I have a night away in Newcastle-upon-Tyne for work and I was reminded that there are urban black-footed kittiwakes nesting on the buildings down by the river. After checking-in to my hotel, I took a wander down the hill to the water in search of these lovely, little gulls.

It wasn’t long before I could hear their calls echoing around the tall buildings and then they started to appear, flying beneath the Tyne Bridge high above my head. There, on ledges, on buildings and the bridge itself, were lines of kittiwakes nesting in a large sprawling colony.

I walked back up to the bridge and crossed partly over, giving me close views of the birds less than a metre away; they didn’t seem the slightest bit concerned.

I usually see these birds on the cliffs of Ramsey Island and other coastal spots but the colony in Newcastle is very unusual, being the most inland breeding site for the species.

I like a bit of an evening wander around a city or town when I’m staying away and this has been particularly good one – if a bit unusual to hear the sounds of the sea mixing with the noises of the very urban city centre.