The Northumberland Coast (Day Trip)

Spring (March/April Day Trips)

As spring unfolds the Northumberland coast is a fantastic place to be. In mid-March, winter waders can include scuttling Sanderling, dashing Dunlin and the evocative calling Curlew. Our lovely winter thrushes call from berry-depleted hedges and, with luck, we'll encounter an early spring Sandwich Tern, Wheatear or calling Chiffchaff. Out to sea we may see divers, seaduck and grebes, as well as the striking white Gannets and the more sombrely dressed Cormorants and Shags. The shores, inland pools and wet grassland provide homes for numerous waders and in the sand dunes one can find Linnet, Reed Bunting, Meadow Pipit, Skylark and Stonechat. Along the sandy shore a seam of peat, laid down thousands of years ago when this area was a swamp, runs the length of the bay. As the tide regresses we can see perfectly preserved trees up to 4,000 years old buried in the peat.

Summer (May onwards)

Throughout the rest of the spring and into the summer months the stunning Northumberland coast bustles with activity, as breeding seabirds on the cliffs and islands constantly fly to and fro in search of food. Common, Arctic, Sandwich, Little and the rare Roseate Tern can all be found feeding offshore; Gannets from Bass Rock plunge into the sea and Cormorant, Puffin, Guillemot and Red-breasted Merganser bob up and down with the waves. Swallows and martins scoop up flies over the sand dunes and the songs of Sedge, Grasshopper and Willow Warblers are constant companions. The coast is also well known for the unexpected with unusual, or downright rare, birds possible anywhere and at any time!

Autumn/winter

Autumn brings large flocks of Pink-footed Geese, forming dramatic skeins against the winter skyline. Overwintering ducks and waders build up and this wonderful coast comes into its own on winter days, when the holiday makers have gone home. Out on the sea, divers can be picked out amongst the waves, along with scoter and rafts of Eider ducks. Redwings and Fieldfare visit the fields, vying with Mistle Thrushes for Hawthorn and other berries.