Wednesday 3 January 2018

My first day at the coast and the excuses have started.

OK then, I've started my challenge for 2018 in trying to see 2,000 species in a year and all within 100 metres of the Durham coastal high water mark.

My first trip to the coast was yesterday, 2nd January and it looks like I've already started with  the excuses. I went down to South Shields and had a look around the Pier and Littlehaven area. It rained really heavily and I got a right good soaking. Due to other commitments, I had to leave after lunch which wasn't a bad thing due to the rain.

I did see  a few birds just offshore and within my 100m target even if they were on the sea, such as Eider, Common Scoter and Red-throated Diver. Better still were the couple of good ones that flew over, namely an adult Mediterrean and a large first-winter Glaucous Gull but the rain really did hamper my progress.

Male Common Eider - 1 of a pair just off shore

Female Common Scoter,this one was very close inshore,  two others were further out

Red-throated Diver. Like the Scoters one was within limit but others were further out.


Purple Sandpiper - 1 of a group of 10




I was at the seaside of course so managed a few seaweeds


Oarweed and Serrated Wrack seaweeds


though mostly the species I saw were plants, including  Red Valerian and Tall Melilot both still in flower.

Tall Melilot


 In the end I saw 19 species of bird, 1 mollusc, 3 seaweeds, 30 plants and 2 mosses giving a total of 55 species.

I suppose in theory if I check once a week throughout the year and see about 40 new species each time I'll do it but I know it's certainly not going to be that easy.

The species I saw at South Shields (all within 100m of the HWM remember) were -



Anthus petrosus petrosus Rock Pipit
Arenaria interpres Ruddy Turnstone
Calidris alba Sanderling
Calidris alpina Dunlin
Calidris maritima Purple Sandpiper
Chroicocephalus ridibundus Black-headed Gull
Corvus corone Carrion Crow
Erithacus rubecula European Robin
Gavia stellata Red-throated Loon
Haematopus ostralegus Eurasian Oystercatcher
Larus argentatus argenteus Western Herring Gull
Larus canus Common Gull
Larus hyperboreus Glaucous Gull
Larus marinus Great Black-backed Gull
Larus melanocephalus Mediterranean Gull
Melanitta nigra Black Scoter
Phalacrocorax aristotelis European Shag
Phalacrocorax carbo carbo Great Cormorant
Somateria mollissima Common Eider
Patella vulgata  Common Limpet
Fucus vesiculosus   Bladder wrack
Fucus serratus   Serrated wrack
Laminaria digitata  Oarweed
Achillea millefolium Yarrow
Armeria maritima   Thrift 
Artemisia vulgaris Mugwort
Bellis perennis Daisy
Blackstonia perfoliata   Yellow-wort
Buddleja davidii Butterfly-bush
Capsella bursa-pastoris Shepherd's-purse
Centranthus ruber   Red Valerian
Cirsium arvense Creeping Thistle
Cochlearia officinalis Common Scurvy-grass
Cytisus scoparius   Broom
Galium aparine Cleavers
Hedera helix Common Ivy
Hippophae rhamnoides Sea-buckthorn
Hypochaeris radicata Cat's-ear
Lathyrus latifolius Broad-leaved Everlasting-Pea
Leymus arenarius   Lyme-grass
Linaria purpurea Purple Toadflax
Melilotus altissimus    Tall Melilot
Plantago coronopus Buck's-horn Plantain
Plantago lanceolata Ribwort Plantain
Poa annua Annual Meadow-grass
Rosa rugosa Japanese Rose
Rubus fruticosus agg. Bramble
Senecio squalidus   Oxford Ragwort
Senecio vulgaris Groundsel
Stellaria media Common Chickweed
Taraxacum agg. Dandelion
Trifolium pratense Red Clover
Ulex europaeus Gorse
Brachythecium albicans Whitish Feather-moss
Syntrichia ruralis var. ruraliformis  Sand-hill Screw-moss

Total to date - 55 species- only 1,945 to go

1 comment:

  1. Great stuff, jamming into that Glauc was a nice touch! I still think 2K is a massive target, but if anybody can... after all, you do have prior form for this sorta thing, I guess.

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