A visit to Abbeystead and nearby area to see where some of our coastal winter visitors might be on Tuesday the 5th
550 Golden Plover in field at Catshaw Farm, beautiful sight in their breeding plumage.
Many pairs of Lapwing to be seen in fields throughout the Abbeystead area, lots of display flights and one making a scrape, great to see so many.
Very few Curlew to be seen, 8 in total with a few more heard calling and one carrying out a superb display flight in field near Jubilee Tower
Many pairs of Mallard sat in lots of fields throughout the area, more than I have seen all winter on the Lune.
Other,
8 Marsh Tit in trees around Abbeystead estate office
c 200 very flighty Fieldfare in field at Doeholme Farm
5 Red Grouse
There are massive numbers of Corvids and Gulls throughout the area visited, a massive problem and surely a main contender for predation amongst all ground nesting birds and a major cause for the decline of the Curlew.
Alan Smith
