Wildlife in December on the Tyne Derwent Way

The Tyne Derwent Way is home to an array of wildlife, with the opportunity to explore a mix of habitats including river, woodland, scrubland, meadow, saltmarsh and estuary. In this series of monthly blogs, we'll join Wild Intrigue to discover some of the wildlife that calls these habitats home, sharing ecological insights as well as the best places and times to visit.

With December heralding the arrival of winter, the wildlife of the Tyne Derwent Way begins to fall into the rhythms of these colder, shorter days. A particular jewel in the crown of wildlife spectacles along the route is the Tyne Estuary.

The tidal nature of the River Tyne creates rich intertidal zones, which attract a whole host of wildlife throughout the year. In December it's the perfect place to find migratory wading birds. The mudflats create an ideal habitat for invertebrates to settle within - this offers a feast for wading birds, which use their beaks to probe for this hidden food-source.

Species such as redshank, lapwing, and curlew can be seen wintering throughout the Tyne Estuary, alongside black-headed gulls, herring gulls, cormorants, grey herons and, this winter, a single little egret!

The curlew is one of the highlights that can be discovered on the Tyne Estuary during winter. Recognisable by an unmistakable long bill and brown plumage, between 20 and 30 curlews spend winter between the Redheugh and Scotswood Bridges. After breeding and summering in Scandinavia, Finland and western Russia, curlews return to winter on the Tyne Estuary every winter. A site-faithful species, the Tyne Estuary curlews will return to the same place every year - one curlew (the oldest recorded) was found to be 32 years and 7 months!

For your best chance of seeing a curlew on the Tyne Derwent Way we recommend visiting an hour before or after low tide. The low tide times (in daylight) for this month are:

1 December - 9:21am
2 December - 9.54am
3 December - 10.30am
4 December - 11.06am
5 December - 11.45am
6 December - 12.30pm
7 December - 1.23pm
8 December - 2.25pm
9 December - 3.25pm
13 December - 7.27am
14 December - 8.19am
15 December - 9.08am
16 December - 9.53am
17 December - 10.36am
18 December - 11.18am
19 December - 11.57am
20 December - 12.36pm
21 December - 1.18pm
22 December - 2.06pm
23 December - 3.03pm
24 December - 4.12pm
29 December - 8.23am
30 December - 9.03am
31 December - 09.41am

The best places to see curlews are:

Dunston Staiths

Curlew can be seen feeding within the Staiths basin, but are also viewable from the area in front of the Staiths Café (what3words reference - https://what3words.com///banks.city.assets) and by the mouth of the River Team (https://what3words.com///pits.basin.bliss).

By Costco

The viewing area opposite Costco can also be a good place to see curlews. Look up the river towards the large mudflats (https://what3words.com///rank.ideal.under).

The mouth of the River Derwent

The mouth of the River Derwent provides an excellent viewpoint for the north side of the river (https://what3words.com///such.bells.nearly).

Let us know if you see a curlew on the Tyne Derwent Way this December!