About ecology in Darlington
Darlington is the western most borough of the Tees Valley. Stockton-on-Tees is to the east, County Durham to the north and west and North Yorkshire to the south. The River Tees runs through the south of the borough and the River Skerne runs through the centre.
Darlington Borough currently has 42 nationally and locally designated wildlife sites. They provide protection for a growing range of protected and priority habitats. Species here include skylark, grey partridge, lapwing, noctule bat and Daubenton’s bat.
These include: four Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI):
- Newton Ketton Meadow SSSI.
- Redcar Field SSSI.
- Neasham Fen SSSI.
- Hell Kettles SSSI.
Local Nature Reserves (LNR) including:
- The Whinnies.
- Drinkfield Marsh.
- Brinkburn.
- Maidendale.
We have many more Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) and Community Woodlands in the Borough. There are also three Local Geological Sites that protect areas of geological value.
Darlington has lots of street trees and open space within the urban area. These help to make the town distinct and biodiverse. They create green corridors along the River Tees, River Skerne, Cocker Beck and Baydale Beck. Outside the urban area, a magnesian limestone escarpment forms higher land and a rare ecosystem at the north side.
Lots of habitats are within Darlington, they support an array of wildlife;
- Broadleaf, ancient and semi-natural woodland support wildlife such as badgers, foxes, bats, and tawny owl.
- Lowland meadows, other neutral grassland, and unimproved hay meadows support small mammals such as voles, shrews. They also support ground nesting birds such as skylark and meadow pipit.
- Freshwater habitats including ponds, fens and marshes support water vole, otter, amphibians, birds, and invertebrates.
- Community woodland planting and traditional orchards provide foraging for birds and people.
Some of our habitats and species are rare or in decline. These include the black poplar and the European protected great crested newt.
