine flying directly over the working opencast, a bird as stunning and elusive as a Peregrine is clearly unphased by the goings on of a noisy and busy working opencast mine. Is it a sign that perhaps opencasts aren't as bad for our wildlife as some suggest! 

It is evident to me that wildlife does adapt and even thrive in these areas and the rough untamed habitats are ideal for them to flourish, but from a human perspective I will agree that yes they are very noisy locations. The almost constant sounds of digging and drilling echoing from the pit and the eerie booms of regular explosions and the wails of alarm sirens going off at the Shotton Opencast, Cramlington prove this point, but is it a good idea?
That's an opinion that has divided many and is an entirely personal one.

The choice is yours....

Below I have provided a few links worth looking through if your interested in the future of the Druridge opencast, they are however all fairly anti-Opencast. Make of it what you will;
http://www.savedruridge.co.uk/
http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/local-news/opencast-mine-plan-unveiled-1-5865800
http://www.savedruridge.co.uk/about-the-proposal/
http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/north-east-news/huge-druridge-bay-opencast-mine-5117230

David D
Nature North East/ The Northern Owl Project