Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Month: September 2013

  • “Not at all like a Pintail”

    How do you know what a particular species is?  That’s a frequently asked question on our tours and, fortunately, some species have a characteristic that makes them memorable.

    I collected Christine and Jean from just north of Morpeth and we headed down to Church Point to collect Sue and Ray.  Our evening mini-safari was concentrating on Druridge Bay and the southeast Northumberland coast.  Late August is always an interesting time to be on the coast, with passage waders moving through, but also the occasional surprise among the wildfowl too.  Scanning through the Mallards, Teal, Tufted Duck and Gadwall, I saw three ducks flying in.  The unmistakeable black beaks and elegant demeanour of the new arrivals marked them out immediately as Pintail.  A beautiful duck in breeding plumage, but still very distinctive in plainer dress too and we watched them and discussed just how they differ from other ducks.

    Later in the trip Christine described a dress worn recently by a TV presenter as ‘glaiky’.  Now, that’s a word I haven’t heard for a while.  It’s usually used to describe a person who is odd, daft, thoughtless, foolish, clumsy.  When Sue asked what it meant Jean had an excellent answer “Inelegant, not at all like a Pintail“.  Then, she turned to me and said “Ha. See, I was paying attention”.  So, from now on, Pintail will be described as not glaiky 🙂

  • Stoatally different to yesterday…

    By extraordinary coincidence, one of our least observed mammals put in an appearance for the second consecutive day…

    I collected David, Jackie and Alexander from Bamburgh and we headed south to start their Prestige Tour of the Northumberland Coast.  As Swallows and House Martins flitted about low over the water in front of us, a Stoat proved elusive as it darted in and out of the vegetation close to the water’s edge, momentarily startling the dozing ducks before vanishing back into the edge of a reedbed.  As ever something wholly unexpected appeared, on this occasion a Peregrine over Cresswell village.  A Roe Deer walking through an arable field appeared like a disembodied head – only popping up, like a Jack-in-the-box, every few metres as it made it’s way across the field.

    Another elusive mustelid put in a brief appearance too, as a Badger trotted along between reedbeds, but unfortunately hidden from view by the vegetation on our side of the pool.  As dusk approached, pipistrelle bats were flitting back and forth, tiny Common Froglets hopped across the path in front of us and the drive back to Bamburgh produced another impressive mammal, as a Brown Hare loped along the verge as we passed.

  • Breathtaking menace

    One of the species that our clients are always keen to see is the Otter.  From my own perspective though, one of it’s smaller relatives is a much more attractive mustelid.

    I collected Jackie, and Steve and Karen, from Church Point, and we set off on an exploration of Druridge Bay and the Northumberland coast.  As we sat scanning a coastal pool, watching for any sign of agitation among the assembled Mallards, Gadwall, Tufted Ducks, Little Grebes, Teal and Mute Swans, there was a rustling in the grass just in front of us and a Stoat popped it’s head out.  I started making quiet squeaking noises, and soon it peered out at us, then came out in the open and reared up on it’s hind legs – presumably fooled by my pishing into thinking that a small rodent was in trouble and in need of a Stoat to do it’s good deed for the day and end it’s misery 🙂 The Stoat is one of those species that are fairly common and widespread, but rarely seen.  When you do get one sitting out in full view though it really is a quite beautiful creature; lithe and muscular, inquisitive and deadly, it was a real treat to have this little predator right in front of us.

    As the evening wore on, small groups of Starlings were gathering ready to roost, Snipe seemed to be everywhere that we went and the eternal game of cat and mouse, between predators and prey, that is the natural world was still all around us as the sun dropped below the horizon away to the west.