Teesdale. May the Force be With You

 We were not going to get a better weather forecast this week so Sam and I opted to visit Teesdale and we were initially rewarded with a blinding winter sun and stunning land and Skyscapes as we travelled through Weardale and onwards to Teesdale.  I had recently benefitted from a reading the Durham Wildlife Trust’s book The Natural History of Upper Weardale so I took special interest in places we passed through such as Stanhope, East and West Gate, Frosterly and St John’s Chapel.  The sun ensured that our outward drive was rewarded with a sharpness of light and clarity.  The higher ground is really stunning which made p for a lack of wildlife in this Red Grouse area.  In any event we knew this was not the time to visit the area to gain the most of bird and botanical interest but there were to be some highlights.

Red-flanked Bluetail

Before we hit Weardale we sighted a Common Buzzard but found only one short sighting of a Red Grouse, this species apparently hunkered down out of the strong, and as we were to find out icy cold wind.  I was extremely comfortable in Sam’s heated seats and so when we arrived at Langdon Beck to look for Black Grouse the wind chilled me to the bone.  There were no Black Grouse to be seen, only four Pheasant in the lower fields, so we continued to the area of Bowlees in hopes of finding the long staying vagrant Red-flanked Bluetail.  This bird should be wintering in S E Asia, but clearly likes it here as it has been around for some time now.  We found the area that the bird has often been seen in among the Beeches but we had no luck until Sam scampered down to the lower pathway.  He quickly waved to me to say he had found it and I followed more slowly.  So, we had good sightings of the Red-flanked Bluetail that spent all the time at ground level, and were able to put one or two other birders onto it.  We had previously seen this species only once before in Britain and that was on Lindisfarne a year or two ago.  The sighting we really remember however is of this bird in breeding plumage in the forests of Finland.  One of our top ever sightings.  If you don’t know what this bird is like in breeding plumage it might be worth looking at an image on the internet.

Red-flanked Bluetail

We enjoyed a wander along the woodland paths and had sightings of Wren, Robin, Treeceeper, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Great Tit, Coal Tit, Blue Tit, Long tailed Tit, Siskin, Chaffinch and Brambling.  The male Brambling being a highlight.

Low Force

We then made for Low Force a series of waterfalls which tumble over the dolerite of the Whin Sill an intrusion which formed 295 million years ago.  This is a stunningly beautiful area, but potentially very dangerous.  We approached over the Wynch Bridge.  The first bridge at this sight was built in 1704 and is thought to have been the first suspension bridge in Europe.  This first bridge collapsed but was replaced, and users included the local miners.

Sam at Low Force

Standing beside this waterfall you soon appreciate the force of the water and the power of nature.  The sun was occasionally behind cloud but when the cloud passed by the sunlight hit the river and air bubbles causing a sparkling gem like effect and a rainbow by the falls.

Gem Pool

We couldn’t visit Low Force without taking a walk to High Force also.  By the way, the name force is derived from the Nordic word foss meaning waterfall.  High Force is not by any means the highest waterfall in England but it is perhaps the most dramatic and has the largest volume of water in a single drop.  The geology here is fascinating and clearly seen with the Whinsill dolerite at the top, softer sandstone in the centre and limestone at the bottom.  The actual gorge was mainly formed by the meltwaters of the last ice age.  Even at this time of year there was several visitors, but not enough to spoil the atmosphere and what is an exciting experience with nature.  Junipers were growing along the top of the far bank and small lone Scots Pine was surviving on the rock face of the force seemingly well dug into a crack along the rock.

High Force

High Force

I had really enjoyed my walk to the force, taking note of the geology, ferns and other plant life beginning to show as we began to hear the flow of the force and eventually catching sight of it.  We spent a bit of time at the foot of the falls before making our way back up steep steps and upwards on onwards.  The return walk I did not enjoy, being cream crackered and breathless.  As Sam suggested, it’s an age thing!

High Force

By the time we were back to the car it was time to make back home.  We decided to return via Langdon Beck.  That proved to be a wise decision as on stopping we found Black Grouse at lek.  We got the scope out and initially counted fifteen Blackcock before noting two Greyhens flying away from the leking ground and landing in the distance.  Another Blackcock flew in taking the number of males up to 16.  We watched a little action as pairs of the males faced up to one another before the cold defeated us and we returned to the car and heated seats.

We left the area as grey leaden cloud appeared to set in for the rest of the day, but it wasn’t long before we were in sunshine again.  This time the light was much softer giving the whole area a rather fresh look of soft pastel colouration.

It had been an excellent day and we certainly had the best of the weather despite the bitter wind at times.  It was good to see the Red-flanked Blue Tail but for me the stars of the day were the Black Grouse, birds so evocative of this area and wild places in general.  Brambling joins these two birds to form my top three species of the day.  On the journey home we saw a large flock of Fieldfare and a large flock of Starlings plus two Kestrels.   After an hour or so rest we had fish and chips for tea.  Top day, and as Sam said at the time, one with a Nordic feel to it.  Today I’m writing and resting.