Buston Links is situated on the southern edge of the Aln estuary. This area of the Northumberland coast is one of the best for wildlife, with a rich mixture of habitats including dune grasslands, saltmarsh and sandy shore. The site provides an important refuge for birds to feed, roost and nest, the assemblage of species varying with the seasons. 

Wintering birds benefitting from the food-rich mud of the saltmarsh include redshank, curlew, oystercatcher, sanderling, dunlin, turnstone and ringed plover. The ringed plover remain through the breeding season, laying their eggs in shallow scrapes on shingle just above the shore. Other birds can be found seeking shelter and nesting amongst the sand dunes, such as skylark, meadow pipit and stonechat. 

Immediately north of Buston is Alnmouth village, once a busy trading port and now an idyllic tourist hotspot. Harking back to Alnmouth's global trading heydays of the 18th century, between the saltmarsh and sand dunes a ruined guano storehouse can be found. In the 18th and 19th centuries, guano was a popular form of agricultural fertiliser in the British Isles, imported by colonisers from Pacific islands off the coast of Peru and Chile. Reportedly built downwind of Alnmouth to avoid the overwhelming stench, the guano hut is believed to have fallen out of use following a flood in 1806. This flood silted up the Aln so drastically the river course moved northwards, meaning boats were no longer able to land close enough to offload supplies. 

To the north of Buston is Church Hill, an isolated mound with a cross standing prominently at the top, and said to be the location where St. Cuthbert agreed to become the bishop of Lindisfarne. On the edge of Church Hill is a ruined chapel, built in 1870 to replace a much older 12th century chapel which was abandoned alongside the guano hut following the 1806 flood. 

While these relics make Buston a place of myth and mystery, there are new stories unravelling too...

Since 2020, Northumberland County Council's Space for Shorebirds team have been working to protect the breeding and wintering birds at Buston Links. Wildlife Rangers visit the site regularly to protect nesting and feeding areas, and engage the public about the wonderful stories these birds have to offer. Over several years the site has provided excellent habitat for nesting ringed plovers, and in 2025 the team are hopeful the species will breed successfully on the beach here. 

In 2024, the Northumberland Coast National Landscape established a project to enhance Buston’s wetlands. So far this has involved replacing an old culvert to expand the area of saltmarsh, brackish and freshwater habitat surrounding the estuary. The project is showing all the right signs of success in its first year, the land flooding with the tides and wading birds beginning to explore. Wetlands are one of the most biodiverse, yet highly depleted wildlife habitats globally, and are increasingly vulnerable to inundation from sea level rise caused by climate change. Hopefully the enhancement of Buston’s saltmarsh will sustain this space for nature long into the future.
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Tara Watson is a wildlife ranger with a background in ecology, conservation and environmental education. Tara began working on Northumberland County Council's Space for Shorebirds team in 2024, returning home after studying in London and working for several years on seabird conservation projects with the RSPB in Dorset and Norfolk. 

Luke Kulukundis is a musician, filmmaker and artist from London. Known for his work with trip-hop group Nukuluk, Kulukundis has regularly explored intersections of sentimental and natural field recording alongside acoustic and electronic composition. Beyond configuring the recording for this project, Kulukundis will be producing an electronic augmentation of the guano storehouse dawn chorus, a follow up to a collaboration with Llyr Wallach in 2021.