Kittiwake: From Gosforth Park Nature Dawn and I headed across town to the world famous Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art located on the south bank of the River Tyne alongside the Gateshead Millennium Bridge.
Not only is the famous for contemporary art but for its breeding colony of kittiwake. I've often passed Newcastle but never actually stopped to see the city and I've always wanted to come a see its kittiwakes.
Easily mistaken for their the its more standard seagull cousins, the kittiwakes were first observed around the city in the 1940s.
Since then the breeding colony consists of around 750 active nests around Gateshead with 250 plus nests on the Baltic itself.
These are the only urban colony of kittiwakes in the UK and the furthest inland breeding colony in the world, and unfortunately they are not loved by some of the locals.
Unfortunately they face a potential war. these pretty little gulls have now been condemned as an obstacle to the riverside's award-winning regeneration.
They are condemned for their noise levels and mess as described as a"nightmare" and "horrendous".
These special birds should be cherished, kittiwakes are causing concern internationally after several poor breeding years in their North Atlantic strongholds.
A shortage of their staple prey, sand eels, has coincided with an increase in their main predator, the great skua. Breeding pairs in northern Scotland, home to the main UK population, fell by more than half to 23,000 in the past two decades and recovery has been slow.
The birds are on almost every high ledge and building in the area and they nest on the ledges of the iconic Millennium Bridge.
This is a great place to come and see them peeking through the blueish raw iron posts and roosting on the ledge just below the public pathway.
Its also a good vantage point to observe the birds flying around the city skyline.
I simply loved them, they for me enhance a great vibrant city and hope they have a long future nesting here.
