19th October: Birds at Budle Event

The first of our drop-in events at Budle Bay this year went amazingly well, despite the rainy, cold weather!

Visitors enjoying looking out over the Bay

Great numbers of birds were seen, being pushed up the Bay by the incoming tide. Among the species seen were Shelduck, Lapwing (showing off their beautiful display flight), Wigeon, Greylag goose, Grey Plover, and the so-called 'Bird of the Day' - a Little Egret, keeping out of sight in the channel at the mouth of the bay.

A Little Egret - we didn't get this close to the Budle Bay bird! 

Credit: Natural England/Allan Drewitt

Local artist and naturalist, John Steele, was a fantastic welcome guest at the Birdwatch, and was very happy to show visitors how they can draw or paint wildlife and landscapes. He also proved what a talented artist he is by sketching some of the birds seen.

 John Steele in action, studying the birds before continuing his sketch

John will be at the next Budle Bay drop-in session, on Sunday 1st December. Details can be found on the Events page.

14th October: Grazing guests are settling in

The sheep and cattle that recently arrived on the Reserve are settling in very well and starting to do a great job of grazing the areas of rough vegetation and invasive non-native plants.

John, one of our volunteers, helping look after the flock

Our herd of cows enjoying the sun a few days after arriving

The cattle have settled in and are starting to move around the dunes now, after investigating their new patch thoroughly! Please keep an eye open for them when you are walking through the dunes and keep your dog on a short lead - the cattle are often hard to spot among the dunes!

9th October: Successful litter pick

On Tuesday 8th October, the Reserve team held an organised litter pick along the North Shore of Holy Island, as advertised in the local newspapers. We had a great turnout of volunteers on the day, and the weather was kind to us!

Two of our keen volunteers laden with tidal litter

In addition to the North Shore, which is cleaned regularly, our volunteers collect litter from all around the shores of the Reserve. Some tidal litter 'hotspots' on the NNR are Cheswick, Sandham Bay on Holy Island, and Budle Bay. Local schools and other volunteer groups often help out on organised litter pick events.

Just some of the litter we collected

Beach cleans are not only great for helping keep the environment clean for seabirds and seals, it can also turn up some fantastic objects, can be very entertaining (as you will find if you come out on one of our trips with us!), and is a great way to get out and about and see some amazing coastline and wildlife.

If you would like to get involved in helping us keep our beautiful beaches clean, please contact Reserve warden Laura on 01289 381470 or laura.scott@naturalengland.org.uk 

8th October: Cattle on the Reserve

Part of the Reserve is now home to thirty cattle, who are settling in nicely! If you are out and about on Holy Island now you may spot this herd roaming through the dunes.

Two of the newly-arrived cows, looking out onto their new home

As the cows are able to roam freely among the dunes of the Reserve, including the main paths, signs have been installed to warn visitors and we remind you of the importance of keeping dogs on a short lead and under strict control when walking through the areas where livestock are present.

Like the sheep, the cattle play a very important role in keeping the vegetation of Holy Island in the best condition for growth of the Island's unique flora. They also help to remove invasive non-native plants.

5th October: First Autumn Birdwatch drop-in event a success

Our first drop-in event of the Autumn went very well, with lots of visitors coming to the large hide at Fenham-Le-Moor to view Lindisfarne's spectacular migratory winter birds.

Mass flight of wigeon - many large flocks like this were spotted from the hide

Many different species were seen, including large groups of light-bellied Brent, Barnacle and Pink-footed geese, Curlew, Redshank and Shelduck to name a few. 

In addition to the array of birds, hundreds of grey seals were spotted lounging on the sandbar before the tide came in. It was great to watch their courting behaviour and hear them calling to one another from such a short distance.

Our next drop-in event is Saturday 19th October, from 11.00 am to 1.00 pm at Budle Bay. Meet at the Budle Bay layby by the white railings. A special addition to this drop-in will be John Steele on hand to help you learn more about sketching the birds you will see. More information on our Events page.

2nd October: Sheep arrive

We now have some VIP guests on the Reserve - 24 Swaledale sheep, part of Northumberland Wildlife Trust's 'Flexigraze' conservation grazing scheme, have arrived on Holy Island and are settling in well near Snook House.

 The first sheep leaps out of the trailer, with Jess the sheepdog looking on

Making their way toward the pen - even attempting to stop for some lunch

The sheep were very well-behaved, walking straight into the pen (with a little help from the shepherd and his dog)! As we left they seemed to be settling in very well, heading straight for the Michaelmas Daisy - one of the invasive, non-native plants they are here to graze.

Michaelmas Daisy - the leafy, bright green plants - which sheep love to graze on

Michaelmas Daisy and other plants, such as Pirri-pirri bur, are invasive non-native species. They compete with native species such as Lindisfarne NNR's beautiful orchids, so sheep and cattle perform an important role of grazing the dunes and slacks to allow these sensitive plants to flourish. Rabbits historically kept the invasive plants in check, but the rabbit population of Holy Island has crashed in recent years, so we bring in livestock instead.

Settling in

The sheep will be checked daily until they leave the Reserve next March, to ensure they have enough water and have not found a way out of their pen! The flock will be moved around the dunes to target the most extensive areas of invasive plants.

For more information about Northumberland Wildlife Trust and Flexigraze, please visit their website here.

1st October: September Peak Bird Counts

September's Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) on Lindisfarne NNR showed some fantastic numbers of wintering wildfowl and waders, newly arrived from their breeding grounds.

Some selected peak counts:

Whooper Swan 4
Pink-footed Goose 650
Barnacle Goose 450
Light-bellied Brent Goose 2367
Wigeon 9000
Teal 170
Red-breasted Merganser 28
Oystercatcher 1402
Golden Plover 1099
Grey Plover 750
Lapwing 651
Knot 103
Sanderling 251
Dunlin 657
Bar-tailed Godwit 1143
Curlew 1372
Redshank 773

Now is a great time to visit the Reserve to do a spot of birdwatching, but make sure you are aware of the Birdwatcher's and Photographer's Code of Conduct.

21st September: Beached Birds update

The analysis of beached birds from the shores of Holy Island and the nearby coast is continuing, with further birds being brought to the Lindisfarne NNR office where they are stored until collection by Daniel M Turner, coordinator of the Northeast England Beached Bird Survey (NEBBS) Group. Daniel then takes these beached birds to the Dove Marine Laboratory at Newcastle University for examination.

Daniel has kindly summarized the latest findings. Daniel writes:

Analysis of a Fulmar found on 10th March 2013 by Lindisfarne resident George Moody has revealed the stomach contents. The plastics within the stomach comprised a total of four pieces including an elongated translucent item approximately 3.5 cm in length and 1.0 cm wide. The total weight of the plastic within this adult male was 0.0255 grams. Another 2013 Fulmar, also analysed in the Dove Marine Laboratory in early June (for details of this analysis, please click here) was a corpse found by beach surveyor Peter Collins between Whitburn and Roker, Tyne and Wear, on 24th March. This bird proved to be an adult female that died from starvation - in its stomach were 346 plastic items, including 16 industrial pellets. The total weight of plastics inside this individual was 0.9839 grams while the length of the majority was between 2 and 4 mm. This latter Fulmar provided tissue samples for future chemical analysis to investigate the level and locations of pollutants. This bird also had unusual swellings on its feet. 

Plastic ingested by the two fulmars (Photos by Dr J A Van Franeker)

A television programme (BBC 1, Inside Out) about the effect of plastics on Fulmars and the environment, was shown earlier in September, with an associated BBC Radio York item.

As well as collecting beached fulmars for analysis the NEBBS Group records all other birds and other natural life found deposited on the shore.

The NEBBS group webpage may be found on their website, and for further information on the international project, including the option to download various reports, visit www.wageningenur.nl/plastics-fulmars