Author: martin

Although it isn’t one of our usual haunts in late October, we had a Prestige Tour in the North Pennines today. The forecast snow didn’t materialise but there was a definite need for thermals and extra fleeces. 🙂 The walk along the river at Allen Banks was stunning; with bright sunshine and cold, clear air the autumn colours were vivid. A Dipper did exactly what it’s name suggests it should, Nuthatches flashed orange and blue as they flitted from tree to tree in front of us and Common Buzzards mewed as they soared high above the trees. Heading across into Upper Teesdale several Red Grouse posed close to the road and eventually we located the sought-after Black Grouse – no less than 23 handsome Blackcocks could be seen at one point. Flooded areas of roadside fields were completely frozen, looking like bright mirrors amongst the green of the grass. A visit to the spectacular waterfall at High Force produced an unexpected bonus bird in the form of a Green Woodpecker, and we had close-up views of several Goldcrests as they fed in the pathside vegetation. We’re likely to add the North Pennines to our October itinerary from next year, and certainly as an autumn destination for our new photographic tours.

Tomorrow…Back to the seals

Yesterday we were on a Seal Safari. The boat trip across to the Farne Islands was exhilarating. Cold and windy, but with a clear blue sky and excellent visibility. The view looking back towards the mainland was breathtaking. The slight swell added to the experience as well. There were lots of Grey Seals around the islands and a few small pups could be seen on the shingle beach of the Wamses.

There is wildlife to see throughout the year in Northumberland, but those days when there’s a cold northerly wind, cloudless skies and crystal clear visibility are really magical.

Wednesday saw us on Safari in Druridge Bay. Highlight of the day was a Peregrine that caused a ‘dread’ amongst the large flock of gulls that were feeding and roosting in the fields to the west of Druridge Pools.

On Thursday we enjoyed some excellent, although rather cold, weather as we headed across to the Farne Islands on a Seal Safari. The seals performed very well, sometimes it feels as though we are sailing across for the benefit of the seals, as they watch intently when each boat of observers approaches the islands. We could see one of this years pups, and there should be many more over the next two weeks on the Seal Safaris that we are running until the end of the month. After the boat trip and a picnic lunch we headed down on to the beach north of Bamburgh for a spot of rock-pooling; just the thing to entertain a 2-year old and a 5-year old!

After returning our clients to their holiday cottage there was just time to head home, have a quick bath, and don Black Tie ready for the Wansbeck Business Forum Awards evening. A real celebration of the thriving business community in Wansbeck, the event culminated in the Business of the Year award going to Synergy Healthcare. Our congratulations go to them, and to the winners of the other awards.

…if the rapid decrease of the seed levels in my bird feeders is anything to go by. Long-tailed Tits are visiting the garden again and Blue, Great and Coal Tits are almost ever present. It’s a long time since I was a small child but I can still remember vividly the excitement when we first had a bird table in our garden. Educational, exciting and a helping hand for our feathered friends as frosts arrive and natural food sources become scarcer. What could be better?

No, not a blog entry about the current economic crisis that is gripping most of the world, but rather the thought that arose when I listened to a talk by Ian Kerr at the Northumberland and Tyneside Bird Club AGM yesterday. It made me think about the phrase attributed to Isaac Newton “If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”. Ian’s talk was about the ornithologists who have been influential/instrumental in Northumberland, since the time of John Hancock, after whom the Hancock Museum is named. Sadly, the renovated museum is to be named the ‘Great North Museum’ when it re-opens. As a graduate of Newcastle University, I recall the many times I visited the museum, and wonder if the company employed to re-brand the museum have any real appreciation of who John Hancock was and what he did?

Our otter safari proved very successful today (almost too much for one participant – but more of that later…). The first site we visited was enlivened by the stunning electric blue of a Kingfisher as it zipped back and forth along the river and a very cute weasel played peek-a-boo with us as it poked it’s nose out from under a bramble bush. Heading north we encountered a concentration of waders, including Dunlin, Curlew Sandpiper, Little Stint, Bar-tailed and Black-tailed Godwits and Golden Plover. This concentration had also attracted the attention of a juvenile Merlin which caused chaos as it flushed all of the waders. Eventually it settled on a fence post and everyone enjoyed excellent ‘scope views of this smart little bird. A Barn Owl hunting over the dunes was a highlight of the day. No Otters though, so moving on we settled to our positions at one of the best otter sites I’ve ever visited. An hour passed by and still no sign, although a male Sparrowhawk became the second well-watched raptor of the day, so we were starting to pack telescopes etc away ready to embark on a dusk search for foxes and badgers. Then, as is so often the case, it happened. A shriek of “Yes”, followed by “Oh, yes, oh yes, oh yes” (think Meg Ryan in When Harry Met Sally) and there it was – an otter swimming around by the edge of the pond. Getting better by the second it then swam straight towards us and we were able to watch it for nearly 10 minutes. A family of Mute Swans were also watching it and, as it headed in their direction, failed to live up to their descriptive name as the adult produced several very angry growling sounds. The otter seemed to get the message as it slid under the surface and didn’t reappear in the open water. Walking back to the Landrover, we enjoyed a fly-past by a Long-eared Owl as darkness began to descend.

Although I’ve now led well over 100 hours of pelagic trips off Northumberland, I still enjoy being a passenger rather than trip leader. So today, with a real sense of anticipation, all three members of the NEWT team (Martin, Sarah and Andy) boarded Glad Tidings V in Seahouses harbour for a pelagic trip organised by Billy Shiel. The weather was glorious, the sea was like a millpond…and there were hardly any birds to be found. Eventually a Minke Whale was spotted and all on board obtained good, even excellent, views. Most of the Gannets we found were loafing around on the sea – none of the feeding behaviour that would reveal the presence of the sought-after shoal of herring. At least two more Minkes were hanging around and photo opportunities presented themselves regularly so a few of the images from the trip are in our gallery. And the good news? We’ve spoken to Billy and arranged a further trip, on October 4th, again concentrating on a search for whales and dolphins. Further details are in our news section.