Bellin'jum and Barny

Last month we took a little trip down to the Northeast of England to visit campsites in Northumberland and County Durham.
Our first stop was at Bellingham Caravan Park (pronounced Bellin'jum) and this is an area I spent quite a bit of time in about 35 years ago when I was involved in the installation of the generating equipment at Kielder Power Station.
It is a lovely area around the caravan park, country roads, hay meadows and rolling hills:

View from Bellingham Caravan Park

Hay Meadows and Rolling Hills

Country Roads and Fields

Roadside Roses

There were lots of nice birds to see in and around the caravan park including Pied Wagtail, Song Thrush, Blackbird and this Greenfinch which insisted in greeting us from its favourite perch everytime we walked past:

The town of Bellingham was only a twenty minute walk down from the campsite and it was one of the first places we visited. We took the option of a short riverside walk for the last part of the journey; the river in question is the North Tyne, fed by the waters of Kielder Reservoir (Britain's largest man-made lake):

Bridge to Bellingham over North Tyne River

Moira on Riverside Walk to Bellingham

River North Tyne going round the bend

Approaching Bellingham from Riverside Walk

Liverpool Close?

Bellingham is a lovely little village........ not much has changed from what I remember from 35 years ago........... except that the pub I use to drink in is now someone's house (there are still plenty of other pubs).
The little museum at the heritage centre is well worth a visit, as is the adjacent cafe which is formed of two old railway carriages sitting at the disused railway platform and is unsurprisingly called Carriages Tea Room. The grub is good and if you can get a view of the bird feeder from your window then there are plenty of sparrows to entertain you:

There is also a riverside path on the upstream side of the bridge over the River North Tyne (heading out of Bellingham) and we had an enjoyable walk along this route as well:

River North Tyne, upstream of Bellingham Bridge

Bellingham Bridge over North Tyne

Riverside Walk Through Trees

Riverside Walk Through Grassland

It was a very pleasant walk with lots to see, including some great wildflowers growing alongside the path:

Foxglove by the river

Stand of Melancholy Thistle, Nettles and Umbellifer

Meadow Cranesbill

There were also some good birds to see and hear such as Sand Martins, Great Tits, Blue Tits and even a pair of Common Sandpipers on the opposite bank of the river (well spotted Moira!):

On this riverside walk we passed the Riverdale Hall Hotel, which is the place I stayed in for a few months when I worked at Kielder Power Station. It is quite a plush country hotel and restaurant now but it wasn't like that when I stayed there 35 years ago. It was just starting to be developed from a country house to a hotel and some parts where pretty run-down, but now it looks like this:

Riverdale Hall Hotel (complete with vintage tractor)

Riverbank near Riverdale Hall Hotel

Too posh for me now!
Bellingham Caravan Park sits on the edge of Northumberland National Park and The Pennine Way also runs right past the site. We took a short walk along part of the Pennine Way......... which runs from Kirk Yetholm in the Scottish Borders all the way south to Edale in Derbyshire........... in fact it was a very short walk, probably less than a mile:

Entrance to Pennine Way (campsite just behind trees)

Part of the Pennine Way

It was a bit warm that day and we weren't really dressed for walking long distances on rough paths ( or fit enough) but we did enjoy our short walk and even saw some wildlife, such as this Buzzard:

Later on I went for a walk down a nearby little road known as the 68 (no A or B road, just the 68) which took me in to Northumberland National Park:

Avenue of Trees on The 68

Entering Northumberland National Park

View from The 68 back to Campsite

View across Hay Meadows and Hills from The 68

As well as the beautiful views of wildflowers in the hay meadows and the rolling hills this little road also heads slightly uphill to more rugged moorland; so I was duty bound to explore:

The Road to the Moors

I was immediately rewarded with good views (and calls) of an upland specialist, the Meadow Pipit:

Okay there was also the call of a horse in my video, so don't confuse it with the Meadow Pipit.
Several Swallows were zooming around over the fields and over my head, I tried to video them but they were far too fast, luckily however one perched on the rails of a hay feeder for a few precious seconds:

I ventured a little further up the hill and was rewarded with some cracking views:

View back down the road

View over the Dry Stane Dyke

Foxgloves and Valley View

This little panoramic video probably gives you a better idea of the cracking views I had:

As I was taking photographs and video I heard an almighty crashing sound coming from the woods behind me; I turned around half expecting a Grizzly Bear or a Rhino to come charging out of the woods towards me. Instead there was this creature:

Reminded me of the old Scottish joke:
Three coos in a field, which one is on holiday?
The one with the wee calf!

Probably best forgotten.
Anyway I made my way back down the hill and headed towards the caravan park, passing some lovely hay meadows full of wildflowers:

Wildflowers and Grasses by the Road Verge

Just before I reached the caravan park I noticed a bird of prey taking to the air whilst being mobbed by some Swifts:

It looked like a Kestrel to me.
A fine end to our visit to Bellin'jum.

The next destination on our Northern England trip was to Barnard Castle, which we have been to a couple of times previously, but always enjoy visiting.
I have covered what's to see in Barnard Castle itself in previous blogs (such as August 2017) so I won't bore you with that again. Instead I will concentrate on the area around the caravan park, which is mostly upland farmland and has a wide variety of birds to enjoy.
After arriving, getting the motorhome set up and having a bite to eat we headed out the campsite for an evening stroll. You only have to venture a few yards from the campsite to be right in the middle of the countryside:

Country Lane near Barnard Castle Caravan Park

Dramatic Evening Skies

On this first evening walk we were greeted by an alarming Curlew, which we had previously been foraging in a recently cut hay meadow when we walked past:

Curlew Overhead

Anytime we walked down this direction over the next few days the Curlew would take to the air and sound the alarm call. It may have been in different fields each time but was so predictable that I even managed to capture it on video:

The Curlew didn't even appear to be defending a nest or any young as it was in a different place each time, it just seemed to be easily spooked and very noisy.
On our evening walk we met some other noisy neighbours; a flock of Jackdaws returning to their roost for the night:

Not quite enough of them to call it a murmuration, but a spectacle none the less.
The next day we took a trip in to the town of Barnard Castle, did some shopping, had a bit of lunch, visited the Bowes Museum and generally had a good time. We have been to the Bowes Museum before and would recommend it to anybody visiting the area. On this occasion it was hosting a Lego exhibition where many of its own exhibits were replicated in Lego bricks, as well as a Lego version of the museum itself. See what you think:

Lego Bowes

Real Bowes

Pretty impressive eh?
The following day we decided to explore the area near the caravan park by taking a walk through the country lanes and a disused railway track to the village of Lartington. We had no sooner left the caravan park when we spotted a pair of Mistle Thrush in the field where we first saw the alarming Curlew:

We carried on along the track to one of my favourite birding spots, a little lane which runs between an avenue of trees:

Birding Alley

This lane is always good for birds, in fact back in 2017 we spotted a family of Spotted Flycatchers and a juvenile Redstart here. It was no different this time with plenty of small birds flitting around the hedges, trees and stone walls............ including this juvenile (or female) Redstart:

Better was yet to come, as we left 'Birding Alley' Moira spotted a brightly coloured bird in a nearby field boundary hedge. I managed to get on to it with my camcorder but it was quite far away and a bit shaky. It then flew  up in to the top of a tree which was slightly nearer and I managed to get a better view of it:

It was a male Redstart in full summer breeding plumage........... fantastic!
We continued on our walk, along the lane with the impressive Oak trees, passed the old caravan and through the fields of sheep and cattle until we reached the disused railway line.

Impressive Oak Tree

Nice Caravan

Disused Rail Track to Lartington.

At the old rail track we turned right and headed towards Lartington Village. It was a pleasant walk passing through nice countryside with lots of pretty wildflowers on show:

Wild Country Rose

Ragged Robin Wildflower

There were plenty of insects and butterflies flitting around, a bit too active in the sun for me to photograph, but I did capture this pretty Brimstone Moth:

Brimstone Moth

As we headed down the old railway line towards Lartington we passed through an old cutting:

Old Railway Cutting on Lartington Line

The trees either side of the cutting had plenty of birds in them, but they seemed to be flitting about all the time. The closer we got to them the more they moved further down the track......... I finally managed to get close enough to one bird to video it:

I think it is a Willow Warbler, quite difficult to distinguish from a Chiffchaff until you hear them singing, this one however was silent.

Well that about concludes our trip down to the North of England, an enjoyable trip, hope I didn't bore you too much with my ramblings.

Take Care

Teddyedward

Ayr and Loch Doon

I have been carrying out a few Upland Breeding Bird Surveys on behalf of the BTO (British Trust for Ornithology) over the last couple of years, so I thought I'd share my experience earlier in June.
The area I survey is near Loch Doon on the Ayrshire/D&G border, and I usually  drive down to Ayr in the motorhome the day before the survey.
I spend overnight in the campsite at Ayr then head off to Loch Doon early in the morning. This normally gives me an afternoon in Ayr to explore the town and the surrounding area.
The campsite is near to the University of West of Scotland campus which sits on the banks of the River Ayr. There is a lovely walkway along the side of the river where you can either head East in to the countryside or West in to the town of Ayr.
On this occasion I took the path towards Ayr Town Centre (was he not a racing driver?):

River Ayr near UWS Campus

It was a pleasant afternoon and the birds were singing; I hadn't walked too far before I heard the tuneful sound of a Dunnock in the bushes, and it was happy for me to film it (for a short while anyway):

A little further along the river you come to a series of weirs; downstream of these weirs the river is tidal and upstream it is quite slow moving.

Weirs on the River Ayr

Water flowing over the Weirs

It was just upstream of these weirs that I managed to film this female Mallard with no less than 11 ducklings:

On the downstream side of the weirs there were even more Mallards (mostly males) busily feeding and a Cormorant drying its wings in the sunshine:

Seemed like this area of the river was a bit like a service station (time for food and a wash and brush up); in fact a little further downstream I caught this Oystercatcher having a good preen as well:

Moving on down the river there are several bridges including rail, road and pedestrian:

Pedestrian Bridge across River Ayr

As you get nearer to where the river joins the sea you can even see the remnants of an old stone-built bridge:

Remnants of old bridge

Beyond this is the harbour area, most of the current harbour activity being on the opposite (North) bank of the river from the town centre and beach.
On the South bank of the river there is still some evidence of previous industrial activity, including this old fishing boat (effectively in dry dock) and a sculpture in steel:

Old Fishing Boat in Ayr Docks

Sculpture in Steel (the art of oxy-acetylene burning)

Ayr (like many seaside towns) has suffered decline in recent decades and some parts of the town reflect this. It was refreshing to see that some re-generation is happening with the construction of some beach front apartments:

Fancy new apartments being built

Striking Beach Front Apartments

And what views they have out their windows!................

The Isle of Arran

Looking North along Ayr Beach

Looking South along Ayr Beach

Although quiet on this day a sunny weekend in the summer can see these beaches get very busy.
I then had a walk through the town before heading back to the campsite.
On my way back I was greeted by this singing Blackbird in the grounds of the UWS Campus at Craigie:

The next morning I got up bright and early and drove to Loch Doon on the Ayrshire/Dumfries & Galloway border to carry out my Upland Breeding Bird Survey.

Towards Loch Doon

I parked up the motorhome and made my way to the survey site which was about half an hour away along a farm track; where I had several gates to negotiate and some livestock:

Sheep on track towards Loch Doon

Belted Galloway Cows in field near Loch Doon

I reached the dam at the Northeast end of Loch Doon, which represents the starting point of my survey:

The Dam at Loch Doon

Now the hard work starts!
The first part of the survey is all uphill over moorland dotted with many bogs.............. luckily I had my wellies on............ but it is still rough going.
I have to record any birds I see, hear calling or hear singing/displaying whilst noting where they are in terms of the survey area. I also have to note the weather conditions and the different habitats within the survey area.
This does not give me a lot of time to get photos or videos of anything, but I like to capture what I can. Here are a few birds I managed to video; firstly some clips of a Curlew that was singing/displaying (you might want to turn the sound up!):

One of the most common birds I see/hear during the survey is the Meadow Pipit, however that doesn't make it easy to video them as they are always on the move or in long grass; here is one perched on a rock however:

Skylarks are also pretty common around here but I always struggle to get them on video as they just get higher and higher in the sky until I can barely see them never mind focus a camcorder on them.
After about 45 minutes I have reached the top of the hill and have completed the first part of my survey, time for a snack break and admire the views:

Loch Doon looking Southwest

Loch Doon looking South

Break over it is time to start the second half of the survey.
I have to walk for about 15 minutes to reach the starting point for the downhill part of the survey......... fortunately it is slightly shorter than the uphill part........ unfortunately it is over more boggy and more rocky ground.
Just at the start of the second part of the survey I saw a pair of Ravens taking off from the ground and flying towards the loch. I managed to capture one of them on video:

Towards the end of my survey, at a particularly rocky area near the edge of the loch I saw a small group of Wheatear on the ground, calling to each other. There were four of them, two adults and two juveniles and I managed to video some of them:

It got even better when an adult Wheatear hopped up on to a prominent rock and started to call:

I carried on down to the water's edge, which was effectively the end point for my survey. As I sat on a rock to have a short break before embarking on the 45 minute walk back to the motorhome I noticed that I had been joined by a juvenile Wheatear on an adjacent rock:

It must have popped over to say "bye bye!" or in Wheatear speak "chack chack!"

Almost three hours after leaving the motorhome to carry out the survey I was back; slightly knackered but happy that I had completed the survey and also filmed some of the birds I had seen. Just a two hour drive home now!

Hoped you enjoyed it without having to do the walking!

Take care

Teddyedward