Author: martin

is good or bad, it’s always possible to make the best of it. On Monday I had a Press Trip to Druridge Bay. The weather was excellent and the highlight of the afternoon was the Glossy Ibis at Druridge Pools. Tuesday was not such a nice day and I spent it watching our garden wildlife from the comfort of the office. As I was a little under the weather I didn’t mind spending a day indoors. I’ve never quite understood ‘familiarity breeds contempt’!

Wednesday dawned crisp, clear and very frosty. A day out was surely what I needed to hasten my recovery from whatever was ailing me. With a focus on getting better shots of the ibis, having previously photographed it in dismal light conditions, it was disheartening to see it a long way from the hide. Not to worry, the local herons soon gave it a bit of a kicking and it was winging it’s way towards me. The image linked above was exactly what I had in mind when I left the office yesterday morning. I love it when a plan comes together.

My heart lifted as I looked out of the window this morning. I’m a cold weather person, always have been and always will be, and it was frosty. I don’t know exactly why, but I always feel a real sense of anticipation when it turns cold. So, donning several layers, I headed to Newbiggin for an early morning seawatch. Nothing much passing by, but the crisp air and a skein of Pink-footed Geese, as well as indulging my favourite birdwatching passion, all made for an enjoyable couple of hours.

Back in the office after thawing out I could see, high overhead, a small flock of birds heading south. Perhaps more wild geese? No, remarkably, the binoculars revealed 5 Magpies. Another 4 were following close behind. Note to self – check literature for info about Magpie migration…

After the intensity of July and August, September is a quieter time for NEWT so we’ve had time to take stock of our position, start to implement expansion plans and review our long-term strategies. Getting that all out of the way as soon as possible was important as October really is a top quality birdwatching month…like many other local birders we’re praying for howling northeasterlies and rain, followed by nice, warm sunshine that will allow the grounded migrants to feed before they continue their journey.

We wouldn’t want to be anywhere other than Northumberland at this time of the year; I’m a native of East Yorkshire (and passionate about my roots) and Sarah was born in Nottingham and grew up in Derbyshire but Northumberland is home. When I left Arizona in 2000, my homesickness was for the Northumberland coast; cold, windy autumn days seawatching at Newbiggin, wrapping up warm against the winter cold and scanning the sea for Slavonian Grebes near Bamburgh, scouring coastal bushes for Goldcrests and other migrants when the weather deteriorates.

September hasn’t been too shabby as month’s go; some good seawatching, three excellent pelagics, jaw-dropping views of otters and, last weekend, a mouthwatering rarity. The Glossy Ibis that toured much of southeast Northumberland, and took a bit of effort to finally catch up with, was the first in the county for 20 years and only the 3rd record up here ever.

And yesterday, I knew for certain that I’m a Northumbrian. I was at a meeting about the re-branding of the area, and the Area Tourism Management Plan. Almost an entire day indoors, and I’m usually not too good when confined, but I managed to listen intently to everything that was said. Sarah says that she expects this to be a turning point…

is all of the small things. There’s so much wildlife in Northumberland, so much culture and heritage, so much beautiful countryside, so much that remains undiscovered. At this time of the year: wild geese, cold autumn breezes, dark nights, golden foliage with the trees rustling in secluded valleys, Grey Seals, Red Squirrels, fabulous fungi, a sense of change. Every season has its own offering but I find Autumn such an inspiring time, particularly from a wildlife and landscape photography perspective.

Today I’m going to be getting wrapped up warm and enjoying the Grey Seals of the Farne Islands on a Seal Safari, and then attending the Wansbeck Business Awards. For once, I’m glad we’ve not got any bookings for tomorrow 🙂

It’s rare that the content of our blog strays away from wildlife. After all, that’s what we spend most of our lives either searching for or watching. However, today was a ‘non-wildlife’ day as it was time to take our Landrover for it’s six-monthly safety inspection. Potentially a very stressful morning, but the Landy has now sailed through the last two tests without any problems; a real testament to the skill of Sandy Fairbairn, who has done an excellent job servicing, repairing and maintaining the vehicle since the inception of Northern Experience.

All of the testing may seem like a hassle and an expense, but it’s a matter of public safety; if you’re in a vehicle that’s licenced by a local authority, or by VOSA, then you know that it’s been tested to a high standard and is being properly maintained. And, of course, the correct licencing is necessary for the vehicle’s insurance to be valid…although undoubtedly there are companies operating tours similar to ours but who aren’t licenced.

I was told recently about one bird tour operator who makes his clients sign a disclaimer about transport, and then provides it without any of the necessary paperwork. Highly illegal, and the sort of thing that really makes my blood boil as he’s putting maximised profits ahead of client safety. When we first began trading I had a permanent falling out with a business coach because I refused to do the same; being an entrepreneur is one thing, being reckless is something else altogether.

Rant over…just don’t get me started about boats.

National Moth Night is always a good excuse to hold an event in our local woodland. This year we held two. One was a day early; Thursday was our second ‘Things that go Squeak in the Night’ evening at The Swan at Choppington. We set up the moth trap and then went on a bat walk around the woods. Along one stretch of footpath we had pipistrelle bats flying back and forth over our heads. Back at the pub we all enjoyed an excellent meal and a couple of drinks before checking the trap. It was fairly cool outside so there were very few moths active. We did catch a Square-spot Rustic and a Canary-shouldered Thorn (just about as shocking yellow as you can imagine) but that was it.

Friday saw us leading another moth-trapping session in Choppington Woods, this time for the Northumberland Wildlife Trust. A portable generator, moth trap, sweep nets, sample tubes, headtorches and a good group of participants, including families, made for an excellent evening. A very vocal Tawny Owl was serenading us from the trees nearby and the bat detector sporadically burst into life while, around the trap and along the footpaths, moths, craneflies, spiders, crickets and grasshoppers were all caught, potted, studied and released before everyone headed home.

No, not a comment on the state of the hobby. Rather, it’s one of my favourite destinations. After last Saturday’s excellent pelagic (with Sooty Shearwater and Sabine’s Gull added to nearly everyone’s year lists, and a few life lists as well) I spent all day Wednesday on the SarahJFK carrying out some research for next year’s Northern Experience Northumberland Pelagics. Even in westerly winds there were good birds moving North; 6 Black Terns (although they were a long way east of Church Point when I photographed them) were a very pleasant surprise.

Tomorrow we’re back to sea, this time on Glad Tidings V, in search of whales, dolphins and seabirds. Then we’re going to follow that with a bat & moth night and BBQ at Lee Moor Farm. From some of our largest wildlife, to some of the smallest. It’s not too late to sign up for either event so give us a call. Variety is the spice of life!

After watching the weather forecasts carefully for the last few days, we set the start time for Friday’s Prestige Tour at 1pm…and it stopped raining at 12:50!! Collecting Mary and Malcolm from West Acre House in Alnwick, we headed down the coast. Despite all of the rain there was some exposed mud around the pond edges, and it’s the right time of year for passage waders. Adult and juvenile Greenshanks, and a juvenile Dunlin beginning it’s moult into winter plumage, allowed a detailed discussion about moult and ageing – the first step in identifying a number of species is accurately ageing the bird you are looking at. In a list of birdwatching skills this should be right near the top. Not only does it expand your knowledge, it encourages close observation…even experienced birdwatchers are often guilty of giving birds a cursory glance if the identification isn’t in doubt. A Common Tern spent a long time fishing just in front of us, Cormorants (an under-rated species if ever there was) were back and forth and 2 Garganey flew past. A charm of Goldfinches never fails to delight anyone with an interest in birds and 30-40 were seen as we walked along a footpath. Then, my personal highlight of the day…a Harvest Mouse sneaking through the pathside grass. I tried to catch it for a closer look but only ended up plunging my hands into a patch of stinging nettles. More waders stimulated an explanation of the differences between Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits. As the afternoon drew to a close, a juvenile Marsh Harrier caused panic among a flock of Teal and Gadwall, a Barn Owl was watched from the roadside and a Sparrowhawk was sitting on a recent kill in the verge. An excellent Northumberland birdwatching afternoon. And today…now for something completely different.