northumberland wildlife

Northumberland Wildlife – Red Squirrel Included

Introduction

There was plenty of Northumberland wildlife – Red Squirrel included – near Doxford Cottages this May (2012). I have seen the following within 6m of my living room: Brown Rat, Red Squirrel, male & female Great Spotted Woodpecker, male & female Chaffinch, male Robin, Blue tit, Coal Tit, Great Tit, Green-finch, Nuthatch, Wood Pigeon, Crow, Rook, Jackdaw, Sparrow, male & female Pheasant, male Blackbird.

All these creatures have been attracted by a peanut feeder, wild bird seed feeder and a squirrel feeding box. The birds, and brown rat, that can’t feed from the bird feeders (and those that can) have been attracted by the fallout from the feeders on the ground beneath.

Surprisingly the following birds have been able to feed from the seed feeders: Rook, Crow, Jackdaw, Wood Pigeon. The Jackdaw can cling onto the feeders with wire mesh which holds peanuts. They can all reach the transparent seed feeder by perching on the wooden squirrel food box (see my rook picture below). All the feeders are attached to a telephone pole so they are close to each other.

Pictures and Videos of Northumberland Wildlife – Red Squirrel Included

Below I have some pictures and videos of them. First we have a male Great Spotted Woodpecker. The male has a red patch on the back of his head.

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Sparrow and Wood Pigeon on seed feeders.
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Rook feeding from a seed feeder.
northumberland wildlife
Brown Rat eating fallout from bird feeders with male chaffinch in the background.
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Great Tit on a peanut feeder.
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Chaffinch eating fallout from the seed feeders.
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Coal Tit on a seed feeder.
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Robin

The video below is 7.5 minutes long. It starts with a female Great Spotted woodpecker who is joined by a red squirrel, a rare creature at the best of times but commonly seen at Doxford. You easily know when a squirrel is feeding when you here the resounding clonk of their feeding box lid as they let it drop. Near the end the squirrel runs off and the woodpecker flies away. Wild creatures often take warnings from other species. After that a variety of tits and finches come and go. Then the camera turns to the ground to see a cock pheasant amble along:

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Hen Pheasant ambling around Doxford Cottages.
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Cock Pheasant having a nibble like the other birds do at Doxford Cottages.

In Craster Harbour we found these Eider Ducks. There were more than one pair. We also saw them on the sea near Seahouses and the Farne Islands:

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Eider Ducks in Craster Harbour.

While staying at Doxford Cottages we visited Warkworth and the River Coquet which flows around it. On Wednesday the 9th May we found a Pen sitting on an egg. She wasn’t there on Monday 7th. See below:

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Pen with newlaid egg at River Coquet, Warkworth, Northumberland.

Mallards get everywhere of course:

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Mallards asleep at Warkworth.

Back in Doxford a small cattle heard hang out:

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The boys in the cattle heard are sparing ready for the Olympics.

Also at Doxford there is a lake where I found these swans:

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The Cob (male swan)
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The Pen (female swan) – nesting

This year they were still sitting on their eggs but last year (2011) we visited in August when the signets were as large as the parents. There were nine signets, yes nine. I certainly haven’t seen so many anywhere in one brood. See them in the video below:


END OF POST

Comments

One response to “Northumberland Wildlife – Red Squirrel Included”

  1. Becci avatar

    I imagine you’ll get all sorts of people stumbling upon this blog when they type ‘Great Tits’ into Google.

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