24th December: Merry Christmas from Lindisfarne NNR

Since it is the festive season, the team at Lindisfarne NNR would like to wish you all a very merry Christmas and best wishes for 2014.

Male and female eider at Lindisfarne NNR (Photo credit: JJD)

Thanks to our readers and followers for their interest and for making the first year of our blog a great success! Thanks also to all our volunteers for their support and input to the blog over the last year. Have a great Christmas - see you in the New Year.

Male teal - a winter visitor to Lindisfarne NNR (Photo credit: JJD)

23rd December: Cattle update

Like the sheep who were sent home a few weeks ago, our cattle will be heading home in January too, just after New Year.

The cattle were found hunkered down in the strong winds and rain of the 23rd and 24th December, sheltering in a dip in the dunes.

As you may have read in previous posts about our cattle, the herd is brought onto Lindisfarne NNR to graze the rough grasses among the dunes and slacks to allow plants such as our amazing orchids to flourish in Spring and Summer. The cattle are good at maintaining the grasses and other vegetation at a shorter, more varied height.

In addition to keeping the rough vegetation well grazed, the herd have been doing a really great job of grazing and trampling the invasive plant, Pirri-pirri bur, reducing its vigour and also making it susceptible to frost damage.

19th December: Continuing the clean-up


Staff with great support from our volunteers have spent many hours picking up litter and other debris from the shores of the Reserve from Goswick Sands to Budle Bay.

A sample of the debris that has been removed during the last week

Barnacles: Still here

Great views of these majestic birds are possible from the white railings at Budle Bay

180 were counted this morning at 08:00 hrs

13th December: Special post from our volunteer guides

As you may have read in previous posts, we now have 4 dedicated guides who regularly volunteer in the new Window on Wild Lindisfarne building on Holy Island. Today, two of these volunteers have kindly given us an insight into what it's like to be a volunteer guide. David and Gill, who have been volunteers since 2008 as part of our little tern breeding project and volunteer guides since August, live locally and are very friendly and enthusiastic about helping out on the Reserve. 

David and Gill write:

"It's not just the visitors to Holy Island who enjoy themselves. Volunteers with Natural England at the Window on Wildlife Lindisfarne (WOWL) have a good time chatting to people from across the globe and also get to watch some birds too.

A drake teal - one of the many beautiful birds seen from the WOWL in winter

During the summer months the large scrape contains very little water but the pond immediately outside the window is full. Flocks of linnets, up to 10 at a time, come to bathe and swallows and house martins skim the surface for flies. The odd wader visits and, of course, there are many, many human visitors on the Island coming into WOWL - over 50 per hour. The bird and sheep footprints cut into the floor tiles give the kids something to look at and the grown-ups can enjoy the birds. There are also plenty of sheep to see too!

In the winter, the pond just outside the window is little used but the scrape fills up and we get good views of light-bellied brent geese, oystercatchers, shoveler, wigeon, teal, curlew on most days. The smarter looking birds like the oystercatchers draw the “oohs” and “aws” and geese surprise people when they learn about the long flight they have taken to reach our shores. The visiting birds really welcome the fresh water area on this coastal site, very important for having a good clean up and a drink! In the winter, some people come in grateful to be out of the wind but they warm to the view outside the window. Everyone enjoys a chat, sometimes brief and sometimes longer. Some visitors arrive with telescopes and binoculars and are a good source of information about what is around the Island.

Visitors at the Window on Wild Lindisfarne

Visitors are often surprised to learn that good views of seals are possible, with a great vantage point being the old coastguard tower. To get here, visitors can walk past the harbour with its up-turned boats now acting as sheds. Some are interested to see plants or in the social and industrial history of the Island and ask about the castle, harbour, lookout and priory. Others want to walk to the hide at the Lough to see more birds and to understand how Natural England is providing habitats for wildlife. Whatever their interest there is plenty for visitors to see and do. WOWL is also the start of the Reserve’s self-guided Nature Trail, as here you can pick up a leaflet which contain trail details and a map. This fantastic walk takes you along historic raised waggonways past the Lough hide and through the dunes."

David and Gill will be making regular contributions to our blog, updating on what can be seen around the Reserve and goings-on at the Window on Wild Lindisfarne. We look forward to more from our volunteer guides!

10th December: Winter bird highlights

A flock of 500 Lapwing have been seen at Fenham Flats recently - if you visit our hide at Fenham-Le-Moor, signposted off the A1, you might spot them.

Two lapwing in flight

Another fantastic highlight has been a group of 20 Snow Bunting, seen on the North shore of Holy Island on several occasions, flitting around the beach. These winter visitors are striking birds, with a beautiful 'snowy' plumage.

 Snow bunting

9th December: Dung beetle

The amount of cow pats on the paths near Chare Ends was getting high, so we decided to remove some of it using a machine that is similar to a large vacuum, known as the "Dung Beetle"!

We're also planning on trialing this machine to remove Pirri-pirri burs from among the dunes next Spring. It has been very effective at picking up the dung and also removing matted vegetation, so we are hopeful it will successfully remove Pirri-pirri seeds from the main paths of Holy Island.

Dung on the path up ahead, about to be picked up

Senior Reserve Manager, Andrew, happy with the results

A nice clear path!

6th December: Storm surge aftermath

Today, the Reserve team headed out to assess the damage from the exceptionally high tides caused by the storms that hit the North East on the 5th December. These tides are reported to be the highest seen here for at least 60 years.

Around 3 metres of dunes have been lost from this section - you can see where they used to exist where the marram remnants are on the beach.

Collapsed foredunes near the Beacons at Ross

Between 3 and 5 metres of foredunes from the North shore of Holy Island and from Ross were lost. The huge waves removed the marram grass from the dunes, exposing the sand underneath which was undercut by the waves.

Thankfully, the very important little tern breeding areas are still intact. The storm may even have created new habitat for little terns which they could use next year.

Our flooded hide!

The high tide breached the bank and flooded the hide at Fenham-Le-Moor, you can see how far the water came up the wall on the above picture. The water was swept out and the doors have been left open, so hopefully it won't be long until it is dry again.

Thankfully, there have been no casualties that we are aware of and no really dangerous damage to parts of the Reserve.

25th November: Seaduck Spotting

This is a great time of year to watch sea ducks, members of the Merginae family, off the coast of Northumberland, and Lindisfarne NNR is a fantastic place to do this. Some species to look for:

Drake Goldeneye (Natural England/Allan Drewitt)

Goldeneye
These handsome ducks look fantastic in the winter light, their dark emerald head providing striking contrast with the bright yellow eyes. Look out for the less colourful but equally beautiful female, with a chestnut brown head and the same bright yellow eye.


Common Scoter
Large rafts of black ducks, Common Scoter, can be seen from the North Shore of Holy Island, and from the adjacent coast at Cheswick. Sometimes, if you're lucky, you may spot a Velvet Scoter in their midst, so rafts of these birds are definitely worth a look.

Drake Eider - these stunning birds are always a delight to see. 

Eider
Groups of Eider are a familiar sight around the Reserve, and owe their status around Northumberland to St Cuthbert who gave them special protection - this is how they became known as 'Cuddy's Ducks'. The female is dark brown with the same distinctive sloping bill and stocky shape.

Two male and one female Red-breasted Merganser

Red-breasted Merganser

This species, belonging to the sawbill family, is less common but may still be spotted. Their shape is similar to a goosander but with the distinctive red eye and shaggy crest on the back of the head.