Seaham - Ryhope

Yesterday was one of those days when I thought I shouldn’t bother, then changed my mind and regretted the latter. It was bitterly cold and a strong cold wind had just blown the mist away when I set off for the coast. I decided to walk the 4 miles from Ryhope to Seaham along the coastal path but with the wind blowing strongly from the south, opted to do it in reverse.

The temperature was -4C and according to the weather forecast the wind chill would make it feel like -8C - I believe it. Of course what I foolishly didn’t check was the tide situation and it had just hit high tide. That together with the high seas confirmed I had made a lousy decision.

Nonetheless, off I set, if nothing else, to get some fresh air. Most of this stretch is on top of 15m high coastal cliffs, with the high watermark not far from the cliff base,  so I at least had 50m of clifftop grassland to check as I walked along. This should be helpful in getting the final species total up later in the year and due to the tides it was the really the only option to check for anything today. This proved correct and did give me a couple of birds not normally associated with the seashore,  namely a covery of 8 Grey Partridge in a piece of arable and a hen Bullfinch at the entrace to Ryhope Colliery Dene, as well as my first mammal, even if it was only a Rabbit.

Phragmites australis (Common Reed) on the cliff top

Tortula muralis (Wall screw moss) at the entrance to Ryhope Colliery Dene

So another 35 species so up to 118 species  (1882 to go)

Falco tinnunculus            Common Kestrel
Troglodytes troglodytes indigenus    British Wren
Pyrrhula pyrrhula             Bullfinch
Motacilla alba yarrellii        Pied Wagtail
Corvus monedula                Jackdaw
Columba livia                 Feral Pigeon
Vanellus vanellus             Lapwing
Sturnus merula                Common Starling
Turdus merula                Blackbird
Perdix perdix                Grey Partridge
Columba palumbus             Wood Pigeon
Oryctolagus cuniculus              Rabbit
Ensis ensis                  Common Razor shell
Modiolus modiolus              Horse Mussel
Lophocolea bidentata              Bifid Crestwort
Brachythecium rutabulum            Rough-stalked Feather-moss
Tortula muralis             Wall Screw-moss
Marchantia polymorpha subsp. ruderalis  Common Liverwort
Eupatorium cannabinum              Hemp-agrimony
Juncus effusus                 Soft-rush
Deschampsia cespitosa             Tufted Hair-grass
Phragmites australis              Common Reed
Teucrium scorodonia             Wood Sage
Dipsacus fullonum              Wild Teasel
Holcus lanatus              Yorkshire-fog
Pteridium aquilinum             Bracken
Sambucus nigra                 Elder
Fraxinus excelsior              Ash
Heracleum sphondylium              Hogweed
Trifolium repens             White Clover
Dactylis glomerata             Cock's-foot
Vicia sativa                 Common Vetch
Vicia sepium                  Bush Vetch
Cerastium fontanum              Common Mouse-ear
Urtica dioica                  Common Nettle

Seaham harbour

Popped into Seaham Harbour for an hour yesterday. More wind and rain and heavy seas, quite bracing.
Added another 27, common bits and pieces  but couldn't see anything in a few rockpools. Need to invest in a net and bucket me thinks.

 Amongst what I did see were -

Centranthus ruber (Red Valerian)

Petasites fragrans (Winter Heliotrope)

Redshank

Rock Pipit

Pelvetia canaliculata (Channelled Wrack)

Turnstone

Dilsea carnosa (Red Rags)

Ulva lactuca (Sea Lettuce)

Most interesting thing was probably a Black-headed Gull. Well, it did have a colour ring on. A Dark-green inscribed in white JM67 and seems to have been recorded quite frequently. It had been rung at Mølledammen in Norway in April 2015 and seen there till July, seen here at Seaham in September & November 2015, back in Norway April-May 2016. Seaham again November 2016 and again now.

New species for the list  were

Tringa totanus             Common Redshank
Charadrius hiaticula         Common Ringed Plover
Petasites fragrans          Winter Heliotrope
Veronica persica          Common Field-speedwell
Sonchus oleraceus          Smooth Sow-thistle
Geranium molle          Dove's-foot Crane's-bill
Rumex obtusifolius          Broad-leaved Dock
Sisymbrium officinale          Hedge Mustard
Malva sylvestris          Common Mallow
Agrostis stolonifera          Creeping Bent
Agrostis capillaris          Common Bent
Centaurea nigra          Common Knapweed
Cirsium vulgare         Spear Thistle
Plantago maritima         Sea Plantain
Honckenya peploides           Sea Sandwort
Senecio cineraria          Silver Ragwort
Sagina maritima         Sea Pearlwort
Tripleurospermum maritimum      Sea Mayweed
Festuca rubra             Red Fescue
Potentilla reptans          Creeping Cinquefoil
Dilsea carnosa             Red Rags
Pelvetia canaliculata          Channelled Wrack
Ulva lactuca             Sea Lettuce
Enteromorpha intestinalis      Gutweed
Semibalanus balanoides         Common Barnacle
Xanthoria parietina         a lichen
Ceratodon purpureus          Redshank
Bryum dichotomum         Bicoloured Bryum


Now at 83 species (1917 to go)

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