Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Yesterday was the second of four Druridge Bay/Southeast Northumberland afternoon and evening trips this week, and I collected Natalie and Clive from Newton on the Moor just after lunch before heading south.

Starting with a short woodland walk, we enjoyed close views of those arboreal specialists Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker, but this time Red Squirrel eluded us.

At East Chevington, we were watching a roosting flock of Lapwing, Ruff and Curlew, and checking through the mass of assembled ducks, when a distant call caught my attention.  It was a minute or two before the birds appeared high in the sky to the north, but there they were; 29 Pink-footed Geese, the arrival that for me always heralds the end of the summer.

A flock of Dunlin, Redshank and Curlew at Cresswell contained a Little Stint, and a brief seawatch produced a small flock of Knot heading north.

A patient wait as the orange glow of the sunset illuminated the surface of a pond brought rewards as our attention was drawn to a scattering flock of Coot.  Just a few metres from the ripples left by the rapidly departing birds, the menacing shape of an Otter was twisting, turning and diving.  As it vanished in to the dark shadows of a reedbed, the final indication of it’s presence were the bright trails left by Mallards and Little Grebes as they made a frantic effort to be anywhere other than where the Otter was.  Even more exciting for me, was the completely unexpected appearance of a mammal that I haven’t seen since childhood, as the twilight was punctuated by a loud ‘plop’ and a Water Vole swam cross in front of us Tawny Owls were calling and Common Pipistrelles flitted back and forth as the full moon, and cold wind, made the evening feel really autumnal.

I dropped Natalie and Clive back at Newton on the Moor, and decided to avoid the roadworks on the A1 on the route home and instead took the minor road from Shilbottle to Warkworth.  I was still delayed though, but by a young Badger that trotted along the middle of the road ahead of me for a quarter of a mile before wandering into the verge and watching as I passed by.  Expect the unexpected…

I had a feeling of deja vu just after the Bird Fair, when Alex and Richard joined us for a Prestige Tour on Richard’s birthday.  My brief was the same as last year; birdwatching, photography and Otters, and I had no doubt that it was going to be a real pleasure.  Last year the Otters eluded us, but we’ve found new sites since then, and changed the route, and timings, of our Otter Safaris to take that into account.  A very obliging Grey Heron allowed consideration of composition…and why you shouldn’t set your camera to one of it’s pre-programmed modes   A Common Snipe was a good subject to investigate why autofocus may sometimes be inferior to manual focus, and a very heavy shower produced a degree of contrast between sky and water that illustrated our discussions about camera metering systems.

Small groups of Whimbrel and Golden Plover were heading south, and we set ourselves close to one of our regular Otter sites as the day wore on.  All of the wildfowl started heading in one direction…away from the Otter that was making its way menacingly across the water   It vanished into the reeds, then reappeared before sliding away into the darkness again; leaving behind lots of terrified ducks, 2 very happy clients and a relieved guide

We’re just about at the point where our 3hr evening safaris will be starting before 6pm; early August and the evenings are drawing in already!  Guided birdwatching, and a search for one of our favourite predators, always has an exciting atmosphere when it happens as darkness approaches.

On my way to collect Niki and Haydn from Warkworth, I stopped off for a few minutes beside the River Coquet – corvids and pigeons were swirling in the breeze, giving an autumnal feel to the evening.

With clients safely in our vehicle, we headed down the coast through the post-industrial landscape of Druridge Bay and the (only just) industrial  heartland of southeast Northumberland.  East Chevington was our first stop, producing sightings of 2 very obliging Common Snipe in the roost of Lapwings.  A flock of Curlew heading south were travelling with 2 Whimbrel and a Bar-tailed Godwit and the 2 juvenile Marsh Harriers were much appreciated as they quartered the reedbeds, flushing Mallard, Gadwall and Teal.

We continued our journey through southeast Northumberland and, as the first drops of rain began to pepper the surface of the water, an obvious edginess among a flock of Gadwall heralded the arrival of the star of the show; gliding along, sleek, dark and menacing, the Otter showed well, although briefly, as it headed across the open water and into the reeds opposite.  Then it was time for us to do the same, and depart into the deepening gloom of the evening.

Tuesday, and I’m sitting with Matt and Becky, waiting in anticipation as dusk approaches.  An orange/yellow glow rimming the horizon and the pallid, diffuse nature of the clouds covering the rest of the sky enhancing the impression that a thousand fires were burning in the distance.  Through the flames, dark ashes danced across our field of view; Tufted Ducks, Mallards and Coots skittering across the water.  Against the smoke, more dark soot tossed on the strong northerly breeze, this time Noctule Bats and Pipistrelles.

Then a burst of excitement as a whirling dervish appears, chasing ducks and geese; the Otter porpoising with serious intent, hitting the water with a splash like the crackle of a burning log.  Then the flames die and we’re left with the last few pops of the dying embers.

As the rain hammered down while I packed the car ready for Sunday’s Otter Safari I was filled with optimism; the weather forecast (really, I should stop believing these…) suggested that the afternoon and evening would be dry and bright.

When I arrived at Church Point Marc and Marika were already there, and we were joined by Becky and Jim soon after.  The trip was a present for one of each couple, and we set off for an afternoon of birdwatching combined with searching for Otters.  First stop was one of our Little Owl sites, and Becky’s sharp eyes picked out a juvenile bird that was doing a very passable impression of a stone.  Our next stop, beside the River Coquet, produced Common Terns fishing, flyby Curlews (and a discussion of separation from Whimbrel), 4 Common Sandpipers and some impressive thunderstorms away to the north and west of us.

A heavy shower as we reached the NWT reserve at East Chevington kept us in the car for a few minutes, during which time we were entertained by a family party of Stonechats.  As the rain eased we walked to the hide overlooking the north pool.  Amongst the throng of Common, Sandwich and Arctic Terns and Lapwings were 3 adult Knot, still in breeding plumage.  Suddenly the entire roosting flock lifted, and the unmistakeable figure of a Spoonbill flew across our field of vision.  It seemed intent on landing, but the constant harrassment from the terns meant that we were treated to several flypasts, including one where it was just 20m away from us.  As if this wasn’t spectacular enough, 2 Little Egrets appeared, while the Spoonbill was still circling, and were subjected to the same treatment.  Eventually a semblance of calm returned and we watched a juvenile Marsh Harrier as it pranced comically in the wet grass, presumably eating worms that had been brought to the surface by the rain, and a second juvenile harrier harrassed by crows.  Another creature to benefit from the rain was a very young Hedgehog busily eating worms and, in a real ‘aahh’ moment, pausing briefly to sniff the air.

Our picnic stop, overlooking the southern end of Druridge Bay, produced rafts of Eiders and Common Scoters, the piping calls baby Guillemots rising from the waves below, Gannets and Sandwich Terns plunging into the sea, at least 3 Arctic Skuas and the majestic lumbering menace of a Pomarine Skua passing south just offshore.

Changeable, showery weather often produces good sunsets, and this was no exception; as a band of steel grey cloud drifted along the horizon, sunlight shone through a narrow gap, fading from gold to orange to red to pink.  And there, in the reflection of the dramatic sky, was the main event – an Otter, twisting and turning, creating panic among the waterfowl, perched imperiously on a boulder and then vanishing into the deepening shadows of the water’s edge.  Clouds of Noctule Bats and Common Pipistrelles swirled overhead, occasionally passing within a few feet of us, a female Tawny Owl called from the nearby trees, and the scene faded to darkness…

Sunday was my third consecutive collection from Seahouses.  By the time I collected Chris and Jayne a sea fret had rolled in.  As we drove south, we left it behind and found ourselves in bright sunshine.  After an afternoon of birdwatching around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland, including 5 stunning adult Little Gulls roosting together, we settled down to search for Otters.  With the strong sunlight reflecting off the water it was difficult to see but, just as the sun sank behind a row of distant trees, all of the ducks began to look edgy.  Sure enough, our quarry appeared soon after; twisting and turning, diving and leaping, before vanishing into the sunwashed reeds

After Tuesday’s Otter Safari, Wednesday brought another one, this time a Prestige Tour.

Now, I know that you can never guarantee the wildlife that you’ll see on any day (not entirely true, I know…) but the sentence “what we really want is to photograph an Otter” adds a certain pressure to the proceedings

I collected Pete and Christine and we began our otter search of Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  After a near miss (wildfowl scattering in a pattern that we’ve come to recognise as strongly indicative of the presence of otters), we settled by a mirror calm pool and waited.  As we marvelled at the remarkable weather condition of bright sunshine and heavy rain, a heightened sense of alertness amongst the ducks increased my confidence that ‘mission accomplished’ would be the outcome of the trip.  That confidence wasn’t misplaced and we enjoyed 25 minutes of an Otter twisting, turning and feeding.  As a stunning sunset developed we waited to see if there would be a reappearance.  There was, and with the cover of twilight the star of the show became more enterprising in it’s hunting technique; stealthily approaching ducks and their ducklings.  After a couple of failed sorties it returned to feeding on small fish and another 30 minutes of action.

We’ve just finished a run of 3 late finishes in 3 days…and we’re looking forward to more over the next couple of months

Tuesday was our latest Otter Safari and I collected Steve & Marilyn, Nigel & Jane and Vince & Karin from Church Point before heading north through Druridge Bay.  After a tour of the coast that included a fantastic fly-past by a male Marsh Harrier at East Chevington and an impromptu ‘terns and gulls’ ID session we setttled into position by one of our favourite Otter spots.  We didn’t see anything other than mild panic amongst the waterfowl, and the elusive predator remained, well elusive.  A Barn Owl flying past was so close that the view was like a whiteout through binoculars, but eventually we had to admit defeat when it was simply too dark to see anything.  That’s the thing about wildlife…but if it was always predictable it would be boring.

We had 2 Otter Safaris at the weekend, both accompanied by rain, but both very successful.

On Saturday I collected Lesley and Rab from their accommodation at The Swan, and the rain started just as we were getting into the car!  An afternoon spent dodging the showers, and enjoying some excellent birdwatching around Druridge Bay, eventually developed into a superb evening when the showers cleared and some of our more elusive wildlife appeared as dusk approached;  Roe Deer, Barn Owl and a very obliging Otter all entertained us before I returned 2 happy clients back to The Swan in time for last orders.

Sunday looked like being a frustrating day; beautiful weather in the morning gave way to an increasing layer of gloomy cloud and by the time I collected Janice from home in Bedlington Station, and Ann and Mark & Maxine and Pippa from Church Point, the heavens had opened.  With local clients re-arrangement can be an option when the weather is poor, but we were on a run of 8 successful Otter Safaris in our last 10 so I was sure that the weather wouldn’t affect our chances.  Dodging the showers wasn’t really an option, as breaks in the downpour were few and far between.  With a completely overcast sky, it was likely to get dark much earlier than in recent days, so I juggled the timings that have been so successful this year.  Optimism increased as a raft of Mallards, Tufted Ducks and Gadwall all began to stare intently at the same reedbed…which an Otter came swimming out from!  After 30 minutes of top-quality entertainment it vanished into a different reedbed before returning to the stage for a 15 minute encore performance

We’ve got a few places still available on an otter mini-safari next Tuesday, and we’ll be doing more over the next few months, so give us a call on 01670 827465 and book your place now before they’re all sold out.

The sun is setting, adding a rim of burning gold to the edges of the steel grey clouds drifting across the horizon.  A pool of carmine encircles the darkness, illuminating the clouds in front of us and reflected in the water as baby pink.  Then it happens, the cherry on the icing on the (60th birthday) cake.  Enter stage right…the menacing sleek form of an Otter.  For 40 minutes we’re entertained as this sinuous predator treats the tree stumps, islands, boulders and the water as an obstacle course.  I’ve seen lots of Otters feeding, I’ve seen them scrambling over boulders, and I’ve seen them climbing trees.  Until yesterday though I’d never seen one persistently breaching; changing direction with breathtaking speed so that it was a struggle to be sure that we were only watching one animal.

A client once asked whether I would become blase about the wildlife that we see…