Places to see birds

Middlesbrough and Stockton Parklands

Many of these sites are overlooked for serious birdwatching. Many birds rely on these places as wintering grounds as well as to provide good locations to rear young. Ropner Park in Stockton, More...

North Gare and Seaton Snook

Sitting at the mouth of the Tees estuary, this is the North Tees equivalent of the South Gare, with a good beach, dunes and a man-made breakwater. Access is easy via a cattle grid off the Se More...

Hurworth Burn

Travelling north on the A19, head for Dalton Piercy. More...

Seal Sands and Greatham Creek

Seal Sands is an area of tidal mud flats and a National Nature Reserve. A visit at any time of year will be productive, especially winter for sheer numbers; spring and autumn for wader passage and regular rarities. More...

Saltholme RSPB Reserve and Discovery Centre.

This reserve is a good centre for some of the Saltholme Pools, for Haverton Hole, and for some wetland areas previously not easy to see. It also has an RSPB shop and a cafe and frequently has a programme of family activities. It is situated on the left of the Hartlepool Road from Port Clarence. More...

Coatham Marsh

This Tees Valley Wildlife Trust nature reserve is a rich mosaic of ancient saltmarsh, freshwater marsh, lakes and wildflower meadows crossed by a freshwater fleet. It is important not only l More...

Hartlepool Headland

Located on a promontory almost surrounded by the sea makes Hartlepool Headland a first landfall for many migrants and a good spot from which to observe movement of seabirds along the east co More...

Locke Park, Redcar

Locke Park is a small, well-kept public park just across the road from Coatham Marsh. Because of its close proximity to the sea, it has attracted many rarities over the years. The wide varie More...

Lockwood Beck Reservoir

Lockwood Beck reservoir was constructed in 1876 and borders the North Yorks Moors. It occupies a small site and has conifers down the west side. The stream by the car park is lined with coni More...

North Tees Marshes

Many of the pools in this region are man-made and/or of industrial origins. Reclamation work has resulted in low-lying land with a high water-table, in some parts still affected by salt from More...

Portrack Marsh

Owned by Northumbrian Water, Portrack Marsh is close to the River Tees and is best accessed by the footpath along the Tees from Newport Bridge. The area has seen some changes in recent years More...

Saltholme Pools

Located either side of the Seaton Carew road as you leave Port Clarence, these pools provide easy viewing and a wide variety of bird species. Wildfowl and waders are the predominant species  More...

Scaling Dam Reservoir

Scaling Dam Reservoir was constructed in the 1950s on the edge of the North Yorks Moors. It adjoins the A171 from Teesside to Whitby at a point about 12 miles west of Whitby. A spacious, unl More...

South Gare

A man-made breakwater at the mouth of the River Tees. The mixture of rough ground, sand dunes, tidal mud flats and both freshwater and saltwater pools make this a good spot for watching bird More...