Upload images
Allowed image types are jpeg,png,gif
Max file size is 20MB
A country park created over an old coal mine and spoil heap, with a reasonable selection of farmland and scrubland birds.
At Weetslade Country Park the old mine spoil heap, now landscaped and grassed over, offers a good lookout point for visible migration. The area is nesting habitat for Sanglærke and Engpiber, and feeding habitat for migrating Stenpikker on the north and west sides, and Tornsanger, Løvsanger, Gulspurv and other scrubland birds on the Gorse- and Hawthorn-covered south and east sides. Elsewhere, the small bird feeding station attracts many birds including Fyrremejse. Two pools and their surrounding wetland hold Sivsanger and Rørsanger, and often one or two Silkehejre, a recent colonist this far north. In winter, Vindrossel and Sjagger are common on the fields at the west end of the site. Raptors include regular Musvåge, Spurvehøg, and Tårnfalk, and occasional passage Rød Glente and others.
National Cycle Route 10 (Reivers Way) crosses Weetslade Country Park, and is the best way to cover it. Bus services 43 and 45 from Newcastle upon Tyne are 5 minutes walk from the west end of the site, and there is a car park at the east end (plus limited on-street parking at the west end).
Note that most of the paths become very wet throughout the winter, and after heavy rain at any time of year, as the ground is heavily compacted and with poor drainage.
Please approach the feeding station slowly, to avoid spooking birds using it! The seats for the feeding station are usually wet, so a sit-mat is useful.
Your feedback will be sent to the author of this area and the editors of Birdingplaces. They will use your feedback to improve the quality of the information. Do you want to post a visible comment? Then please click away this box and use the 'Comment' button at the bottom of this birdingplace.
Help to improve the information in the text of this birdingplace.
Help to improve the quality of the information on the map of this birdingplace.
Help to improve the quality of the bird species list of this birdingplace. (Do you want to share your observations? Please use the 'Comment' button at the bottom of this birdingplace)
Click on the little bird icon () to insert bird names in your own language. The birdnames will automatically be translated for other users!