Our Coast, Our Sea - About Saltmarsh and Ducklings’ Aunties

30 June 2011

About Saltmarsh and Ducklings’ Aunties

Northumberland 4shores Project Manager, Maria Hardy, joined partners from Coquet View Holiday Park at Warkworth on Saturday 25 June to lead a walk around the coastal wetland. 21 local people joined the walk, including a number of residents from Coquet View. These “locals” have prime position, viewing the changes to the site from their holiday homes.

Many of the walkers commented on the spectacular scene when the tide covers the whole site. People like the new timber footbridge too. One participant said, “It gives great views over the saltmarsh and birds, and a chance to watch the tide flow in under your feet”.

Paul Morrison and Hilary Brooker-Carey from RSPB, came along and talked about the eider monitoring in the Coquet Estuary. Paul explained, “Hilary has been counting the creches of ducklings and their aunties in the Coquet Estuary for the past 18 years”. “What do you mean by aunties?” someone asked. “These are the non-breeding females, usually younger females in the colony”, Paul replied. We were all amused at this vision of fussing aunties keeping the large groups of ducklings, which can number up to 100 ducklings, in line. Hilary added the good news that, “an eider nest has been recorded really close to the Castles Dike and the eiders have been seen swimming under the new bridge and into the wetland site.”

We saw shelduck and black-headed gulls feeding on the mud at the edge of the new lagoons. Teal, snipe, mallard, reed bunting and sedge warbler have been spotted on previous visits. We look forward to finding out more about the range birds using the site over the coming months.

Together Northumberland 4shores Project and Coquet View have restored a mosaic of coastal habitats over 8 hectares (that’s the size of 12 football pitches) at the site, including 6.5ha of coastal saltmarsh habitat – a Biodiversity Action Priority.

More information from Maria Hardy maria.hardy@environment-agency.gov.uk