Share

Out with the old, in with the new

Access to a wildlife watching hide on a popular Druridge Bay nature reserve has been replaced thanks to players of People’s Postcode Lottery.
A wooden ramp with handrails leads through sparse trees to a small black wooden building under a cloudy sky.

New access ramp. Image by Alex Lister.

The 50metre access ramp to the hide on the wildlife charity’s Cresswell Pond reserve was over twenty years old and, despite being repaired numerous times over the past couple of years, it needed a complete replacement. 

The work took five days to complete and was carried out by local company ADM Joinery.

The reserve, 1.5k north of Cresswell Village has an unspoilt beach (one of the best on the Northumberland coast) and has achieved a Quality Coast Award and is listed in the Good Beach Guide.

Visited by over six thousand members of the public a year, Cresswell Pond was created as a result of subsidence from old collapsed mine works.

Its proximity and connection to the sea means the water is a mix of fresh and salt and is therefore an excellent feeding ground for wading birds and particularly busy during the spring and autumn months when rare birds often touch down on route to warmer climates.

A long wooden boardwalk with handrails runs through sparse vegetation under a cloudy sky.

New access ramp. Image by Alex Lister.

Since 2011 avocets have nested on the shoreline, making it one of the most northerly breeding sites in the UK. Large numbers of waterfowl often roost here on the site, with small numbers of greylag and pink-footed geese also making an appearance.

In the field to the south of the large pond, there are two smaller freshwater ponds, both of which have resident populations of moorhens and coots, as well as providing a valuable place for passage migrants to rest.

From the newly improved hide, visitors will be able to see birds such as avocets, barn owls, coot, gadwalls, greylag geese, pink-footed geese, pochards, teals, tree sparrows, yellowhammers and wigeon. If lucky, the occasional otter may be spotted. 

Alex Lister, Northumberland Wildlife Trust Druridge Bay Landscapes Manager says:

“Access structures such as this one are always expensive, so it’s great that support from players of People’s Postcode Lottery has enabled us to replace the old one rather than repair it again.” 

Related news