Spring is in the Air

Well Spring is definately here. I have been on a rescue mission today. I have been able to rescue two newts (names Nigel and Norman) which must have come out of hibernation due to the lovely weather we are having today. They were found wandering along the path so I have put them close to the letch.

This is Norman

This is Nigel

Called to the Wetlands today to see what activity was taking place. Our geese are back, along with their youngster from last year. There were also 5 Oystercatchers "screeching" about.




When I returned back to our little hut, I happened to notice a wood mouse was trapped in one of our large containers. There was wheat in the bottom so it would have been okay but it would not have been able to get back out. I managed to catch it and after it ran into my hair twice - I couldn't stopping laughing as the little fella was tickling me - he jumped down and ran off. Mind, at one point, I thought he had gone down the back of my top! I have put the lid back on the container so hopefully he will not get trapped again. Wish I had taken the camera.











Just call be Dr Doolittle today!

Another New Species

We have another new bird at the Wetlands this week. Jimmy has spotted 7 Lesser Redpolls. I have no pictures but have "borrowed" this one off The RSPB's website.

Still no sign of our mallards, tufteds and swans as the ponds are completely frozen over. Hopefully they will appear back when the weather starts to thaw a bit.

Can I please remind you all to feed our little bird visitors in our gardens. This weather is not the best for them.

This will be the last blog until after the Christmas - so let me just say "Happy Christmas" to you all and speak to you in the New Year.

Where have they all gone?

Sorry not been on for a while but have been a bit busy with other things.

Quick update - Have been to the Wetlands this morning with the lovely Kevin to find no birds apart from 3 coots which were hiding under the decking. I think this is due to the ponds both being frozen over completely. I know they are coming back in to roost so hopefully they are getting swimming lessons at other areas around us.

We had a new species of bird spotted at the Wetlands for the first time last week. 7 siskins. Jimmy managed to spot them in the bit of woodland at the back of the Pugh Pond.

We have also set up a fund raising account with www.easyfundraising.org.uk.

All you need to do is register yourself on this (its free!) and go to search a cause to support. Type in SWWAN and this will link you to our bit of their site. Then you can use various companies to buy all your prezzies for Christmas. You must keep easyfundraising window open to do this. There are over 2000 companies including Amazon, Play.com and all the major supermarkets and department stores. Each company will let you know how much they will donate to your cause. It's fab. I am using it all the time and have bought the majority of my Christmas presents through it.

If you need help or have any questions about this, please contact me.

If I don't manage to get on the blog before Christmas Holidays start - I would like to wish you all a "Happy Christmas and wonderful New Year"

Sandra xx

Cygnet Rescue

Lovely note this morning from Bob Smee on the Bio Plant to say the last cygnet present at the Wetlands had managed to get stuck in the bund on the Bio Plant. He must have been trying to fly, bless him - in this rain too!

With a click of my heels, I dashed across to the Bio and myself and Bob managed to corner him so that I could pick him up and put him back on the lagoon.

After checking nothing was broken and feeding him some wheat, off he swam!

I wish every day could be like this instead of stuck in the damn office! Well back to work........

Swan Ringing

Paul, his brother and friend came into today to carry out the annual ringing of the cygnets. What a mare they had!! They only managed to catch one out four of the cygnets and the male, who was not best pleased.

The hefty thing weighed in at 10lbs, 2lbs lighter than his Dad - and yes its was male.

Paul and co will be coming back in over the next few weeks to catch the others.

Thats the swans not speaking to me now for a few weeks - ha ha

If I am not on holiday next time Paul comes in, I will take some more photos.

Thanks to Paul for this one

This Weeks Bird Count from Jimmy

Here is Jimmys count from yesterday:

Mute Swan with young : 6 (4 are young)
Mallard : 4
Tufted Duck with young : 11 (7 are young)
Moorhen : 2
Coot with young : 6 (2 are young)
Black Headed Gull : 7
Lesser Black Backed Gull : 2
Herring Gull : 3
Woodpigeon : 3
Collared Dove : 4
Sandmartin : 1
Swallow : 11
House Martin : 6
Pied Wagtail : 15
Willow Warbler : 1
Magpie : 1
Jackdaw : 2
Crow : 1
Greenfinch : 2
Goldfinch : 5
Linnet : 1

Blagdon Visit

Yesterday, Helen, Paul, Kevin and myself were very kindly invited to visit Lord Ridley and Blagdon Estate to have a look at their wetlands area within the estate. This area is vast and is made up of two parts, both of which are fab. Lets hope that our wetlands can look like this some day, but obviously on a smaller scale.

Lord Ridley is a pleasure to be in the company of and has a lot of knowledge which we are lapping up with extreme excitement.

He has asked us to take some of the seeds of his collection of trees so that we can have a collection of our own on site. We are looking forward to planting these soon.

Here are a few pictures of the wetland areas at Blagdon.

Area 1

Area 2

We are hoping to go back soon and visit other areas of the Blagdon Estate and look forward to hearing some more stories from the Lord.

I would like to thank the Lord and Shaun Hartley for sparing the time to show us about. We were all very impressed and now full of more ideas on improving our wetlands area.

Update and Bird Count

Not alot happening at the mo with regards the Wetlands Project. We are sourcing new funding so that we can construct a bird hide and small bird feeding station - so I will keep you all posted on what is happening with that.

Our geese have finally flown. Good luck to the baby - who I name "Emu" and lets hope we see him again.

Thought I would give you some bird figures for this week:

Mute Swan with young : 6
Mallard : 3
Tufted Duck with young : 11
Kestrel : 1
Moorhen with young : 2
Cost with young : 7
Oystercatcher : 1
Lesser Black Backed Gull 2
Feral Pigeon : 3
Woodpigeon : 3
Collared Dove : 2
Swallow : 8
House Martin : 15
Pied Wagtail : 1
Jackdaw : 2
Crow : 2
Goldfinch : 2

Not alot of birds here at the mo when Jimmy is here. Lets hope this picks up too.

More bird counts next week

Our Open Day

Sorry everyone for not writing anything sooner. I have been a tad busy with other things.

Just wanted to put a few words on about our Official Open Day on 1st July. This went extremely well and all the kids seemed to have a fab time and have said they all want to come back (during the Summer holidays) - so you know what is going to happen don't you? They are going to be turning up at security looking for me.

A big thank you to all of you who came along to make the day special. We had lots of help from the Wildlife Trust as usual including pond dipping by Anthony and moth trapping by Elaine and Steve. I should also like to thank Jude, one of our neighbours and Jack Nevins who helped us on the day.

Three schools came along on the day - Fordley Primary School, Crookhill Primary School and Cramlington Learning Village. Fordley very kindly opened our new pathway and Crookhill put a new carp into the lagoons which they have named "Cabby".

Cramlington Learning Village

Fordley Primary School with Duncan from NWT

And again with Anthony from NWT

Crookhill Primary School

A big thank you to Kielder Birds of Prey Sanctuary who came along with a few of the birds they look after. The kids (and me!!!!) thought they were fab!

We had the News Post Leader here too. I will post the article from the paper soon.

Here are a few piccys of the day.

Lord Ridley's Visit to Wetlands

The Wetlands had a very important visitor today.......Lord Ridley. He came along with his Estates Manager, Shaun Hartley, and Steve Lowe from the Wildlife Trust to see the work that has been carried out to date. He was amazed at what had been achieved and at the abundance of wildlife and flora we have at present.

Lord Ridley actually opened the Shasun Site (known then as Hilton Davis) in 1968 and this was his first visit back since the opening. When he originally visited, all that stood on the Shasun grounds was Dudley 1 Manufacturing Plant. This has now grown to include 3 more manufacturing facilities and Development Centre to name but a few, and he could not believe the size.

We presented Lord Ridley with a photograph of him standing on the roof of Dudley 1 with The Duke of Northumberland in 1968 and he kindly gave us some willow to plant at the Wetlands.

We look forward to more visits from Lord Ridley in the future. He is welcome back anytime. What a lovely man.

"It's Official - Boardwalk is finished"

Well done to Dan and Anthony from Eco North, part of Northumberland Wildlife Trust, who after several weeks have finally completed the boardwalk. The boardwalk is 70 metres long and made from recycled plastic. This means the surface is non-slip and also will last a lifetime.

They will be a miss to the site. What a canny pair of lads. We hope that they will both be at the Open Day but Dan is due to be a Dad around that time so may not be able to make it. They have both become honoury members of the SWWAN team and their advice and wise crack jokes have been a blessing.

They have also constructed a bridge across the culvert to enable easy access to our bee hives when we get them sometime in the future.

Here is a piccy - bloody awful one of me (look like my Dad but with hair). Hope boot camp hurries up and helps me lose some weight!!!!

Fordley Primary School visit The Wetlands

We were recently visited by a group of school children (33 in all!!!) from our neighbouring school, Fordley Primary. This visit was to have a look about in preparation for our Official Open Day on Thursday 1st July. The school will actually be opening the new footpath, named "Fordley Footpath".

A competition is underway with the pupils to see who will "cut the ribbon". They have to draw a wildlife picture which will be judged by the SWWAN team.

Here are some photos of them hard at work on their drawings and having a bit pond dipping practice.

Photos

Here are just a few of the photos I have taken today at the Wetlands. Not sure if I have captured the Gadwalls but you never know.






Here is Big Al after helping me plant some trees next to Sandra's Nook. The trees were given to us from Jude, a neighbour to the site who likes to help us out when she can.

Two New Species at the Wetlands and update on the Geese

I came in on Monday to check on our new arrivals to find a strange bird on the lagoons. I thought that it was a parrot and then said to myself, Sandra don't be silly, parrots don't swim (well at least I don't think they do). I managed to take a photo of it and sent it off to my bird experts today to find that it is, in fact, a male Mandarin. Here it is.

Jimmy did our bird count today and discovered we have yet another new bird on the waters this week. Two Gadwalls have appeared. I have been up to get a photo of them so watch this space. Need to check that I have actually took a shot of them and not a blinking female mallard!

The geese and their gosling are doing well, although the new swans are attacking them a little bit. We are hopeful that the gosling is big enough and wise enough to stay clear of them. Here is a cheeky photo of him/her eating some bread on Monday. Bless him!

Looks like an Emu - ha ha!

Our Adopted Swans

Well Sunday was an eventful day for me. Whilst painting my kitchen, I got a phone call from Gary in Security to say that a family of swans had been rescued off the main road by two lads from The Clayton Arms. Carol, the Manager, must have thought they had come from here. I think they have actually walked from Annitsford pond to come and stay with us. I was on an hour and a half trying to get them through the gate at the top end of the car park. At the finish, I had to catch them and after getting whacked a few times from the cob, managed to get them through the gate and onto the lagoons. All are doing well and they are costing me a fortune in bread (you wouldn't think my other half works for Warburtons would you!!!!!)