North Gare Bushes

Revised August 2019 by Martin Blick

BACKGROUND

North Gare Bushes comprise a long line of sea buckthorn scrub stretching from the pumping station at the southern end of Seaton Carew, adjacent to the beachfront car park, to North Gare breakwater, at the mouth of the River Tees.  Despite being disliked by some as “exotic”, these extensive bushes separate the coastal sand dune system and beach to the east from Seaton Carew Golf Course to the west and, combined with the short and long turf of the latter, provide an excellent landfall for tired migrants.  In recent years, Natural England has been attempting to remove some of the bushes which lie within the Teesmouth National Nature Reserve (TNNR).

The area is littered with former war defences, including tank blocks, barbed wire, concrete pill boxes and metal fencing, which make ideal perches for certain species, such as chats and wheatears.  The dense scrub is quite hard to work and some birds are often picked up on call.

ACCESS, LOCATION AND STRATEGY 

North Gare Bushes are easily accessed from two main points:  from the north via A178 and beachfront (pay and display) car park adjacent to the pumping station at Seaton Carew; and from the south via the TNNR North Gare car park off the A178, access to which lies between Seaton Carew and the Zinc Works Road.  Park in either of these two areas and slowly walk the length of the bushes and back, avoiding trespass on to the adjacent golf course and tripping over the hidden stubs of bushes where these have been cut down.  The best times to visit are during the spring (April-June) and autumn (August- November) passage periods, particularly after “fall” conditions (easterly winds, poor visibility and overnight rain).  The site has produced some excellent scarce and rare species over the years and you should allow at least two to three hours to complete a circuit thoroughly.

As is almost always the case with any site, an early morning visit is recommended, as the adjacent beach, dunes and golf course are well used and there is a considerable amount of human disturbance.  Ensure that you cover both sides of the bushes:  the east for the dunes and the west for the golf course, with its short grass ideal for Shore Lark, Ring Ouzel and Wheatear.

BIRDS

The site is fairly species poor in summer and winter and it has a relatively narrow range of breeding species, which includes Skylark, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Dunnock, Meadow Pipit, Linnet and Reed Bunting.

As with any location, there are no guarantees for success even at optimum times, but regular watching should eventually produce rewards, as has proved to be the case over the years.  Regular visits during spring and autumn should be rewarded with Cuckoo, Tree Pipit, Yellow Wagtail (and variants), Whinchat, Black Redstart, Wheatear, Ring Ouzel, Whitethroat, Lesser Whitethroat, Garden Warbler, Blackcap, Goldcrest, Pied and Spotted Flycatchers, Siskin and Snow Bunting, while less common species such as Long-eared Owl, Wryneck, Shorelark, Yellow-browed Warbler, Red-backed Shrike, Mealy Redpoll and Lapland Bunting may take longer to encounter.  Don’t forget to check the sky for Short-eared Owl, Sparrowhawk, Peregrine and Merlin, which often hunt over the bushes, dunes and beach and there is always a chance of a fly-over Common or Honey Buzzard or Osprey in late spring, or flocks of visible migrants, including Swift, various hirundines, Skylark, Meadow Pipit, Pied Wagtail, Goldfinch, Siskin, Twite, Linnet and Redpoll.  In autumn, flocks of Pink-footed and Barnacle Geese occasionally fly over and are often first picked up distantly on call as they move south along the coast.

During “fall” conditions, North Gare Bushes can be alive with birds, particularly when there are big autumn arrivals of Robins, Redwings, Fieldfares and Song Thrushes, when other species are often mixed in with these, including Goldcrest, which can often number in their thousands!  October and November are the best months for the rarer warblers, such as Radde’s and Dusky.

The list of rare and scarce birds seen at North Gare Bushes in the recent past is mouth-watering and includes a Sandhill Crane (the famous fly-over in 2011), Buff-breasted Sandpiper (next to North Gare car park in September 2007), Hoopoe, Red-throated Pipit (October 2010), Shore Lark, Red-spotted Bluethroat, Marsh Warbler, Icterine Warbler, Western Bonelli’s Warbler, Hume’s Yellow-browed Warbler, Firecrest, Red-eyed Vireo (two Cleveland records – October 1991 and 2010) and Common Rosefinch (three singing males in May 2008).