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Wednesday 20 May 2009

Dunstanburgh Coast 18-5-09

Isn't it odd I have about 20+ House Sparrows in the garden, but I never get as close as this

A run up the coast to Dunstanburgh it was a bit breezy still with the odd shower, fantastic bit of coast this, sections of rock layers have ripples the forces must have been immense to create such scenes, Kittiwakes nesting on the steeper ledges some of the nests are about a foot deep and must have been used for many years, the castle looks fantastic as a ruin it must have been very impressive in its heyday, on the seaward side ,Guillemots & shags could also be seen in with the Kittiwakes and Razorbills close in on the sea these will nest in the rocks at the base I'm sure they would have been harvested in the days of occupation.
I seem to remember reading something of House Martins nesting on these cliffs , the castle is English Heritage, and the area is National Trust, the foreshore is owned by the Crown, not sure who owns the cliffs.

This section of coast is part of Boulmer Birders new patch, looking forward to posts of what he discovers here.

The constant calling must be for some reason, these nests must have been here for many years.


The humble Sparra!!!!! it may be, but one smart bird nevertheless.



The skies darken just before a shower.


My lens cant get it all in unless I am a long way off, a few people with tripods set up to photograph the castle from every angle
Look at the quality of finish in that stone work, British build, or where they workers brought in from France ???

The upper fence is inside the castle grounds, this shot does not show the scale I should have waited till someone stood there , those white dots along the base are Kittiwakes


Razorbill close inshore actually my first for the year, not sure how many pairs are here.








5 comments:

Stewart said...

I can hear the Kitti's from my garden Brian. Oh and I have missed Razorbill from my month list, I must pop down and look more closely!!I've spent too much time in the woods..

Dan Huber said...

amazing shots. Love the castle shots. Looks like a great place to walk around

Birding about Northumberland said...

check out northumbrianblue flickr site and there are some cracking photos of Dunstanburgh Castle from a trip hubby and I did last Feb
Love the sparrow photo's, we have a family visiting our garden at the moment

Northumbrian Birding said...

S, A monthly list I struggle with a yearly list. I did pick up a great bit of driftwood with embedded Ivy entwined around it, carried it up from the beach, it just fit in the car.
F. Northumberland really is a great County.
B Thanks I will check out the site
Brian

Stewart said...

Aye Brian, I just thought I'd give it a go for this small area. I don't do general year listing any more...