20th March is the day we celebrate the Common Eider! Traditionally associated with St Cuthbert, the iconic ‘cuddy duck’ is easy to identify around our coasts at this time of year.

To celebrate, we are teaming up with Space for Shorebirds to deliver 3 FREE events for anyone to come along and learn more about the life of the eider duck, the habitats they need to survive, and how we can all help protect the UK’s largest sea duck.

Booking is essential for events – see below to secure your place!

09:30 – 11:30 Rocky shore ramble at Amble
Discover the hidden world of the rocky shore with a guided tour of the world between the tides, and discover how protecting this habitat helps eider ducks and thousands of other birds survive the winter

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1982425855098?aff=oddtdtcreator

13:30 – 15:30 Eiders, Art and History guided walk and watercolour workshop
Stretch your legs and artistic skills in the afternoon with a guided walk around Beadnell with history and wildlife experts, followed by an outdoor watercolour workshop with artist Sofia Barton, to capture some of the memories from the walk in a piece of art to take home.

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1982431599279?aff=oddtdtcreator

17:00 – 18:30 A Duckling’s Journey Family Walk
A short walk around Seahouses perfect for little legs, where we will go and meet some eider ducks in the harbour, then head to the beach to learn how eider mums build their cosy nests for their eggs, and where ducklings go to find food! There will be nest building games, rockpooling challenges, and some storytelling as the sun goes down. If we’re lucky, we may even spot a few stars!

Book here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1983070105067?aff=oddtdtcreator

The Marine Nature Partnership now has a Channel on YouTube 

Our channel is currently hosting content put out as part of Eider Duck Day on the 20th but additional material will be added over the next few months. Current videos include:

• Presentation from Paul Morrison (RSPB) on Northumberland’s Eider Ducks
• Presentation from Jessica Turner on St Cuthbert and Anglo-Saxon Northumberland
• Presentation from Fiona Greenwald (ERIC North East) talking about the importance of biological recording
• Katherine Dunsford (Space for Shorebirds) talking about bird disturbance
• Catherine Scott (Natural England) talking about the Berwick to St Mary’s Marine Conservation Zone

The address for our YouTube Channel is https://bit.ly/2OGwkLX

Photo Credit: Tom Cadwallender

Photo credit: Iain Robson/Northumberland Coast AONB

The creation of a new Marine Conservation Zone (MCZ) off the Northumberland coast was announced by the Government on the 31st May. The Berwick to St Mary’s MCZ is one of 41 new MCZs and brings the number of inshore marine protected areas along the Berwickshire and Northumberland coast to 11.

The site has been designated in recognition of its nationally important numbers of eider duck. The eider is a species of sea duck which feeds on marine molluscs. It can be found on the inshore waters of the Northumberland coast throughout the year. The Farne Islands and Coquet Island are important local breeding sites for the bird.

The site stretches from Berwick-upon-Tweed in the north to St Mary’s Island in the south and covers an area of 634 km2. The southern part of the site overlaps with the similarly named Coquet to St Mary’s MCZ which was designated in 2016 for a range of tidal and subtidal habitats.

Please follow the links below for:

MAP of the MCZ

Factsheet about the MCZ

Designation Order