Jo’s Monday walk : Seal sanctuary

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Today’s walk brings us full circle with where my Monday walks began, just over 2 years ago, in Greatham Creek.  Doesn’t time fly? And have I worn you out yet?  There are days when I feel quite weary myself.

On Wednesday I woke with that restlessness upon me.  The sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds and I needed to be out.  My partner in crime suggested Saltholme, the local nature reserve, but somehow that felt too tame.  I don’t do compromise well, but we headed along the Seal Sands Road, in that direction.  It’s an area I find very depressing, and if you saw my Forbidding skies on Thursday, you’ll know what’s coming.

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Heavy industry crowds the skyline, and the power station’s ugly presence broods malignantly nearby.  If you can ignore that, there’s a world of wildlife to explore.  To give it it’s grandest title, this is Teesmouth National Nature Reserve, a site of more than 350 hectares.

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Natural England have recently extended the footpaths and installed bird hides.  Parking on Seal Sands Rd, you can cross over A178 (carefully- you don’t want to be run over by a bus!) and follow the path beside the creek, out towards the sea.  In the distance you can see the Transporter Bridge, in Middlesbrough.  Closer to hand, a family of swans usually enjoy the salt water.

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Looking back, A178 spans the creek, and on the far shore industry looms, threateningly.  But we won’t be intimidated.  A ragged sign on the fence gives a clue to the area’s past.  There are still defence structures to be seen, and if you are interested this document gives full details.

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The skies alternately boil and shimmer, as I follow the path beside the creek, and along to the first bird hide.

If you click on the last shot you might be able to make out the windmills of the offshore wind farm.  Here they look very distant, but it’s not so.

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This is a remnant of the military installations, but history goes much further back.  In Medieval times the area was important for its salt, which was extracted by boiling salt water until the liquid evaporated, leaving behind precious salt crystals.  For thousands of years, the sea swept across the Tees estuary, exposing mudflats and sand bars as it ebbed.  Defensive banks were built against the tides, changing the flow of the currents. Gradually the ground lost its saltiness and became fit for agriculture.  Sheep grazed on the salt marshes, growing the thick fleeces sold by medieval monks to much of Europe.

A second bird hide but a distinct lack of wildlife, though the sign tells us of plenty.  Maybe the birds are all at nearby Saltholme, where they will undoubtedly be better fed.  And then, the strangeness of the brine fields.

The landscape changed enormously after World War II.  In the 1960s the area east of A178 was intensively developed for brine fields and the storage of petrochemicals.  Pollution in the estuary had been heavy, but when Natural England became involved the site became a Special Protection Area.  Careful management and reclamation has helped to restore and maintain the natural habitat.

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Returning along the creek, my sharp eyed companion spots a grey mammal, paddling his leisurely way out to sea.  They are one of the great success stories of the nature reserve.  200 years ago a seal population of around 1000 lived in these mudflats.  A survey in the 1930s failed to reveal any.  They had been decimated by hunting and pollution.  Today there are about 100 seals, and several pups are born each summer.

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Thriving in the midst of all that ugliness.  It’s good to know, isn’t it?  The sign boards ask you to respect the seals privacy and remain behind the hide.  While this may not be the prettiest Landscape, I do hope that you found it interesting.

I know how you all like a cuppa after a walk.  RSPB Saltholme is just 2km south of this site, and the cafe has a panoramic lake view. The website includes a map and full details of the area.

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Two years and more of walking.  It must be time to put the kettle on!  Many thanks to all of you who’ve supported me along the way, and made such wonderful contributions.  Details of how to join me are on my Jo’s Monday walk page.  Just click on the logo.  You’ll be made very welcome.

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Riverside walks are among my favourites.  A smattering of history makes them even better.  Thanks, Anabel!

Bothwell and Blantyre

Denzil is leading us intrepidly, step by step, across Belgium :

GR571: Aywaille to Stoumont

Jackie combines sunshine with some rather intriguing sculpture this week :

Lenora Carrington

Liesbet takes us roaming about in Connecticut, just one last time :

A Walk in Housatonic Meadows State Park

Time spent with Drake is absolutely never wasted!

Actually needed more time

Ruth joins us again, amongst some beautiful tree ferns :

Fern Tree to Spring Falls

Something I know you won’t be able to resist!  A trip to Narnia, with Debbie :

From Narnia to Albert Bridge

Just a little optimistic this early?  Elaine goes looking for Bluebells :

In search of Bluebells

Miriam’s got herself great company for her rather cloudy walk :

Meandering in Mount Macedon

Jaspa’s walk was written with Easter very much in mind :

Via Dolorosa, Jerusalem

BiTi is in love with green.  Colour themed walks?  Not a bad idea!

A Study in Green on my walk 

Coincidentally, Geoff is already ahead in this game :

Three Greens 

Please say hello to Patrick, who’s just starting a walking challenge :

52 Hike Challenge- No. 1

And to lovely Pat, ‘living life almost gracefully’, in Florida :

Walk in the Park

This week Susan goes looking for seals, (Snap!) and trying not to tumble over cliffs!

Estero Bluffs Walk

While Pauline captures all of nature with her camera.  Don’t miss this gem!

7 Day Nature Photo : Day 1- a walk in the national Park

That’s it for another week!  Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.  I have one more walk for you next week and then I will be missing for a little while.  Have a great week everybody!

A note for Joanne : If you’re reading this, there’s a conversation between me and Bill Blackwell, who used to live on the creek, in the comments on my Greatham Creek post.  It starts- “I am one of the lucky kids whose family had a boathouse on the creek. At 80years old my memories go back to when in my opinion the creek was at its best, with more people than seals,yet I very much enjoyed the photos.”

 

135 comments

  3. I often have that urge to stop the vehicle when driving with industrial fields on the side. I hardly ever done it. I always feel like whenever I take field pictures, it doesn’t really show much in pictures than seeing it in person. Despite the grim look and its presence against nature, I commend you for having interesting-worthy share about industrial areas.

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  4. Ugly landscape yes, but what an inspiring effort in reclamation and saving the seals. And you managed to capture some spectacular clouds 🙂 Congratulations on two years of Monday Walks Jo! Have missed walking with you. Hope to catch up as best I can.

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    1. Hello sweetheart! Lovely to have you back 🙂 I passed by yours a week or so ago and there was nothing new so I thought you must be engrossed in a project? I’ll pop over some time today. Just back from a bit of a drizzly walk but the company was nice. Thank you for finding me and spending time. 🙂

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  5. This looks a bit like my neighbourhood except for the lack of wildlife. Well, we have that too if you count pigeons. I did not find your Thursday sky depressing at all, and here there is one photo I absolutely love, and I’ll leave you to guess which one. Have a great day, Jo!

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    1. Well my personal favourite is probably the one with very dark sky and creek, but with the buildings highlighted by the sun, and I like the one that follows, looking towards the bridge. But I suspect you like a seal one? 🙂 Hugs, Paula! Did you manage to get all essentials done? I’m sorry about your company. There doesn’t seem to be a happy ending in sight, does there?

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      1. Come on, you have to stay positive for me, please. My favourite is not the seal one, though I love them. It is the last large photo in the gallery 😀

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  6. Ominous clouds and stark background but you still manage to capture the brightness of life in your walking posts. Thanks for taking us along Jo. Have a great week.

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  9. l’uomo sembra distruggere costruendo..questo sembra la tua accorata tristezza.preghiera, ed anche quelle enormi nubi d’inchiostro sembrano confermarlo come se il cielo si preparasse a fare una grande protesta a base di fulmini e grandine!
    le foto sono intensamente legate al tuo pensiero, sei grande amica mia!

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    1. The violent skies marry well with the landscape, I think, Annalisa, and with my mood that day. Happy Monday to you, and thank you for your wonderful company. 🙂

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  11. It is a great walk, dear Jo, pictures are fantastic as always and place is very unique! Happy Monday to you!

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  12. Wow that will have been rather a lot of footsteps in two years, and what memories you will have. A lovely walk as usual btw!

    We had hoped to go out today for a Monday walk today but the heavens have opened and forecast remains distinctly British!

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  13. Well done, Natural England! I have to confess, I found this a seriously gloomy walk with all that industrial ugliness, but there is an upside with the nature conservation….

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  14. Not such a pretty walk but equally interesting as all your others.. Those clouds looked dark and heavy hope they didn’t drop water while out walking. 😉

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  16. Interesting comment about the bird hide Jo, from which there was nothing much to see, despite the info poster saying otherwise. I always think that information panels in bird hides or at entrances to nature reserves, while being educational, also build up totally false expectations. “Wow just look at all these birds and animals we are going to see here!” soon ends up as “How disappointing, we didn’t see any of those!” In the Ardennes I am constantly coming across boards that list red deer, roe deer, fallow deer, badger, fox, stoat, weasel, wild boar… and I know that most of these are either nocturnal, shy or just avoid the areas that the paths are going through. Having said that, the seal info board didn’t disappoint you!

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    1. Very true, Denzil. 🙂 Heaps of seals that day, and a fair number of spectators too. To be fair, there were swans (my close ups were too poor to publish), Canada geese, ducks and coots but they’re too distant to see, and they’re observable most places around here. I definitely wouldn’t want to visit this area after dark.

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  17. These are amazing captures Jo! Even with all the industrial buildings, nature just show us how beautiful she can be. It’s wonderful that the seals are protected there and that they are thriving. They are such beautiful animals. 😀

    Thanks for sharing and for the wonderful tour. Have a great week darling. ♥

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    1. Thanks, Sonel! 🙂 Lots of people do go just to observe the seals and it’s a great success story. Back to gloom here this morning. No nice cloud patterns. Have a happy week, sweetheart! 🙂

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      1. I know what you mean with the cloud patterns. Around here it’s also difficult to get some, especially on bright days. Hubby then calls it ‘Montana skies’. LOL!

        Thanks darling. Sending you some sun. ♥

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    1. It’s not an area I’d visit every day, Viv, but it is a very familiar part of my landscape. In Spring there are marsh orchids nearby too. Good that someone is trying to redress the balance. 🙂

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