Variety is the spice of life
by martin on 09/03/10 06:51, under Birdwatching, Lindisfarne, Northumberland, Surveys
On Saturday we led a wildlife walk on Holy Island. Grim, murky drizzle on the way north looked less than promising but, as we approached Beal, the weather improved and stayed fine throughout the walk. Possibly the highlight of the day was all of the birds on the Rocket field flushing as two Peregrines flew menacingly above the pools. The journey home produced our rarest sighting of the day, at least in a Northumberland context, when we watched 3 Bewick’s Swans in a field south of Alnmouth.
Sunday really was a case of something completely different, as I headed out to the Farne Deeps for the latest Northeast Cetacean Project survey. The project, which is been run by Northern Experience and Marinelifem with our funding partners; Natural England and the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club, has several strands, with the surveys backed up by postcards that we’re distributing to local charter boats and marinas so they can submit their sightings, an analysis of all the records and reports we can find for the last 7 years and, coming soon, a website that will allow online submission of whale and dolphin sightings off Northumberland. Meanwhile, back on the boat…my survey team on Sunday was made up of Alan Tilmouth and Ross Ahmed who were part of the team on out surveys back in December, Tim Sexton who was on our blizzard-hit survey two weeks ago and Dan ‘Punkbirder‘ Brown. Highlights were a Common Dolphin and a small group of Little Auks.
Yesterday saw the Landy having it’s 6-monthly safety test. Unsurprisingly, with the work put in by Sandy to keep the mechanical bits working smoothly, and the electrical work that Darren has done to ensure that when you flick a switch what happens is what should happen, it passed again. Peace of mind for our clients, and the NEWT Landy will keep rolling around Northumberland, delivering them to top-quality birdwatching and wildlife experiences.
Now it’s Tuesday and I’ve got 50 miles of offshore survey ahead of me. Bring it on!
Oats, coast, stoat
by martin on 02/03/10 17:43, under Birdwatching, Druridge Bay, Northumberland
Today dawned bright and clear; very cold but just the sort of day to spend birdwatching in southeast Northumberland. After a breakfast of porridge I was warmed through and ready for the day ahead. I collected Keith and Chris from Morpeth and took them on what appeared to be a magical mystery tour as we searched for Little Owls and Waxwings before reaching the coast at Newbiggin. 20 minutes later we were on our way towards Druridge Bay, with two clients who now had the knowledge of how to identify Mediterranean Gulls, and had put this into practice on at least two birds.
Wildfowl are still the major attraction in the bay, and the bright sunlight really showed Teal, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Shelduck, Gadwall, Red-breasted Merganser and even the humble Mallard in their best light. Big flocks of Pink-footed and Greylag Geese featured throughout the day and binocular-filling views of Skylarks and Twite went down very well. A Little Owl watched us intently from high in a tree and a Common Buzzard was soaring over East Chevington. Eventually we located a big flock of Pink-footed Geese on the ground and we searched through them for Bean Geese. No luck, but just as we turned our attention to a flock of Greylags, Keith spotted a white blur and we watched the tail of a Stoat vanishing into some long grass. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, so I started squeaking and kept going for a couple of minutes until the ermine predator came to see what was in distress. It showed incredibly well, first poking its nose through the grass before reappearing behind a fence and fixing us with a Little Owl-esque stare. As it slipped out of sight again I looked up…and there was a Bittern overhead. Another stunning end to another stunning day 
All change
by martin on 02/03/10 08:49, under Birdwatching, Druridge Bay, Northumberland
Over the last few days there has been a distinct change; now, when I open our patio door, I can hear Song Thrush, Greenfinch, Chaffinch and Robin all singing. Last Saturday, even in the bitter cold and howling gale that was battering the Northumberland coast, our Druridge Bay Safari was enriched with birdsong.
Opportunities to get out and really take it all in have been limited. I spent two full days last week getting my Outdoor First Aid certification. While I was still teaching I had some First Aid training, but that was a picnic compared to an intensive two days where the trainers spend most of their time during casualty scenarios doing everything they can to get inside your head and see how you perform with your stress levels heading heavenwards. It was curiously enjoyable though, and of course my wish is that I don’t need to put any of it into practice before I’m due to renew my certification in three years time.
Another project which has kept me in the house has been choosing and processing the images that will grace the Birdwatching Northumberland stand at the British Bird Fair. Finally we selected seven images of species that typify Northumberland birdwatching; inland, coastal and covering different times of the year. And the species we chose? Well, you’ll just have to come along and see us at Rutland Water between 20th and 22nd August.
Now it’s another stunning Northumberland morning; clear blue skies, a gentle breeze, cold enough to freeze the wotsits off a brass monkey…and I’m heading out for a day of birdwatching with clients.
A swell weekend for a survey or two…or three
by martin, sarah and andy on 22/02/10 09:47, under Birdwatching, Harwood, Photography, Surveys
Saturday was planned as the next survey day for NEWT/Marinelife…and then in the early hours of Saturday morning the sea began to turn ‘a bit lumpy’ (c)Allan Skinner. With over 3m of swell smashing it’s way through the harbour mouth at Amble there was no chance of getting the boat out.
With all three NEWT guides having the day together we headed inland to finish our BTO Winter Atlas timed tetrad visits in Harwood. Ironically, given the wintry weather on the coast, there was less snow than on our last visit. Birds were few and far between and, after what turned out to be a strenuous 4 miles over rough ground, as we headed back towards home the late afternoon light looked just about perfect for a visit to Nursery Park to photograph the Waxwings. The light was as good as we could have wished for and the 20 or so birds that were still present were much more obliging than they had been in previous days.
Waxwings stacked on top of each other
Do you think I can swallow this in one?
Bohemian Waxwing, Ashington, Northumberland 20/02/2010
Bohemian Waxwing, Ashington, Northumberland 20/02/2010
On Sunday we separated out to do different surveys; Sarah covered the WeBS count stretch from Cresswell-East Chevington and back (taking her total distance walked over the weekend to nearly 12 miles) and Martin and Andy set out from Amble along with Tim Sexton, on calmer seas, to start surveying the Farne Deeps. Remarkably, all three surveyors on this trip used to live within 100m of each other in the late 90’s, on Percy Park in Tynemouth. Tim was on the famous Wilson’s Petrel pelagic back in 2002, and Andy only missed that one as he was delayed while heading back from Mull. The journey out to the deeps was unremarkable, other than for the number of Gannets that we found, and a lone Common Seal was an interesting find. Fulmar and Guillemot were also seen throughout most of the survey, and a small number of Puffins were around as well. As we headed east on the first transect we could see some very dark clouds massing to the south. By the time we’d completed the 13 mile run and turned to follow the next transect west the clouds had caught up with us. Sea state 5 in a near white-out was one hell of an experience, but we continued to keep our attention on the sea, still surveying in the hope that the weather would soon pass by. It did, and we completed that transect before heading north and then east along the next survey line. Ten miles along the transect we were hit by another winter storm, this time coming from the east. With the turning tide making our skipper’s task increasingly difficult, we made a note of the position we’d reached and headed back to the warmth and comfort of the shore. Two days, three NEWT guides, four surveyors.
Now I’ve got a couple of days of office stuff to catch up on; press trip proposals to write, images to process for articles I’ve written and we’re already well into planning for the Birdwatching Northumberland stand at the British Bird Fair. I reckon I’ll be able to fit in some time for photography though
Wax(w)ing lyrical
by martin on 19/02/10 15:33, under Birdwatching, Druridge Bay, Southeast Northumberland
Yesterday was a Druridge Bay Safari and, after collecting Katrina, Craig and their boys from Church Point, I was astonished to see how much snow was on the ground as we drove towards Cresswell. A Stoat played hide-and-seek with us…and proved to be masterful
The plummeting overnight temperatures had frozen nearly all of the pools along the bay. Each one still had it’s own little area of open water though, and these held a lot of ducks. Teal, Wigeon, Mallard, Tufted Duck and, almost indescribably handsome, a drake Pintail were all enjoyed by everyone. A mixed herd of Whooper and Mute Swans provided an identification diversion and a few Pink-footed Geese flying over nearby fields alerted us to the presence of several thousand feeding below them. After marvelling as the entire flock lifted into the air we were then transfixed by a Barn Owl hunting over the reedbeds at Cresswell. A brief detour into Ashington for a spot of birdwatching, Northumberland housing estate style, where we had excellent views, and enjoyed the trilling calls, of 37 Waxwings, was followed by a walk along the Wansbeck. With bone-chilling temperatures, not a breath of wind, and a river that was mirror-like the walk was sublime. We don’t get a lot of days like that, but they always feel special when we do. Goldcrests called from the trees, Canada Geese were clamouring around Castle Island and almost the entire length of river that we walked along was dotted with Goldeneye, as the sun dropped below the horizon.
Not bad for mid-Feb
by martin on 17/02/10 14:42, under Birdwatching, Lindisfarne, Northumberland, Northumberland Coast
Yesterday I led our first Safari Day of this week, to Lindisfarne and the North Northumberland coast. Although I really enjoy trips where the main quarry is Red Squirrel/Badger/Otter/Fox/Roe Deer my lifelong love affair has been with birdwatching. Northumberland is a top-quality destination for a winter birdwatching trip; just ask any of the writers/photographers who we’ve taken to the wilds of our home county during the cold(er) bits of the year.
Yesterday was one of those days where you couldn’t wish for better conditions; clear blue sky, warm sunshine (although with sub-zero air temperatures for much of the day), no rain and only a very gentle breeze. I collected Phil and Barbara from their holiday cottage near Guyzance and we followed the coast all the way to Lindisfarne. Small groups of Pale-bellied Brent Geese beside the causeway were a novelty for birdwatchers from the southeast, who are used to seeing Dark-bellied Brents during the winter, and they commented immediately about just how black-and-white the Svalbard birds look. Scanning the fields on the island we located a flock of ~800 Pale-bellied Brents, with a few Dark-bellied mixed in, allowing a direct comparison of the two. The field was also shared by 200+ Curlew and smaller numbers of Redshank, Lapwing and Golden Plover. Panic among a group of Starlings was traced to a 1st-Winter Merlin that helpfully perched on a post at the back of the Rocket Field. It’s amazing how quickly time passes and after 2 hours we headed back towards the mainland among the general exodus that occurs as the end of safe-crossing approaches. Another Merlin beside the causeway allowed even closer views so we stopped for a few more minutes of appreciation of this small predator.
Our picnic spot, overlooking the mudflats between Holy Island and the mainland, provided excellent views of flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover in the air as well as lots of Shelduck, Eider, Pintail and more PB Brents. We enjoyed all of these in the company of Tom Cadwallender, Natural and Cultural Heritage Officer for the Northumberland Coast AONB, who was supposed to be meeting a camera crew from Inside Out. When we left Tom, they were already 20mins late…
Continuing down the coast, a very obliging Common Buzzard pranced around a field, presumably looking for worms. The Skate Road held well over 1000 Common Scoter, 90+ Purple Sandpipers were huddled on the rocks as the incoming tide washed against their feet and a careful scan produced a few pairs of Long-tailed Ducks (Barbara’s 2nd lifer in a matter of minutes). Red-throated and Great Northern Divers were, well diving mainly, and Slavonian Grebes were bobbing about just beyond the surf.
Our final destination for the day was Newton, and the decision to detour from the coast route down the dead-end road to Low Newton proved to be an inspired one. As dusk approached the assembled ducks on the pool (Teal, Goldeneye, Mallard, Gadwall) all provided entertainment as they called to each other. Then, just a few feet in front of us, a Long-eared Owl silently hunting. We all held our breath as it approached and then it veered away as silently as it had arrived. The walk back to the Landy was to provide probably the best bird of the day, and one of those Northumberland birdwatching moments that was quite simply sublime; against an increasingly starry sky and crescent moon, with an impressive amount of Earthshine, a Bittern flew low over our heads and out over the bay.
(Black)game on
by martin on 15/02/10 15:34, under North Pennines, Photography
With Spring drawing ever closer, and our North Pennines Safaris starting in just over a month, we decided to spend Sunday checking all of our regular Black Grouse sites. Although the winter may have been expected to do some real damage to the population, we managed to find 24 Blackcocks and 9 Greyhens, split between 4 sites. Birdwatching in the North Pennines, whether in Northumberland, County Durham or Cumbria, is always a pleasure and accompanied by a sense of wilderness.
A Common Buzzard perched by the roadside allowed just a second to capture this image before it was off and away over the trees.
Common Buzzard, Allendale, Northumberland 14/02/10
On the way to Upper Teesdale we found a ‘new’ site for Black Grouse, one which should, with patience, produce some excellent photo opportunities. Across at a traditional lek site, one enthusiastic male was letting fly all on his own, while 7 Greyhens watched him, presumably with a mixture of boredom and pity.
Do you come here often?
I told you already, I'm not interested.
As the weather deteriorated and visibility decreased, we stopped to check another site which has held 3 or 4 birds in the last couple of years. As we drove along the road a Blackcock flew across in front of us and vanished behind a drystone wall. We approached slowly, and incredibly there were no less than 8 2nd year Blackcocks, all feeding quietly within a few metres of us. The lack of sunlight detracts from the image, but it’s an addition to our Blackgame photography locations.
Blackcock, Allendale, Northumberland 14/02/10
As the rain intensified, we spotted a pair of Roe Deer in a field near Cramlington. Venturing into the realms of ISO 3200 allowed a record shot before we returned home.
Roe Doe and Roebuck, Cramlington, Northumberland, 14/02/10
Life through a (hand) lens
by martin on 09/02/10 17:40, under Lichens, Surveys
Monday was the second classroom session of the NHSN Lichens and Bryophytes course. On Sunday, while I was out with Sarah on a walk through three atlas tetrads in Harwood, we found some interesting colonies of Cladonias lichens on the upturned root edges of some windblown Spruce. As the lichens course is currently looking at Heath and Moorland, and specifically at Cladonias, this was a chance to put the classroom practice into a fieldwork context. The two most frequent species were C. macilenta (‘Devils Matches’), and C.sulphurina (’Greater Sulphur-cup’). Unfortunately, the weather was a bit on the harsh side, so it wasn’t possible to take any photographs of the lichens in the field. Never mind, that’s just a reason to go back and have another look on a brighter day 
The atlassing itself was a bit esoteric. During the entire 9 miles through the forest we only came across 6 different species;
Common Buzzard 3
Sparrowhawk 1
Goshawk 1
Great Spotted Woodpecker 2
Goldcrest 5
Common Crossbill 103
With temperatures hovering around freezing and 8″ of snow still covering over a mile of the footpaths and tracks, it was no great surprise that there were so few birds. Also unsurprising, throughout those 9 miles of beautiful, windswept, snow-covered Northumberland we didn’t encounter any other walkers. They don’t know what they were missing
A cold walk and a varied week
by martin on 05/02/10 08:31, under Photography, Tourism
I’ve had another week of meetings (and late-cancellations of meetings as well) with a wide enough range of topics to keep me on my toes. I’ve enrolled on the Natural History Society of Northumbria ‘Lichens and Bryophytes’ course and the first session was on Monday; my use of dichotomous keys as an aid to identification has been sporadic previously, but now I’ve got to learn. A one-to-one clinic on Wednesday, discussing the new Northumberland brand and ways to enhance our own marketing, gave me lots of new ideas. Most valuable of all though was a meeting later that afternoon with one of Northumberland’s major land owners, discussing species conservation, land management, nature tourism and access to the prime natural history areas of his estate. New NEWT products are on the way…
As I sat in the office yesterday afternoon, staring at the cold gloom outside, I had a call from my good friend, and bird race team-mate, Iain. He was complaining about being stuck in his office on such a lovely sunny afternoon. His office is only 20 miles up the road from ours, but was blessed with much better weather.
One thing that unpromising weather does give me time for is processing a few images from the last month. With the launch of our new website Northen Experience Images I needed to do a reasonable amount of uploading. Here a just a few from last Saturday, when the temperature was somewhat lower than it is now and myself, Sarah and Andy had a walk along the coast from Embleton towards Dunstanburgh Castle.
Dunstanburgh Castle from Embleton
Dunstanburgh Castle from Embleton
Dunstanburgh Castle and boulder beach
Boulders at dusk
It was cold, really cold. As we walked back through the dunes in the dark, there was a bitter northerly wind and it felt like a real wilderness. Winter, my favourite time of the year (until the green shoots of spring begin to appear anyway…).
Big Garden Birdwatch
by martin on 01/02/10 08:45, under Birdwatching, Surveys
We had a leisurely hour of birdwatching yesterday morning. With all of the feeders stocked with top class bird food from Poltross, and a bacon and egg butty and a mug of coffee in hand, we settled down into our respective positions on either side of the kitchen. With commentary on the dismantling of Andy Murray in the background, binoculars were trained on the feeders, the ground, the shrubbery and the Ash tree. After a slow start, things began to gather pace and we finished with 76 birds of 20 species;
Collared Dove 4
Wood Pigeon 2
Jackdaw 1
Carrion Crow 1
House Sparrow 1
Starling 7
Blue Tit 2
Great Tit 3
Coal Tit 7
Willow Tit 2
Long-tailed Tit 3
Chaffinch 14
Greenfinch 5
Goldfinch 2
Bullfinch 4
Goldcrest 1
Robin 6
Dunnock 2
Blackbird 5
Redwing 4
There were a few absentees as well, all seen regularly in the days leading up to the Big Garden Birdwatch;
Jay
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Sparrowhawk
Siskin
Maybe 25 species in 1hr is a target to aim for in our garden next year.
