Wildlife Viewed Through Beer Goggles: 5. A Tale of Two Raptors

A while ago I began a series of posts on wildlife-themed beers that has lapsed somewhat. I haven't given up alcohol - I just hadn't got around to search out any more relevant beers. 

Recently I've sampled two excellent examples that each has a different story attached. 

First, Red Kite ruby ale, brewed to celebrate the reintroduction of red kites into the lower Derwent Valley near Gateshead. 

There is much to celebrate in this example of what is now fashionably called 'rewilding'. The success of the project, with what is now a well established red kite population, is the source of immense local pride. The birds have been adopted by schools and used to promote local businesses.

The local buses are decorated with red kites images ....

.... there are red kite walks all over the Derwent Country Park, where you are almost guaranteed to see at least one of these fabulous birds whenever you visit..

.... there are Red Kite Country road signs .....

... red kite themed events like this fitness walk

... red kite public art, like this magnificent wood carving by local chain-saw maestro Tommy Craggs..

..... without doubt, the reintroduction of these birds has done wonders for the region

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The second beer is this delightful Sky Dancer golden ale by the Bowland Brewery, the perfect pint for a sunny summer afternoon. 

It celebrates the wonderful hen harrier that does, from time to time, attempt to breed on moorland in the Forest of Bowland in Cumbria.

As the bottle label says:

The Forest of Bowland is an important breeding ground for the rare and beautiful hen harrier - known locally as the Sky Dancer because of its elaborate flying displays.


There's some YouTube footage of their aerial antics here

The problem is that your chances of witnessing these displays are very slim because the Forest of Bowland, which should be perfect habitat for them, has been a disaster area for this persecuted bird.

You can read all about it in this Guardian article by Patrick Barkham 


Or visit YouTube to see at BBC Programme about 10 years of illegal persecution of these birds

The beer is wonderful though. Highly recommended!

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So there you have it. In one case, an enlightened community that has welcomed the return of a raptor that has brought pride, pleasure and economic benefit to the North East.

And on the other side of the Pennines ..... well, read that excellent newspaper article and watch the YouTube report and judge for yourself.

Wildlife Viewed Through Beer Goggles: 3. Urban Birding

After sampling tipple number 4 in this investigation of wildlife-themed beers - Allendale Brewery's Wagtail Ale - I've been keeping a lookout for the bird in question, to justify this tenuous excuse for indulging in alcoholic refreshment. Before I got any further though - and to ensure that I don't get hauled before the Leveson Inquiry for corrupt practices in journalism - I should emphasise that although most of the beers here have come from the same brewery - and there are a few more from the same source still to come - I have no affiliations with the Allendale Brewery whatsoever - its products just happen to be conspicuously available in some of my favourite local outlets. I have some wildlife-themed products from other brewers lined up in the fridge and their turn will come in due course..... and if you are a brewery company that would like your products featured here, just stick a label on it featuring a plant, animal or fungus and I'll add it to my workload. Deathcap bitter? Wild Pansy lager? Great Crested Newt ale? Bring it on......

Anyway, my quest for wagtails led me to this unlikely spot - the Ouseburn in Newcastle, which runs through Jesmond Dene, then under the city to appear again near Byker bridge, where it flows down to the Tyne about a mile downstream of the Tyne Bridge. The lower Ouseburn, once the recipient of some of the worst effluents that the industrial Revolution could invent, is rapidly being redeveloped, and this much-abused waterway is now relatively clean and becoming the focus of all sorts of artistic and high-tech enterprises. It's also a good spot for urban birding, especially along this stretch that the developers haven't had much impact on yet. These are moorings for small pleasure boats, many of which are converted ships' lifeboats. Ironically, the wreck you can see bottom right in this picture is called the Toontanic (yes, really) and - predictably - sank a few years ago (no one hurt) but has been raised and dragged back to the quay.

The stony riverbed looks a bit unsavoury but I often see kingfishers fishing in the pools here at low tide, and redshanks, along with the resident mallards that have already produced their first brood this year. It's also a favourite haunt of grey wagtails ..... 

... like this one catching flies on the wall of the quay .....

..... and this one exploring the stream bed. That vivid orange colouring on the rocks looks a bit alarming but it's probably not as toxic as it looks - it's most likely due to iron metabolising bacteria that thrive in iron-rich water.

You can pretty much guarantee to find grey wagtails here at almost any time of the year .... and the pub called the The Cluny next to the Ouseburn City Farm sometimes has wagtail bitter on tap. Some things are just meant to be..... 

Wildlife Viewed Through Beer Goggles: Badgers and Hares

We're in the 'Phoney War' period at the moment while we wait for spring to really hit its stride, so I've been casting around for a worthy project while we wait for the first summer migrants to reach our shores - and I think I've found the perfect one: wildlife-themed beers. This is this evening's sunset viewed through a glass of Badger Breweries Hopping Hare ale. 

I've noticed a remarkable proliferation of wildlife-themed beers in recent years so this is a project that could keep a dedicated naturalist busy well into summer and beyond. 


And this is a good place to start - a brew celebrating not one but two much-loved British mammals and containing a host of botanical ingredients, including no less than three hop varieties; 'Thrice Hopped', as the brewers charmingly put it. When did you last hear the word 'thrice' used? The English language is alive and well and inscribed on a beer bottle.


Oh, and since you asked, they're Goldings and Cascade, combined with First Gold. They add a warm golden glow to sundown.