Industry Meets Nature and Three Species of Owl

31^st Jan.  January 2019 really has delivered an outstanding month of birding as far as I’m concerned, with days of brilliant winter light showing some wonderful species at their very best.  Sam and I have put in the effort, often in freezing temperatures, and it has paid dividends, and I can’t remember a better January in terms of my bird sightings.  It has been a month that will take some beating.  As Mick Jagger once sang ‘it’s all over now’ and it ended with a trip south into industrial Teesside and a visit to RSPB Saltholme and Teesmouth.  My first visit to Saltholme was prior to work beginning on the centre, which was then simply a pile of mud.  At that time, I remember many critical comments being made by birders about RSPB plans.  I’ve not heard any such comment recently!  Having not visited for some time I was pleasantly surprised at how the reserve is developing and we were certainly given a warm welcome by staff/volunteers on arrival.  Surrounded by what is left of industrial Teesside, and there is still a great deal, this reserve has a rather surreal feel about it, especially on such a clear winter’s day.  The industrial surroundings are an attractive sight in their own way, which I know some people will understand and others will not.  To watch flocks of waterfowl flying across a background of chimneys, pipes, girders and rising smoke is to my mind an exciting and attractive picture, almost as rewarding as watching over the Solway or similar areas of ‘wild’.

Wrapped in multiple layers of clothing we headed off towards the area of scrub which holds the Long-Eared Owls, passing by several frozen pools.  In my eagerness to get to the scrub area I perhaps overlooked some waterfowl, but the vast majority seemed to me to be Wigeon and Teal with lesser numbers of Shoveler, Mallard, Pochard, Tufted Duck and Canada Geese.  I’d previously noted a skein of Greylag Geese.  As we searched for the official viewing point for the Long-Eared Owl, we found a hunting Kestrel, but better still a Barn Owl, initially being harassed by a Carrion Crow.  The Barn Owl eventually showed well and took our minds off the frustration of not yet having found the viewing point.  We did find it quite quickly although the RSPB guide had apparently left for his lunch, so it was left to us and a few folks who joined us to find what was proving to be an elusive Long Eared Owl.  As we looked another guy rang his colleague to ask for some exact directions as to where to look.  Eventually the roosting Long Eared Owl was found, as is soften the case with this species, it was so well camouflaged some folk were having a problem seeing it even through the scope.  Well, not my best sighting of Long Eared Owl, but we at least saw it and I’m happy with that.  Sam scanned for more owls, we knew more had been seen, but no more were found.  By now, my umpteen layers were working too well as I stood in the sun and still air and I became too warm, perhaps it was having sightings of two owl species in such a short space of time that made me sweat.  During our search Sam had seen a Weasel.  We eventually made off towards the centre again, me suggesting that what we needed now was Short Eared Owl.

Kestrel

Wigeon

Along the way we had an overhead calling Common Snipe, a skein of Barnacle Geese flying above Canada Geese, Stonechat, Fieldfare, Linnets, Goldfinch and Greenfinch et al.  We had limited time as we wanted to get along to Seal Sands so we gave the main frozen pool a miss.  We were informed that a Water Vole was showing well so we shot into the hide to watch shifting, still frosted grasses being moved around, probably some nest weaving going on inside what was obviously the Water Vole’s nest which in its self was of interest with an opening clearly visible for entry, a worn pathway towards it and a clear slide like pathway to the pool from the nest.  The Water Vole showed on several occasions, but I found getting a sharp image of it non-too easy.  Another guy with a mega lens complained that it was all too close for him and he gave up!  I can’t remember seeing a Water Vole since 1971 when I visited Beamish Museum in its opening year!  I do remember having been told years ago that one of the objectives that the RSPB had set for Saltholme was that it ought to have a healthy population of Water Voles.  I’m glad that this objective has met with at least some success and it certainly, to me, makes more sense than rewilding ideas of Lynx and Wolves, ideas that have been put about recently.  Perhaps best to concentrate on the more realistically achievable (with success) than spend time on the more difficult, especially giving that the latter  would require a change of attitude from many.  While we watched for the Water Vole, a Water Rail showed well on the ice and flew directly in front of the hide to the reeds before making that unusual ‘alarming’ call that it has.

We took lunch in the restraunt where once again staff where very friendly although my soup was rather tepid.  It was good to see the restraunt quiet and almost everyone out on the reserve, it proves to be so often the other way around.

Water Vole at nest

Wanting to spend our last hour in the area at Greatham Creek and Seal Sands we made off in that direction and once parked up in the car park, much changed since my last visit, we found right away at least twelve Common Seals lying out in mud, plus more Shoveler.  We walked down to the hide from where we saw little on the water apart from Red Breasted Mergansers and Shelduck, although way in the distance there were many more Shelduck along with other birds impossible to make out. A single Grey Seal was seen in the water and more Common Seals had been seen in the creek.  Waders seen around this area included some nice sightings of Black Tailed Godwits, Oystercatcher, Redshank and Curlew.  A Grey Heron flew towards the bridge and Lapwing were numerous.  The pools here were in the main still frozen.

Whilst in the hide we saw that Hen Harrier had been recorded the previous day and I felt that the reed-beds opposite looked the perfect spot for one to roost.  We never did see this species, but as we were preparing to take the walk back towards the car park, there was insufficient time to tackle the Long Drag, Sam got his eye on a Short-Eared Owl quartering the reed-bed I had been watching.  So, we did end up having a decent sighting of a Short-Eared Owl as I had hoped for, this been the third owl species of the day for us.

So, where industry meets nature can have its rewards, that I have never doubted.  Whilst the frozen ponds perhaps kept the days list down, what we had seen were once again quality sightings.  A great way to end a great month.  We could have done with a bit more time as we were aware of other species that we could have tracked down, but you can’t do everything, at least not if you want to enjoy what you do see, and there is always next time.

As I type I can almost feel the sun on my face (which is a positive feeling as it’s now snowing), and hear the skein of barking Barnacle Geese, whistling Wigeon and the evocative calls of the Curlew and Lapwing.  Can anyone not be excited by nature?  Oh, and by the way well done RSPB, you don’t by any means get everything right, but when you do you do so very well.