In November we were very pleased to post some beautiful photos of Stonechats, Whinchats, a Meadow Pipit and the clearest picture of a Cowbar goldfinch we’ve seen yet, all provided by Mark Askew of Teesmouth Bird Club. (You can see his post here: Autumn migrants stop off to refuel on Cowbar )
Mark also shared some information about the autumn bird migration and what to look out for on Cowbar in the autumn months and kindly arranged for us to make an appeal for more photos of birds on Cowbar in the Teesmouth Bird Club’s December newsletter.
You can visit the bird club’s website using this link: Teesmouth Bird Club – Bird Watching North East | Birding (teesmouthbc.com) or just go straight to their December newsletter from here: TBC NL 83_v9 (teesmouthbc.com)
The newsletter is an excellent read for anyone wanting to know more about bird life in the area and contains some stunning photos. It includes a calendar roundup of species spotted locally which is very encouraging, some interesting information about grassland management at Greatham Creek to compare with Cowbar and an entertaining article about the public’s reactions to bird watchers.
One article in particular helps expand our understanding of how the Cowbar Kestrel tracks its prey. (Read more about the Cowbar Kestrel here: Kestrel ) We knew it used UV sensitive cones in its eyes – something humans don’t have – to track urine trails in the grassland. The article on pages 9 & 10 (‘Do you see what I see?’) explains the difference between birds’ tetrachromic colour perception and humans’ trichromic vision in much more detail with some superb photographs. It’s all well worth a read, with the Cowbar article appearing on page 19.
Mark also sent us this picture of a little Cowbar Rock Pipit taken recently.
There is a pair of them which can be seen hopping about the rocks under Cowbar Nab but apparently they actually nest on the cliff edge and bankside.
We are hoping to share more excellent photos from birdwatchers on Cowbar as the months go on and would be pleased to receive Cowbar photos and news from anyone. Please email us at hello@cowbarnature.co.uk or use the contact page on this website.