Escomb

Escomb village can be found adjacent to the River Wear, upstream from Bishop Auckland and a short walk from Etherley Moor.  Escomb Lake, Woodside Lake and the Fishing Lakes regularly attracts Mallard, Tufted Duck, Goldeneye, Wigeon, Gadwall, Goosander, Cormorant, etc.  The hedgerows, woodland and grassland holds all the usual species with Willow Tit, Tree Sparrow, Nuthatch, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Green Woodpecker, Common Buzzard and Barn Owl being the best of the resident birds.  Dipper, Kingfisher, Goosander, Grey Wagtail, Sand Martins and Otter can be seen during a walk along the bank of the River Wear.  Passage birds have included 800+ Greylag Geese, 500+ Pink-footed Geese, 10+ Barnacle Geese, Black-necked Grebe, Whooper Swans, Green Sandpiper, Common Sandpiper, Greenshank, Little-ringed Plover, Common Snipe, Yellow Wagtail, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Cuckoo, Lesser Whitethroat & Common Redstart.

Latest success has been the pair of Great Crested Grebe's that visit at the start of each breeding season. The farmer who maintains the land blocked off one of the corners of Escomb Lake in 2023 and let it go wild. In 2024 the pair decided to stay and successfully fleged and reared two young. So good to see.