Teesside

Teesside offers some of the best birdwatching in the county and is one of my most visited areas.  My recording area for Teesside starts from Scaling Dam and South Gare, which is on the southern side of the River Tees and goes as far north as Hartlepool Headland and Crimdon Dene.  The whole of Teesside can be an excellent place to visit at any time of year and is especially during spring and autumn when birds pass though the area heading towards their breeding/wintering grounds. The area can be very productive during these months and at times, can be an unforgetable experience. This is especially the case when there has been a recent fall of migrants.

To give you a taster of the rarities that can be seen in the area, birds such as Brown Booby, Bridled Tern, Thrush Nightingale, White–throated Robin, Hooded Merganser, Glaucous–winged Gull, Citrine Wagtail, Bluethroat, Wilsons Phalarope, White–rumped Sandpiper, Broad–billed Sandpiper, Red–necked Phalarope, Garganey, Whiskered Tern, Pied Wheatear, Yellow–browed Warbler, Greenish Warbler, Barred Warbler, Black Redstart, Bluethroat, Woodchat Shrike and more have all been seen in recent years. There is the possibility of seeing Shearwaters, Gannets, Gulls, Skuas and Auks from the headland, as well as a variety of Waders and Terns at Seaton Snook.

Winter months will offer you the best chance to see Purple Sandpiper and Rock Pipit, along with wintering Waders, White–winged Gulls, Divers and Grebes. Local parks & woods offer the opportunity of seeing Ring–necked Parakeets and garden birds such as Tree Sparrows, Brambling, Willow Tit, Crossbill, etc.

The Area
Teesside covers the area from Crimdon Dene, down to Scaling Dam and as far inland as Crookfoot Reservoir. A selection of sites that are visited usually includes Crimdon Dene, Hartlepool Headland, Newburn Bridge, North Gare, Zinc Road, Seaton Common, Seal Sands, Greenabella, Saltholme Pools, Dormans Pool, South Gare, Scaling Dam and Crookfoot Reservoir (restricted access). Just outside of the area is Hurworth Burn and Bishop Middleham that also offers good birding opportunities.