Under watched for a reason.

There have been some real surprises which I did not anticipate before this year started.  Obvious choices are Bill Quay and Walker Riverside Park which have turned up some good birds.  There have also been unexpected finds in other areas such as the Woodcock in Longbenton and Lesser Whitethroat in Windy Nook.

One of the mysteries to me though has been the grazing meadow in B.  Just to remind you tetrad B is dominated by the Metro Centre but also has some interesting spots such as where the Derwent runs into the Tyne, the Tyne itself and Benwell Nature Park.

On the West of the tetrad behind Taybarns and Premier Inn is a grazing meadow.  Most morning I call in and have a quick look in an attempt to rack up extra Spring migrants.  And most mornings I come away with a large number of Woodpigeons, two Shelduck, one Mallard and occasional Herring Gull that just walks around the field -though that now seems to have moved on.

The field looks really good. The only argument I expect is which bits are in NZ26 as generally the Curlews seen at high tide have been outside the boundary.  It’s not that I have not added tetrad ticks down there Tree Sparrow and Kite spring to mind, but I am beginning to think it has been under watched for a reason.  There is not as much food there as I think there should be.  And the water available is very temporary lasting only a couple of days after heavy rain.

So I will keep going but this is an area that I am not going to get upset if someone else finds the good bird down there. It is just shouting out for one.