Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Category: Family and friends

  • Pillow talk

    05:55. Another 5 minutes until the alarm goes off, but we’re already awake…and in the churchyard across the road so are the Tawny Owls. This morning it sounds like a very clear territorial dispute between 2 males. Each tremulous hoot was answered by another bird slightly further away. Listening to Tawnies is one of the great pleasures of life – whether it’s the birds in our garden, the ones that start their nightime serenading while we’re out checking our fox and badger sites, the one that usually starts our winter bird race list or the male that on a May bird race responded to an imitation of it’s call by flying in to investigate and perched on a horizontal branch just above head height and only 20m away from us. Although the ‘ke-wick’ and ‘hooo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hooo’ calls are typically given by the female and male respectively that isn’t always the case; the male uses the sharp contact call and the female can hoot, although it’s much coarser than the resonating beauty of the male’s song.

    Easy to hear, but difficult to see, although in May our Kielder trips will include a demonstration of Tawny Owl chicks being ringed (when there is a brood of the right age). In the meantime, why not listen near your local woodland and enjoy the aural world of the ‘Brown Owl’?

  • The icy grip of the old year

    We’re just back in from a very, very cold trip up to Alnwick. Along the side of the A1, Buzzards perched immobile – perhaps frozen to their perches by the -3C temperature of midday. Bizarrely, the overcast gloom and sub-zero temperatures were accompanied by no frost whatsoever. A wander round Hulne Park was intended to clear the system. Red Squirrels could be seen raiding the feeders at the entrance, and a host of woodland birds clammered around. Buzzards could be heard with their eerie mewing but the gloomy conditions precluded a view. As we strolled through the park and the woodland gave way to pasture flocks of birds were the definite theme: wood pigeons, starlings, jackdaws and partridges were all gathered with their friends and relatives; just the thing for New Year’s Eve.

    As the icy air chilled our bones we headed off for a hearty lunch in a warming inn, passing flocks of starlings and redwings on our way. Warmed, watered and fed we made our way back home, pondering on what 2009 might bring.

    We wish all of you very warm wishes for the New Year and enjoy your celebrations, whatever they may be!

  • Let it snow, let it snow…

    On Saturday we woke to a proper covering of snow. The feeding station was surely going to be hectic, but unfortunately we weren’t going to be there to see it. First destination was Thirsk Racecourse, for the Northern England Raptor Conference. Lots of interesting talks, and a fascinating flock of Jackdaws and Rooks which spent the best part of seven hours displaying and chasing around just outside the window of the conference room, tumbling in the icy-cold, strong breeze. Then it was off to visit family in West Yorkshire. This morning there was even more snow, and plenty of Chaffinches, Goldfinches and Blue Tits. The journey home after lunch was thankfully not plagued by any adverse weather; in fact, it was a beautiful afternoon. So, we decided to make a brief detour to check a herd of Roe Deer not too far from home. They weren’t where we expected them to be, but something was moving through the long grass…then it leaped in the air before dropping out of sight again; a strong healthy-looking fox, complete with white-tipped bushy tail. We watched it for over half an hour as it crept backwards and forwards, melting in and out of our vision. Then, in the next field, we found the deer. At least two could be seen, watching us from among the waving grass stems, although there have been as many as eight at that site recently. As the sky darkened and the last rays of daylight faded we completed our journey back to home, a warm bath and a mug of hot chocolate.

  • The magical hour

    We’re sitting quietly, dressed in full camo, overlooking a badger sett. Red Squirrels are leaping through the nearby hawthorns, oblivious to our presence; we’re privileged to watch as they quietly snuggle down into their dreys, close to our lookout position. Daylight is drawing to a close and Blackbirds, Goldcrests and Coal Tits suddenly increase their volume of conversation. Perhaps it’s a final reassurance to each other that they are still together as a flock before settling down for the night. Our dark-adapted eyes reveal at least two Woodcock, leaving the camouflage of the woodland floor and heading into the night to search for food. The sharp ‘ke-wick’ of a Tawny Owl cuts through the descending mist and the quavering ‘hoo-hooo-hoo-hoo-hoo-hoooo’ reply is echoed by a distant rival. As we reach the point where our own visual acuity is no longer enough to resolve either shape or movement, even with the assistance of the finest optics that Leica and Zeiss have to offer, we melt into the night – leaving the wood to the Badgers, Foxes, Deer, owls and other denizens of the dark.

  • While Martin was out…

    Martin was leading an Otter and Red Kite safari today, and I wasn’t feeling well so stayed at home. No sooner was he out of the house than I looked out of the office window and saw a Red Squirrel in our apple tree! Normally they run around a bit and quickly disappear into the trees but this one hung around for half an hour, scrabbling about in the shrubbery, swinging on the bird feeders and checking out our squirrel feeder from every conceivable angle. Plenty of time to find Martin’s camera, check the settings, put in a blank memory card and then fill it with images of the squirrel 🙂 and, just for good measure, I took some decent shots of a Willow Tit as well. When Martin got back he was full of tales of Red Squirrels, Red Kites, kids swimming in one of our favourite otter spots and flocks of Jackdaws heading to roost (that seems to be developing into a bit of an obsession). So, I showed him the photos…