Ornithology
Many of our members enjoy Birdwatching in the North-East and learning more about bird behaviour and identification. Our Ornithology section also carries out important research work through a very active bird ringing group and is involved in bird conservation work in Northumberland, Tyne & Wear and County Durham.
On the right of this page you can see forthcoming talks, field trips and activities organised by the section. All Society members are very welcome to come along to these friendly events, whether you are a beginner or an expert. As well as birds we do also see other wildlife and local flora!
If you are interested in learning more about birds then why not join one of our “Birds of the North-East” courses? These 10 week courses are a mixture of field outings and classroom sessions at the Great North Museum: Hancock. Click here for more details.
In partnership with the National Trust, we produce and publish an annual ‘Birds on the Farne Islands’ report. Click here for details and a free copy.
The Ornithology Section is led by Chris Redfern. If you would like to get more involved and help us to plan, organise or run a lecture or field trip for Society members then we would love to hear from you, please get in contact with us via the Society Office.
Bird Ringing
Our very active Bird Ringing Group carries out contstant-effort ringing at Gosforth Nature Reserve in Newcastle on Sunday’s from April-August. They also carry out seabird ringing on the Farne Islands during spring and they catch and ring migrants at Low Newton in Northumberland during the autumn. To find out more about our bird ringing group please click here.
Previous Activities
The trip to Thornley Woods in May 2011 to listen to bird song was particularly successful with most of the common warblers singing well including Blackcap, Garden Warbler and Whitethroat and good views of Red Kites.
The visit to the Harthope Valley for the leader was rather extended due to both Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th June 2011 being advertised in different places. Both trips were successful but the Saturday was exceptional. We saw Ring Ouzel, Wheatear, Dipper, Cuckoo, Redstart and Green Woodpecker not to mention Red Grouse and Peregrine. We had three boats booked to take 36 members of the Society and North Northumberland Bird Club to view the Roseate Tern colony on Coquet Island in July 2011 but unfortunately heavy seas forced us to cancel on both dates.
The Society was a contributing partner in the Birds of Durham Heritage Project, which organised a series of guided walks to look for birds and learn about some of the famous historical birds seen at local sites, such as Great Reed Warbler at Swalwell and Baillon’s Crake in Sunderland.
Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve
The Society played a key role in helping to protect the birdlife of Holy Island in the 1950′s. We still play a role today in an advisory capacity. 
The Joint Advisory Panel advises Natural England on the issues that affect the site and its important wildlife. The main focus is the interaction of all the interested parties that make up the environs of Holy Island from tourism to wildlife disturbance. Much of 2011 was spent in discussing how the changes in Natural England will affect the management of the National Nature Reserve and the long term conservation of the area. In January 2011 the Higher level Stewardship project for the Coast Guard Look-out tower and the Interpretation hide near the Rocket Field went live and the process of tendering for the building work started. It is hoped that through this the wildlife of the area will reach a wider audience. The Society
representative on the Advisory Panel is Graham Bell.
The Wildlife Panel is concerned with the wildfowling activity within the National Nature Reserve they monitor the conduct of wildfowlers through the Wildfowl Warden and keep records of the numbers of birds arriving and departing from the reserve. The main concern during the winter of 2010/11 was the very severe weather and how this would affect the numbers and condition of the birds. Two voluntary bans on shooting were in place during this time allowing the birds to feed undisturbed. However this brought up a new problem that although the disturbance was reduced by the wildfowlers there was a noticeable increase in photographers getting too close to the hungry birds and making them fly in their efforts to get better picture. The committee agreed to prepare guidelines for the conduct of photographers and to ask camera clubs and other related organizations to inform their members of the potential danger of disturbing birds during severe weather. The Society representative on the Wildlife Panel is David Noble-Rollin.
Coquet Island Advisory Committee
This committee consists of representatives from The Northumberland Wildlife Trust, the RSPB, the Natural History Society, Trinity House, Natural England and Northumberland Estates, and assists the RSPB in their management of this internationally-important seabird colony. The Society’s representatives are Chris Redfern and David Noble-Rollin. Three major issues under discussion during 2010/11 were vegetation management, maintaining the delicate balance of biodiversity of breeding seabirds and the forthcoming renovation of the derelict cottages on the island. The renovation of these cottages is an exciting project and will provide much needed office and living accommodation for the RSPB staff who look after the islands and its seabirds.
Charity Details
Please visit our sitemap page and read our Terms & Conditions. Our Charity Number is 526770