July:
July started with a large flock of 150 Swifts on 2nd, hunting low over the corn fields at Middle Ord, and between 3rd and 5th 3 Black-tailed Godwits were feeding on the Slake. On the 10th a pair of Yellow Wagtails were found at Needles Eye and a single Sandpiper at Toddles Shiel. The count on the estuary on the 15th, recorded 510 Mute Swans gathering for their moult here along with 9 Greylag Geese, 2 late or locally breeding Wigeon and a Whimbrel. 17 Guillemots and 2 Razorbill were in Spittal Bay (17th) and 2 Puffins and 82 Goosanders (18th) - part of an increasing moult flock in the Bay. Also on the 17th there were 2 Black-tailed Godwits at Yarrow Slake, and between 19th and 26th it was visited by 2 Little Egrets, the first on the Tweed for 30 years. Little Egrets have been spreading rapidly northwards over the last decade with increasing numbers breeding in Southern England. Also at the ‘Slake’ were 2 Dunlin (19th), a hunting Peregrine(21st) and a Yellow Wagtail (24th). 4 Sandpipers were seen by the sewage outfall on the 26th. A pair of Stock Doves and 6 Tree Sparrows were found at Marshall Meadows on 28th. The gull roost at the Calot Shad at the estuary mouth held 220 Kittiwakes and 12 Sandwich Terns on the 31st, and the same day in Spittal Bay 4 Arctic Terns and an Arctic Skua were seen and there was a Peregrine over the Border Bridge.
August:
August began with strong winds and high tides. In a northerly gale on the 2nd 630 Kittiwakes an hour were recorded flying into the wind over Spittal Bay, along with 6 Arctic Terns, while at Cocklawburn were a male Pied Flycatcher and 2 Sedge Warblers. Mute Swans peaked at 583 birds on the estuary count on the 11th. This is an increase on last year's figure, showing the importance of the Tweed for moulting Mute Swans from Northern England and Southern Scotland as a safe refuge when they cannot fly. We hope ‘the developers’ of the proposed Marina in the estuary will bear this in mind when they plan to introduce many more small craft into the estuary at the peak of the moulting season. Also in the count were 58 Greylag Geese, 6 Canada Geese, 28 Grey Herons, a Little Egret, 102 Goosanders, 6 Common Terns and 16 Sandwich Terns. Another ‘blow’ on the 14th recorded 3 Sooty Shearwaters, 8 Arctic Terns and 3 Little Terns in Spittal Bay. Two Manx Shearwaters, a Great Skua and 2 Common Terns were off the Pier the next day, and the rough weather brought early returning waders back to Little Beach with 62 Turnstones, 34 Ringed Plover, 18 Dunlin, 3 Sanderling and 82 Oystercatchers (all on the 15th). The moult flock of Goosander in Spittal Bay rose to 116 on the 16th, and with 106 in the Tweed estuary the same day takes the area above the Great Britain threshold of national importance for the species. A Little Egret was around the New Water Haugh area between 11th and 22nd. Also on the 22nd at Yarrow Slake were 73 Greylag and 10 Canada Geese, numbers rising to 82 and 32 respectively by the 24th - unusual numbers for the estuary, along with 58 Goosander, a Greenshank and a Common Sandpiper, and 30+ Golden Plover at Cocklawburn.
Other birds in the area included 160 Swifts over Tweedmouth on the 5th, but all had left the Berwick area by the 15th. A young male Peregrine was in our area from 9th to 27th, causing panic to the waders and gulls (perhaps a cure here to a local problem!!). A Quail was heard on Halidon Hill (7th) and a family group of Stonechats frequented the railway bank at Spittal all month. There was a Pied Flycatcher at Sea House, Scremerston on the 22nd, a Nuthatch (23rd) in an East Ord garden, and an Osprey flying fairly low over Tweedmouth on same day. On the 29th there was a Buzzard over Mill Farm, on the 30th 3 Wheatears and about 40 Twite at Cocklawburn. On the 31st a count of House Martin nests on the Royal Border Bridge recorded 86, a big drop from 2005 when there were 129.
September:
September was still warm and started an ‘Indian Summer’ situation, which lasted throughout the month.
Migrants continued to arrive, with 2 Wheatears on the 5th at Little Beach, and 59 Greylag Geese, 4 Canada Geese and 1 Hybrid at Yarrow Slake on the 9th. The monthly estuary count on the 11th, recorded 172 Greylag Geese, 2 Pochard drakes, 74 Goosanders, 33 Grey Herons, 1770 Lapwings and 218 Redshanks. On the 12th 84 Arctic Terns and 50 Sandwich Terns formed a large feeding flock off the Coastwatch Station and 4 Common Snipe and 45 Pied Wagtails were at Little Beach feeding among the seaweed, with a further 4 Wheatears and 130 Ringed Plovers there on the 15th. At Yarrow Slake there were 23 Teal and 4 Dunlin on the 16th, and at Cocklawburn on the 20th 4 Ruff were sighted. Little Beach held 8 Bar-tailed Godwits and 1 Wheatear on the 21st. 9 Teal were at Yarrow Slake on the 23rd. On the 26th 2 Grey Plovers were at Little Beach, with 3 Red-throated Divers and 9 Wigeon at the Estuary mouth. By the 27th 9 Bar-tailed Godwits, 24 Twite and a roosting flock of 68 Kittiwakes were recorded at the Estuary mouth with 3 Snipe and a Ruff at Yarrow Slake. On the 29th 9 Guillemots and 2 Razorbill were at the Estuary mouth. Our local Auk population is obviously suffering from a lack of food as two weak Guillemots ‘hauled out’ onto the Lifeboat Station ramp to roost briefly. Many birds have been seen feeding close inshore all along the Northumbrian coast.
By the 22nd the last House Martins had flown south. Some exciting migrant finds included a Pied Flycatcher and 2 Chiffchaffs at Pier House(26th). A immature male Peregrine was in our area all month. It was seen attempting to catch a Ringed Plover(27th) over Little Beach, making at least six unsuccessful ‘stoops’ at it in the air. At Sea House, Scremerston, a Spotted Flycatcher and 2 Chiffchaffs (16th) and a Red-breasted Flycatcher with a Willow Warbler (27th), 2 Chiffchaffs and 2 Goldcrests (29th). This is only the third published record of Red-breasted Flycatcher in our area.
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Two "alien" weeds have been reported from Berwick Quayside. One, growing in cracks in the paving around the Chandlery is Alsike Clover, Trifolium hybridum, introduced from Europe and commonly naturalised. This was first reported on 6th July, and a new plant had appeared on 13th September, when another introduced plant was found where the electricity building and lobster shed once stood. This is Melilotus altissimus, Tall Melilot (although in this thin soil it is not very tall). It's another plant of the pea family, with elongated racemes (long heads rather than the round heads of the clover) of bright yellow flowers, also a native of mainland Europe.