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Prestwick Carr

Coordinates: 55°03′22″N 1°41′46″W / 55.056°N 1.696°W / 55.056; -1.696
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Prestwick Carr
Prestwick Carr SSSI plantation (afar)
Prestwick Carr SSSI plantation (afar)
Prestwick Carr is located in Tyne and Wear
Prestwick Carr
Prestwick Carr
Location in Tyne and Wear
Coordinates: 55°03′22″N 1°41′46″W / 55.056°N 1.696°W / 55.056; -1.696
Grid positionNZ195735
LocationTyne and Wear, England, UK

Prestwick Carr is a large area of low-lying wetland on the northern boundary of the city of Newcastle-upon-Tyne in northeastern England between Dinnington and Ponteland. It is known for attracting various birds of wetlands and open country and is an Site of Special Scientific Interest[1] and a nature reserve managed by the Northumberland Wildlife Trust. A large part of the site is owned by the Ministry of Defence.[2]

Description and vegetation

Prestwick Carr sits within a low lying basin of peat to the north west of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. Within the site there are a range of wetland habitats including tall fen with soft rush and reed canary-grass, Common alder and downy birch dominated carr and a raised bog which is now surrounded by a coniferous forestry plantation. These wetlands were more extensive in the past but drainage has reduced their extent. The remaining open water supports a variety of aquatic species and the relict raised bog supports the rare bog rosemary.[1]

Birds

Prestwick Carr holds wildfowl and waders in the winter and has breeding Water rail, Eurasian skylark, willow tit and meadow pipit in summer. Barn owls and short-eared owls are also found there.[2][3] In 1853 a pair of wood sandpiper were recorded as nesting at Prestwick Carr, an unusual record for England.[4] In 2019-20 an Eastern yellow wagtail spent the winter at this site, part of an influx to Britain that winter.[5] Other unusual records have included great grey shrike and little gull.[3]

Dragonflies

Prestwick Carr also holds dragonflies and the first records in Northumberland of four-spotted chaser and common darter were made there by early naturalists.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "Prestwick Carr" (PDF). English Nature. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Prestwick Carr". Northumberland Wildlife Trust. Retrieved 16 March 2020.
  3. ^ a b Andy Mould, ed. (2017). Birds in Northumbria 2016 (PDF). Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club.
  4. ^ Kenna Chisholm (2007). "History of the wood sandpiper as a breeding bird in Britain" (PDF). British Birds. 100 (2): 112–121.
  5. ^ Barry Nightingale; Harry Hussey (2020). "Recent reports". British Birds. 113 (3): 287–188. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |last-author-amp= ignored (|name-list-style= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Harry T. Eales (2016). "Dragonflies and Damselflies of Northumberland and Durham" (PDF). Transactions Natural History Society of Northumbria. 81.