Discover Stockton on Tees | At The Heart of Teesside and the Tees Valley
  • Home
    • History >
      • Early History of Stockton on Tees
      • History of the Town Hall
      • Industrial History of Stockton on Tees
      • John Walker of Stockton-on-Tees - Inventor Of The Friction Match
      • Origins of the place name `Stockton`
      • Stockton and Darlington Railway
      • Stockton Castle
      • Tees Transporter Bridge
      • The Workhouse in Stockton-on-Tees, County Durham
      • World War 2 and Stockton on Tees
    • Contact Us
    • Benefits Street - Stockton on Tees
    • Advertise With Us >
      • Advertising here
      • Add Your Event
    • Resources and Partners
    • Blog
  • Centre
    • Centre - Things To See and Do >
      • Georgian Theatre
      • HM Bark Endeavour
      • Ropner Park
      • The Tees Barrage
      • West Row Art Centre >
        • West Row Arts Centre2
        • West Row Arts Centre - A Century of Change
      • Wynyard Woodland Park
      • Seal Sands - Teesmouth National Nature Reserve
    • The ARC
    • The Stockton Weekender Music Festival >
      • Stockton Weekender - Sat and Sunday 26-27 July 2014
    • Theatres , Museums and Venues >
      • Forum Theatre , Billingham
      • Georgian Theatre
      • Green Dragon Studios
      • Preston Park Museum and Grounds
      • The ARC Venue
      • The Globe Theatre
    • Entertainment in Stockton >
      • Cinema in Stockton
      • Grosvenor Casino
      • Gyms in Stockton on Tees
      • truGym in Stockton on Tees
      • Xercise4less Gym Stockton North
      • Mecca Bingo
      • Teesside Park
    • Shopping in Stockton on Tees >
      • Castlegate Shopping Centre
      • Independent Shops
      • Portrack Lane Shopping in Stockton
      • Silver Street
      • Specialist Markets in Stockton >
        • Chic Vintique fairs in 2014 Stockton on Tees - hosted by BR Events
        • Stockton Farmers’ Market
      • Teesside Park Shopping Complex | Retail and Leisure Park
      • The Shambles Market Hall
      • Wellington Square Shopping Centre
    • Hotels & Accomodation
    • Restaurants >
      • Eating - Dominos
    • Stockton Libraries >
      • Thornaby Library | Riverbank Children’s Centre, Gilmour Street
    • TS18 - Oxbridge
    • TS18 - Portrack and Tilery
    • TS18 - Primrose Hill >
      • Teesside Pandas - Raising awareness for Postnatal Depression
  • What's On
  • Image Gallery
  • Tourist Information
    • Out and About Around Stockton
    • Preston Park Museum
    • Made in Teesside.com
    • Stockton Visitor Information Centre
    • What town is Stockton on Tees Twinned with ?
    • Where is Stockton on Tees
  • Stockton on Tees Books
  • Stockton on Tees Kindle eBooks
  • Stockton on Tees DVDs / TV
  • Hardwick TS19
    • Phoenix Car Services , Hardwick
    • What Women Auto - Know
    • Hardwick Community Centre >
      • Zumba with Simon Keay >
        • About Simon Keay
        • Reiki Healing
      • Street Dance Classes
    • Hardwick In Partnership >
      • Keeping Children Safe from the Bully
    • Hardwick Shops and Services >
      • Romarios Bistro in the Sheraton Pub
    • Hardwick Useful Tel Numbers >
      • North Tees Hospital . How to find Us
    • Hardwick Social Club >
      • Hardwick Youth Football
  • Ragworth TS19
    • Ragworth Neighbourhood Centre
  • Roseworth TS19
  • Fairfield TS19
  • Norton TS20
  • Billingham TS21, TS22 , TS23
  • Ingleby Barwick
  • Thornaby
  • Yarm
  • Local Information
    • 01642 Phone number >
      • 01642 Phone number - How it works
    • Alex Cunningham MP . Surgery dates and times
    • North Tees Hospital . How to find Us
    • Useful services from Stockton Borough Council
    • Wildcats of Killkenny
    • Stockton on Tees and Teesside Artists / Bands
    • Stockton News >
      • Flooding in Stockton on Tees 2014
      • Free Microchipping in Stockton on Tees - Dogs Trust
      • RSPCA , dogs die in hot cars. Save a dogs life today !!
      • Incidents on Teesside Facebook banned members list
    • DIVERSITY >
      • The Town That Danced Again | Diversity | Ashley Banjo
      • Diversity Links
      • Ashley Banjo Bio
      • Ashley Watch
    • 50 Ways to speak the Teesside slang
    • Free Blackberry Unlock Codes
    • Sales and Wanted
    • Word of the Day . New Daily Content
  • Archives
    • Valentines Day | Origins , Rumours , Traditions explained
    • 2014 Archives
    • 2013 Archives >
      • Stockton Fireworks Tue Nov 5
      • Stockton Sparkles | 28 Nov - 22 Dec >
        • Stockton Sparkles Christmas Market
      • How Many Days Till Christmas >
        • Where is The Coca Cola Truck this year?


Seal Sands Nature Reserve

Seal Sands - Teesmouth National Nature Reserve
Industrial Teesside isn't a location you'd automatically associate with nature watching but a trip to Seal Sands is a real treat for wildlife lovers.
During the medieval period the area was important for the salt industry, with salt being extracted from sea water.


Seal Sands - Teesmouth National Nature Reserve
Modern visitors can see the grassy mounds of ash from the fires used to evaporate sea water to crystallise the salt, near the North Gare car park.

Today Seal Sands continues to be an important industrial centre - but for petro-chemicals.

Located between Hartlepool and Middlesbrough, you'll find a nuclear power station and chemical works on the horizon but don't let the industrial landscape put you off.Although it isn't the prettiest place, Seal Sands is a top location for urban wildlife including wading birds and seals.

If you're a wildlife lover, this place is not-to-be-missed, mainly because you can get really close to the animals and birds.
Seal Sands is of international importance because it's the only area of inter-tidal mud flat between Lindisfarne to its north and the Humber to the south.This industrial location provides a sense of isolation despite the heavy traffic running along its edges.

Ironically there's relatively little human disturbance, so the birds and mammals can flourish at Seal Sands.

As a result the area can get up to 30,000 ducks and waders in the autumn and winter months.

Sometimes the industry works in favour of the wildlife in strange ways - some of the raptors, for example, use the industrial chimneys as perches.

As a result it's a surprisingly good place to spot Peregrine Falcons and Short-eared Owls.

Go on the Seal Sands Walks [..view]


Seal Sands - Teesmouth National Nature Reserve
WHERE ARE WE ? 

Park at the Teesmouth NNR car park alongside the A178 between Seaton Carew and Port Clarence, cross the road with care, and follow the Easy Access Path along the south bank of the creek to the two bird hides overlooking Seal Sands.
FREE ACCESS
Seal Sands - Teesmouth National Nature Reserve
Once upon a time there were more than 1,000 seals lounging on the sandbanks at Seal Sands, but pollution, dredging and human interference resulted in a dramatic decline in their population.By the 1930's a sight of a seal was very rare.

It was only in the 1960's that Grey Seals returned, followed in the 1980s by the rarer Common Seals.

Even then it was a tough time for the returning animals - pollution was still a problem.

It's only in recent years that things have improved - and visitors can now find around 100 seals at Seal Sands.

If you visit at a low tide, you'll nearly always see the animals lounging out on the sandbank in the middle of the lagoon.

Come when the tide is in and you'll be able to see the seals
much more closely as they push themselves up Greatham Creek, which runs under the busy main road, before pulling themselves out onto the mudbanks.

Who would have thought that you'd get top quality views of one of our largest mammals from a footpath by a busy road between a power station and an oil refinery?

Originally published by the BBC  , Sept 2007

Recommended for You

Whats On !!

Shopping
Restaurants

Local Information
Tourist Information
    - Local places to Visit near Stockton

Buy Stockton related Books
Buy Stockton related Kindle eBooks
Buy Stockton related DVDs / TV

Visiting the Stockton Area
Visiting the Local Area


Museums , Theatres and Venues

      - Preston Park Museum
       - The Arc
       - Georgian Theatre
        
         -  SIRF

          - Stockton Weekender

Images of Stockton

History of Stockton
   - Teesside Steel
   - Head Wrightsons Ironworks
   - Tees Transporter Bridge

© 2014 |  About Us | Contact | Privacy | Advertise | Site Map
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.