Author: martin

Well, that’s what I believe following yesterday’s Farne Islands trip. After collecting four clients from the Queen’s Head in Berwick, the spectacular views from the A1 suggested that the Cheviots were ‘enjoying’ a bit of a downpour. By the time we’d reached Seahouses, just a few drops of rain had fallen on us. As Glad Tidings headed towards the islands the view of Holy Island away to the north became obscured as the storm moved over there and away to the south we could see another area of heavy rain. However, where we were the sun was shining; Arctic Terns were at every stage from incubating to feeding very tiny chicks all the way to young that were capable of flying. Puffins were sitting around and every so often a puffling would poke it’s head out of a burrow, only to decide that the world was a big scary place and rapidly disappear again. Kittiwakes, Razorbills, Guillemots and Shags are still present on the breeding cliffs and Grey Seals were sunbathing and scratching. It’s remarkable to think that our first Farne Islands Safari this year was mid-May and now, just 2 months later, many of the seabirds have departed the islands and the breeding season is nearly over. The Arctic Terns will soon be making that extraordinary journey to the far reaches of the Southern Hemisphere. Even as a full-time wildlife and birdwatching guide, the natural world still takes my breath away.

Yesterday we had a Druridge Bay Safari, so I collected our clients from near Rothbury and started our tour of some of southeast Northumberland’s birdwatching gems. One site always produces sightings of Sparrowhawk so when all of the Lapwings around the pond launched into the air I suggested that was what we should be looking for. Sure enough, it was flying low over the water towards us – carrying a Lapwing chick. Many people find it cruel, but the Sparrowhawk has chicks to feed and one Lapwing chick from among the many doesn’t harm the Lapwing population. It’s just the way that nature is.

Mediterranean Gull was, as ever, a feature of our first coastal stop before we worked our way North, in search of passage waders. Three Black-tailed Godwits, five Greenshank, four Ringed Plovers, ten Dunlin and twenty Knot, all in breeding plumage, as well as plenty of Redshank and Lapwing, and a few Oystercatcher, were all probing the soft mud in search of sustenance. Herons were watched at close range as they succesfully fished in each of the pools we visited.

The Grey Heron’s cousin, Little Egret, that we’ve watched for the last week wasn’t on the menu today; not for us anyway. Shortly before we arrived at East Chevington it had fallen victim to a Marsh Harrier. With all those passage waders around as well, but why eat fish fingers when you can have caviar?

Yesterday saw a trip that had been several months in planning; we first had an e-mail in January asking if we could arrange a trip to see otters in the wild, as a 60th birthday surprise…so yesterday morning I arrived at 11:00 to collect 5 adults and a 1-year old from the car park at Church Point, Newbiggin. The car park was heaving with people – and a horse-drawn carriage, as there was a wedding at St Bartholomew’s. After a brief familiarisation session using binoculars (not always the easiest thing, especially if you’ve never used a pair with a dioptre adjustment on one eyepiece), and an introduction to the fascinating world of gull identification (you would think we’d trained the Mediterranean Gull that appeared just seconds after I mentioned that we would search for one…), we set out on our mammal hunt. Discovering that some of the group had recently been to Rwanda in search of Mountain Gorillas really increased the pressure. Red Squirrels evaded our vision, but mid-July is not the ideal time to search for them, and we were soon heading to our first otter site. As we tucked in to our picnic lunch, all eyes were scanning the water surface. A pair of Mute Swans were watching intently over their brood of cygnets, and a Gadwall swam along with her eight ducklings. After one or two false alarms…a dark shape broke the surface; five pairs of eyes focussed on the ripples that remained, then it bobbed to the surface…followed by another…and another. For over 90 mins we watched them as they swam around, played, cleaned, scratched, play-fought and, at one point, two of them surfaced each having caught the same eel! They swam in unison to the bank before one managed to win the tug-of-war and disappeared into the long grass to consume its prize. A quick check of one of our Little Owl nest sites, and then our clients were on their way back to Amble, to freshen up in preparation for Otters and Badgers (part 2).

The meeting point for our evening trip was East Chevington. As I arrived, Dave Elliot was just leaving. Dave is a legendary finder of rare birds, but even I was amazed when he told me there was a Pacific Golden Plover on the South Pool. When my group arrived we walked along to view the pool and there it was; stunning in black and gold, and a genuine rarity. Leaving the growing crowd we continued down the coast before heading inland to our favourite badger sett. Getting everyone into relatively concealed positions well before sunset, we settled to wait, and watch. Badgers could be heard in the undergrowth but didn’t come out into the open; perhaps they’d been tipped off by the fox that did suddenly appear just a few metres away before spotting one of our group and vanishing back up a narrow track towards the sett. As we walked back to the vehicle, pipistrelle bats were picked up by our bat detector, but a large bat that made several close approaches to us frustratingly failed to make any sound. Otters, foxes, badgers, bats and birdwatching; we still think Northumberland is the equal of anywhere else in the UK, and an excellent place for a quiet, tranquil holiday. Come and join us.

I arrived at the Hareshaw Linn carpark in Bellingham yesterday evening, ready to lead the ‘Birds of Redesdale’ walk for Shepherd’s Walks. 10 walkers, plus myself and Jon, set out to walk along the North Tyne towards Redesmouth and then back to Bellingham across some cattle-filled fields.

Inland birdwatching in early July can be a bit hit-and-miss; all of the trees are heavily vegetated, adult birds are secretive and (generally) silent. We found some real gems though; a stunning adult male Redstart sat on a riverside fence post and allowed everyone the chance to appreciate a bird that most people in Britain probably aren’t aware of the existence of. Grey Wagtails were flycatching from mid-stream rocks at Redesmouth. Oystercatchers were, well, what more can you say about these big black-and-white birds with their extraordinary beaks? Other wildlife found along our route included Silver-ground Carpet, Bird-cherry Ermine and a Meadow Brown, calm and approachable as the cool of the evening replaced the heat of the day.

Once the walk was completed, the journey back to Southeast Northumberland, fortunately, was free of torrential rain and stranded cyclists.

I was asked recently to suggest the best wildlife and birdwatching that Northumberland has to offer. It should have been an easy question to answer, but in reality it isn’t – because there’s so much; Spring and autumn migration, winter wildfowl and waders, seabird colonies, otters, upland moorland areas that are rarely visited and a breeding avifauna that now includes Osprey, Mediterranean Gull and Marsh Harrier. And all of this only scratches the surface…

We’ve just finished developing our new Birdwatching for Beginners courses, with the first one on 23rd/24th July and our first participant already booked in. Details are in our latest newsletter The date has been chosen to allow a combination with the first of this year’s Northumberland Pelagics – some of the best birdwatching in Northern England and really sociable events as well. Call us now on +44 (0)1670 827465 to book your place. Don’t forget your camera…

Yesterday saw the addition of a new product to the NEWT range – Druridge Bay Safaris with a Coquet Island Cruise. Collecting Heather and Stella from the beautiful village of Craster, our southward journey involved many stops; 2 stunning male Yellowhammers singing close to the road, a brood of Kestrels, a Hare loping across a nearby field, Kittiwakes and Fulmars on their precipitous nest sites, Lapwings, Herons and Shelduck all bathing in the bright sunshine.

Then it was on to Shokwave for a trip around Coquet Island, another one of Northumberland’s birdwatching gems; as we approached the island rafts of Puffins took flight, heading for their favoured feeding areas to collect sandeels for the hungry Pufflings waiting in their nest burrows. Terns were passing by, some carrying very large sandeels, and soon we were moored at the jetty watching the target bird for the trip – Roseate Tern; beautiful, delicate and ghostly, as each adult returned to it’s nest box a hungry chick would appear at the doorway.

Back on the mainland we were discussing the separation of Mediterranean and Black-headed Gulls, and the best way to learn a species is to experience it first-hand, so we headed down towards Newbiggin. As we drove along the main street I spotted an adult Med Gull drifting towards Church Point. Sure enough, we soon relocated it where it was perched atop a lamppost, defending it’s lofty position against a succession of Black-headed Gulls and a 1 year old Med Gull as well. Lunch was taken at a spot overlooking the North Sea, and a mystery cetacean was seen very briefly as it rolled at the surface twice. Waders including Greenshank, Redshank and Dunlin were all studied closely during the afternoon and we finished the trip watching 2 Marsh Harriers.

After returning the ladies to Craster, I headed back south. It wasn’t the end of the day for me though, as I’d got a Badger sett to check. But that’s a story for another day…

For the second consecutive Tuesday, I was leading a trip to Inner Farne. After the impression made on me by an Arctic Tern last week I remembered to take a hat…

As we sailed from Seahouses Harbour a thick cloak of mist settled over the sea, making for a very surreal experience. After the sailing around the islands we landed on Inner Farne and enjoyed the usual remarkable close views of Arctic, Common and Sandwich Terns, Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Shags and Kittiwakes. With a client who last visited the islands nearly 30 years ago, and was almost speechless, I was reminded about just what an exciting birdwatching county Northumberland is for locals and visitors alike.

Back on dry land we headed out to a mainland tern colony. As we walked through the dunes, with Yellow Shell moths flitting about around our feet, the sound of the terns began to filter through the air. The entire colony of Arctic and Little Terns suddenly rose silently in one tight flock and headed high out to sea. The best indicator of wildlife is other wildlife and, unsurprisingly, a male Peregrine glided over soon after. As the danger passed the birds returned to the beach, where their chicks had sat motionless as one of our most impressive predators cast it’s shadow on the sand.

Down the coast to our starting point and 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls were quickly found as we finished an excellent day out.

Northumberland’s 5th breeding tern species is our target for tomorrow.

Over recent nights, the active moth trappers in Northumberland have been catching large numbers of Diamond-back Moths. One site in Tynemouth produced nearly 1000 on Sunday night but, with long days in the field with clients, I haven’t been running our trap as regularly as I would like (and not as often as our assistant County Recorder would like either!). Last night we we driving back from giving a slide-show in Alnmouth, and there was an almost continuous cloud of moths in the beam from the car headlights. So, as soon as we were back home, out went the trap. First thing this morning I went out into the garden and there were Diamond-backs everywhere. With a heavily vegetated wildlife garden it was impossible to count them all (and at less than 1cm in length, they’re fairly easy to overlook anyway). In the trap itself there were 32, along with between 30-40 moths of other species including Poplar Hawkmoth, Burnished Brass and Plain Golden Y.

Moth trapping is a fascinating, if occasionally confusing, way to spend your evenings. Another example of the fact that there’s always something to do or see in the natural world. If birdwatching is the replacement for botany during the winter (and for some naturalists it is), then surely moth-trapping is the replacement for birdwatching at night.

With a good walk around Holy Island already completed, I drove to Alnmouth to collect our second clients of the day. Bob and Charlotte are over from Connecticut, visiting some of the best birdwatching spots in Britain, and I was going to spend the afternoon guiding them on a wildlife and birdwatching trip to the Farne Islands and the North Northumberland coast. As Glad Tidings VII pulled out of Seahouses harbour with a full load of passengers, you could feel the anticipation in the air. Five of our natural history group from last weekend had stayed on in Northumberland and were also on the boat as was Margaret, who had been on one of our conservation walks at Lee Moor Farm on Open Farm Sunday. Terns were flying by the boat, returning to their hungry chicks and soon Razorbills, Puffins and Guillemots began to appear. A coastal mist led to the remarkable spectacle of Bamburgh Castle apparently floating in mid-air and we enjoyed the sailing around the islands (a real multi-sensory experience!), eventually landing on Inner Farne. The Farne Islands are surely one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles. If anyone could be disappointed by a visit there I would be amazed. Terns, auks, Kittiwakes and Shags all had either eggs or nestlings so photo opportunities were endless. All too soon it was time to return to the mainland. Rather than our usual picnic, Bob and Charlotte had opted for Seahouses’ finest fish and chips so we headed to Pinnacles. After eating we set out on a coastal walk. Wildflowers were luminescent in the evening sunlight, Curlews called over nearby fields, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits sang their rather contrasting songs and a juvenile Stonechat was watched closely as it attempted to eat a very large moth. Eventually we arrived at our destination; a mainland tern colony, where we watched Arctic and Little Terns in the warm evening sunshine. A family party of Stonechats, and several Reed Buntings, showed well beside the path and we returned to the Landrover for the final leg of our journey.

After dropping our happy clients at their accommodation in Hexham I drove home; reflecting on how far we’ve come; back in October 2007, when I was on the Enterprise Island Challenge, Northern Experience Wildlife Tours only existed as a name registered at Companies House. Now, in June 2009, we’ve got corporate clients, we’ve just led our first large group weekend and I’m happier, healthier and as passionate as ever about Northumberland and its wildlife, and about sharing that passion.

“Corporate clients can be really very difficult” that was the advice given by one of the course leaders when I was a participant on the Enterprise Island Challenge back in October 2007. So yesterday, with some trepidation, I headed north up the A1 to collect a group of employees from our first corporate client. The weather was even better than it had been for the last few days; ideal for a Natural History walk around Holy Island. Starting from the main carpark, we walked through the village, discussing the history of Christianity on the island, and up on to the Heugh. Grey Seals could be seen in the deeper channels between the island and Guile Point and a small group of Eiders were loafing around on a sandbar. A couple of the group were familiar with Northumberland – but mainly with the upland moorland of the interior, so the rich fertile coastal plain was a pleasant surprise for them. On a hot sunny day in mid-late June flowers were an obvious focus, with Northern Marsh Orchids and Viper’s Bugloss very prominent, but there were other surprises along the way; Swallows feeding their nestlings and a newly-emerged Six-spot Burnet Moth alongside another one that was just breaking free of it’s cocoon. Time flew by and soon we were heading back down the coast to Waren Mill. With the group safely returned to their accommodation, it was time for me to drive to Alnmouth as Tuesday wasn’t over yet…