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Citizen science
Saturday saw an early start and a long drive south to Far Ings Nature Reserve in the shadow of the Humber Bridge. The reason for our journey was that Martin was one of the MARINElife researchers delivering a training course for potential volunteer researchers. MARINElife have survey teams on several passenger and freight ferry routes around the…
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Net gains, or net losses?
January is a quiet month for NEWT as far as days out with clients go, but it’s been an incredibly busy month for other reasons. The threat to tourism services in Northumberland, following public sector spending cuts and the impending closure of One Northeast, have occupied a lot of my time. As Chair of SENTA…
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Birds in the mist
With a good breeze coming from the east and misty drizzle on the coast, conditions have been looking good for a fall of migrants since yesterday morning. Some of the most exciting birdwatching available on the Northumberland coast happens in conditions like these… As we left the house last night to walk down to The…
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Sing a song of sixpence
As I grow older I’m finding that, alongside the generalist birdwatching that we usually do with clients, my own birding interests are becoming increasingly specialised; seawatching (when I can find the time…) still excites me as much as the first time I sat on Flamborough Head, raptors have been an obsession since I was very…
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Birdwatching; more than just a Hobby
Our two Druridge Bay mini-safaris last Wednesday both featured one of my favourite birds; Black-tailed Godwit. A group of eight flying N at dusk in torrential rain may have included the five that we saw at lunchtime. With plenty of Curlew, Lapwing and Dunlin, as well as a few Ruff and Common Sandpipers there was…
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The madness of mid-March
Between the slow times of the winter (filled this year by the Northeast Cetacean Project) and the start of our busy season comes a week that is exhausting but enjoyable. Sarah was away on Sunday so I took myself off for a walk in Harwood. Lots of Siskins and Crossbills were calling throughout the entire…
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Onshore, offshore, on song
The last six days have seen a rush of activity on the Northeast Cetacean Project; with the weather and sea conditions working to our advantage we completed three survey days this week. Time back onshore has been spent compiling a detailed database of cetacean sightings, preparing for the forthcoming tourist season, consulting on an important…
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Variety is the spice of life
On Saturday we led a wildlife walk on Holy Island. Grim, murky drizzle on the way north looked less than promising but, as we approached Beal, the weather improved and stayed fine throughout the walk. Possibly the highlight of the day was all of the birds on the Rocket field flushing as two Peregrines flew…
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A swell weekend for a survey or two…or three
Saturday was planned as the next survey day for NEWT/Marinelife…and then in the early hours of Saturday morning the sea began to turn ‘a bit lumpy’ (c)Allan Skinner. With over 3m of swell smashing it’s way through the harbour mouth at Amble there was no chance of getting the boat out. With all three NEWT…
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Life through a (hand) lens
Monday was the second classroom session of the NHSN Lichens and Bryophytes course. On Sunday, while I was out with Sarah on a walk through three atlas tetrads in Harwood, we found some interesting colonies of Cladonias lichens on the upturned root edges of some windblown Spruce. As the lichens course is currently looking at Heath and…