Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre and Druridge Bay Nature Reserves

Biggest landscape investigation ever undertaken by The Wildlife Trusts is underway on The Rothbury Estate in Northumberland: https://www.nwt.org.uk/news/new-research-starts-unlock-wild-secrets-vast-nature-recovery-project

New research starts to unlock the wild secrets of vast nature recovery project | Northumberland Wildlife Trust Groundbreaking wildlife acoustic monitoring and soil analysis begin at The Rothbury Estate in Northumberland.

Superb songbirds are serenading us as we gently meander through the reserve. Would you like to broaden your scope of nature this summer?

Receive expert advice about a full range of optical equipment on sale and try before you buy a new pair of binoculars or a telescope with the professionals from In Focus, Binocular and Telescope Specialists, U.K. joining us 10am to 4pm today at Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre and Nature Reserve. Please note: In June, In Focus will be at Hauxley on Sunday 28th only. Thank you.

Rare species, with less than fifty pairs breeding in the UK, the beautiful dusky, black redstart visits Hauxley Nature Reserve during the summer months.

Behaving similarly to swallows and sand martins, black redstarts can catch insect prey in mid-air, also known as ‘feeding on the wing’.

In the breeding season, males sing from prominent and very high song posts. The song includes loud musical whistles and strange, coarse grinding sounds likened to gravel being crunched.

Measuring 14.5cm long with a wingspan approximating 24cm, the black redstart is a robin-sized bird, which often quivers its tail. Males are sooty grey, with black on their face and breast, a white flash on the wings, and a bright orange-red tail with a dark band down the centre. Females and young birds are grey-brown but still have a bright orange-red tail with a dark band. The tail is used to communicate and to attract a mate during the breeding season.

Classified in the UK as Amber under the Birds of Conservation Concern 5: the Red List for Birds (2021), the black redstart is protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981, where it is listed as a Schedule 1 species. 🐦🐦🐦

Are you celebrating wonderful memories, a special occasion or an extraordinary person in your life? Have you thought about gifting a symbolic Giving Tree leaf engraved with your very own personal message?

Your leaf will be prominently displayed on the elegantly sculptured Giving Tree, set in a prominent position in the Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre.

Your generous donation will go towards the running of the amazing and tranquil Northumberland Wildlife Trust Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre and Nature Reserve on Druridge Bay and help to bring people closer to nature.

For further information you can pick up a leaflet from reception, or telephone: 0191 2846884 or visit: https://www.nwt.org.uk/support-us/donate/giving-tree

The Giving Tree_Image compositor Sheila Luck

🐝Active late winter to summertime, the red mason bee is common in England and Wales, but rarer in Scotland. This species is a small, gingery bee that nests in hollow plant stems, in holes in cliffs, and in the crumbling mortar of old buildings.

On the wing from late march, the red mason bee is solitary bee which feeds soley on pollen and nectar. After mating, each female builds its own nest; she lines each 'cell' with mud and pollen and lays a single egg in each until the cavity is full. The larvae hatch and develop, pupating in autumn and hibernating over winter.

Measuring between 0.6cm and 1.1cm, the red mason bee is covered in dense gingery hair; the males are smaller than the females and sport a white tuft of hair on the face. There are many similar species of masonry bee that can be difficult to identify.

You can provide a home in your garden for solitary bees by putting some dry grass in an upturned flowerpot and partly burying it. Alternatively, you can make an insect home by filling an old tin can with short lengths of cane, placing them vertically inside the can so that their hollow insides are visible.🐝🎋🐝🏡🐝

🦆Celebrate your half-term holiday with our fabulously, fun and free, Summer Bird Spotting Trail! Explore Hauxley Nature Reserve in search of some or the amazing birds living on the reserve and visiting. Listen to and watch birds from the footpaths and our hides around the lakes.

🐦Simply ask our reception team for your free Early Summer Bird Spotting Trail. If you’re able to bring pencils or crayons, we will be grateful. 10:00 to 15:00 daily Friday 22nd to Sunday 31st May.

🍰 Maybe treat yourself to a tasty Hauxley scone, light lunch or snack from The Lookout Café! Open 10.00 to 16.30 daily, with hot food service ending 15:30. 🦅🐦‍⬛🦢🦉🦆

Image compositor Sheila Luck

🔭A fabulous selection of ducks and geese may be spotted on the reserve at the moment, like this pair of graylag geese captured beautifully here by visitors Neil and Sam, recently.

Would you like to capture fantastic views of wildlife this summer? You can try before you buy a new pair of binoculars or a telescope and receive expert advice from the In Focus, Binocular and Telescope Specialists, U.K. professionals about a full range of optical equipment on sale. Join us Sunday at Hauxley Wildlife Dicovery Centre and Nature Reserve 10am to 4pm. Please note: In June, In Focus will be at Hauxley on Sunday 28th only. Thank you. 🔭🐦🦅🦆🦉

Image by Neil and Sam. Thank you.

🦌Roe deer may often be spotted on the reserve and occasionally swimming in the lakes even! Grazing mammals, roe deer like this young buck, feed on buds and leaves from trees and shrubs, along with grasses, ferns and heathers. On hot days, roe deer may be spotted taking a cooling dip in the lakes too! 🦌🦌🦌

Image by Sheila Luck