Watching `wonderful` coastal wildlife
From the frenetic seabird
breeding colonies to the blaze of colourful wildflowers in
summer to the spectacular flocks of waders and wildfowl and curious
faces of grey
seals in winter, there is plenty to see along the
Northumberland coast at any time of the year.
The
Farne Islands, managed by the National Trust, are rightly
famous for the breeding seabirds. You get up close to tens of
thousands of seabird including puffins, terns and guillemots when
you visit the Farnes (but be sure to wear a hat). The Islands are
open from April through until September but the best time to visit
for birds is June, but boat trips go out until October, weather
permitting, to see the seals. Boat trips go from Seahouses
Harbour.
There are also opportunities for Boat trips
from Amble Harbour to the RSPB
reserve of Coquet Island and to explore the southern section of
the AONB with an 'offshore perspective'.
If plants are your thing, then the Northumberland
coast is the place to be in the spring and summer. Much of the dune
land and shore is protected for wildflowers, and there is no finer
sight to be had than the pink perfusion of thrift covered Saltmarsh
of
Lindisfarne in early summer. Dune land that is designated
for the rich assemblage of flowering plants can be easily
explored. Look out for the rare Lindisfarne Heliborine,
unique to Holy Island. Whin grassland, with specialist plants
found nowhere else than Northern England, is here in
abundance.
A little known fact is the Northumberland
coast can be good for seeing cetaceans, (whales, dolphins and
porpoises) in late summer. Sometimes they can be seen on boat
trips but many people will find a headland and sit and watch from
there.
Also in the summer the rock pools, that dot
the coast, come alive like a natural aquarium rich with sea
creatures and plants. The shore is part of the `European Marine Site` Network
identified as `special maritime places`
To help explore, the Northumberland Coast AONB Partnership have
produced a range of guide books. These include birdwatching,
plantlife, seashore, underwater and geology and landscape.
Click here for further information
