Little Gems


No, not a blog in praise of lettuce…

At this time of the year, I tend to be out with clients on several consecutive days.  Client-free days give me a chance to catch up with paperwork, ‘phone calls, admin tasks etc. but that isn’t what I most enjoy about work 🙂  So, at 6pm the evening before an office day last week, I was really happy to get a  ‘phone call from one of the accommodation providers who we work closely with “We’ve got some guests staying.  They’ve just had two full days on the Farne Islands but they’d like another wildlife activity for tomorrow.  Can you do anything for them?”

So, that’s how I found myself with an unexpected birdwatching mini-safari.  I collected Henk and Marianne from Seahouses…and the rain started (bit of a theme throughout Britain so far this summer).  Decision time; head towards Holy Island, or head south from Seahouses and focus our efforts on the mid Northumberland coast?  I quickly weighed up the two options and we headed south…and out of the rain 🙂 The morning seemed to fly by and, just short of four hours later, I was returning them after a morning that produced Short-eared Owl quartering a rough field, Bar-tailed Godwit heading south high overhead, Little Terns back at their mainland colony, two stunning adult Little Gulls roosting among the Arctic Terns on the beach, an abundance of Meadow Pipits and Skylarks, and more Pyramidal Orchids than I’ve ever seen before (as well as Bee and Northern Marsh Orchids).

That still left me an afternoon for office work though 😉