19 little egret, 4 grey heron, 8 black tailed godwit, pochard, tufted duck, little grebe, cormorant, kestrel, green sandpiper, lapwing, redshank, greenshank, swallow, avocet and more available to see on the pools.
Sorry for my delayed reply batch. Leave was well needed. The best time to be at the pools coincides with high tide, which you can find on the internet, as it pushes the birds in off the river so you were spot on!!
There are no similar sightings for Northward Hill as the sightings are taken by visitors, such as yourself, that pass them on to me or by volunteers that do the same. This is something we are currently addressing. I was going to Cliffe every weekend with volunteers to do sightings but have now changed positions, someone will be replacing me in the near future. We would encourage anyone to post what they have seen at either reserve.
It is so pleasing that you give Northward Hill such praise. I hope this helps batch.
regards, Elliott
i hope you are right !!! would you answer 2 questions for us please !?! when is the best time to see avocets at cliffe , i have guessed that we should be there shortly before high tide , is that right ? and why are there no reports from northward hill when it is one of the most diverse , interesting and genuine places to see natuire at its best !! green woodpeckers , nuthatches, and the most amazing view of little egrets that anyone could possibly see .
thanks for for confirming what I hoped was isolated. As long as the weather is ok we will go back to cliffe on sunday 15 august as we keep hearing of mass flocks of avocets here. can i ask 2 questions , when is the best tide time to see the avocets , and why is northward hill not as popular because we thoiught it was a fantastic day out ?!?
Hello Batch,
I am sorry to hear that other visitors were disturbed by your son’s exuberance, however from our experience this is an isolated incident and we hope what future visits to Cliffe pools will be more enjoyable for you both. Your son may be interested to know that we had over 100 avocets this morning. Its very pleasing to hear about a young person being so happy to watch our British wildlife.
Hello Batch ,
I for one would be overjoyed to see an exuberant excited youngster enjoying his day out.
Its open air ( No Hides ) at Cliffe so I do not see a huge problem myself. I always see plenty of people
walking dogs , cycling, or just walking and talking and the birds must be used to it to an extent.
Do not let it put you off, as he gets older he will learn that stealth sometimes pays when watching birds, as we all have been through that stage. Long may he and you continue to enjoy your birding your way.
May all your Sandpipers be Curlew.