I was crossing the Gateshead Millennium Bridge on my way to the Glasshouse, home of the Northern Sinfonia, and the River Tyne flowed gently beneath me.

I was crossing the Gateshead Millennium Bridge on my way to the Glasshouse, home of the Northern Sinfonia, and the River Tyne flowed gently beneath me. Last time I was here, the cries of “kittiwake–kittiwake” filled the air. It was June, and the Tyne’s huge kittiwake colony was in full swing: bathing in the water, swooping through the sky, shooting up into nests on the bridge and other buildings. Come December, the Geordie kittiwakes are roaming the wild North Atlantic, and a strange silence hung over the river.

Get Instant Access

Continue Reading

Register for free to read this article in full

REGISTER

Subscribe for unlimited access

SUBSCRIBE NOW

From just £37.50 quarterly

  Print copy of The Tablet delivered directly to your door.
  Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
  Access to the weekly digital copy of The Tablet.
  Full access to The Tablet’s archive – over 180 years of back issues.

Already a subscriber? Login