Druridge Bay is a pristine stretch of golden sand in Northumberland nestled between the settlements of Cresswell at its south end and Amble to the north. Commonly, there are plenty of seabirds around, various gulls, Sanderlings, Dunlin, Oystercatcher, Cormorants and more. Among the dunes, you will see and hear Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting, Skylark and more. But, head ever so slightly inland across the dunes and the main road and you will reach a watery wildlife reserve that was once an open-cast mine where there is now an abundance of waterfowl: Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Redshank, Lapwing, Grey Heron, Shoveler, Mallard, Avocet, and many others. On our visit (14th April 2018), there was also Ruff, Pintail, Red-breasted Merganser, and various others.
Hunting Heron (Ardea cinerea)
Red-breasted Merganser (f) splashing about (Mergus serrator)
Red-breasted Merganser pair
Ruff preening (Calidris pugnax)
Crowd of Curlew (Numenius arquata)
Black-tailed Godwit take fright and flight (Limosa limosa)
Bedraggled female Linnet (Carduelis cannabina); male Stonechat (Saxicola rubicola) behind
Skylark showing his crest well near Cresswell (Alauda arvensis)
