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Getting ahead of the weather; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke Birdwatching 04/06/19
I collected John from Cramlington, earlier than originally planned because the weather forecast wasn’t looking great and I wanted to stay ahead of what promised to be some heavy rain, ahead of a day in the Cheviot Valleys and we headed north west in bright sunshine… Roadside verges left unmowed are a haven for invertebrates…
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Everything ‘adding’ up to a great day; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke Birdwatching 28/03/19
Yesterday was Sue’s 9th day out with NEWT, and the first time we’d headed into the Cheviot Valleys together… In warm sunshine and under blue skies we started with a search for Adders. Sue’s sharp eyes spotted two, and we watched both from a respectful distance so they continued basking in roadside vegetation. Great Crested…
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One plus one makes three; Cheviot Valleys Safari 07/06/18
Having arranged all of our clients for last Thursday’s Cheviot Valleys safari to meeting at the same location I arrived in Powburn and collected Vicky, Dave and Babs, Diane and Ruth before heading along a grassy verge buzzing with bees and hoverflies and bejewelled with Common Blue Damselflies and Red and Black Froghoppers. Ruth proved…
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Spotted; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke Photography and Birdwatching 26/05/18
For the second year running we had a day out with David, and John, as part of his prize from the North East Wildlife Photography Awards. This time we were heading into the centre of Northumberland to explore the Cheviot Valleys… Exploring a roadside verge produced Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies, Red and Black Froghoppers…
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…and more persistence 🙂 Bespoke Cheviot Valleys birdwatching 29/04/18
Driving towards Bywell to collect Peter and Pat for a day in the Cheviot Valleys I was considering the weather forecast that had suggested it would be dry, bright and breezy. I was mainly considering it because it was raining… Dippers were carrying food to their nests, and carrying faecal sacs away to throw in…
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Localised weather systems; Cheviot Valleys group birdwatching 11/07/17
Watching the weather forecast on the breakfast news, I was confident that any rain we encountered on our day in the Cheviot Valleys would be quickly passing showers… As I collected Mike and the other 12 members of his group from Belford there was a steady drizzle, and I was questioning the forecast already 😉…
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Summer days; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke birdwatching 18/06/17
An early start on Sunday saw me collecting Jill and Steve for their 4th day out with NEWT (and Steve’s 5th trip with us as he was on this memorable pelagic!)… Our destination was the Cheviot valleys, but we headed to Bothal first to search for the Ruddy Duck that had been there the day…
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You never know what’s around the corner; Cheviot Valleys Safari 01/06/17
Always expect the unexpected is a good philosophy to hold when you’re out and about searching for wildlife… I collected Steph from Kingston Park and we headed north for a morning exploring the Cheviot valleys. Along the streams and rivers Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail and Dipper were all sitting on rocks or flycatching, Willow Warbler…
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Early Spring; Bespoke Cheviots/Druridge Birdwatching 10/04/17
I collected Adrian and Ruth from Seahouses for the first of their two days out with us this week; a Cheviots-plus Bespoke tour… We started at Bamburgh, with Oystercatcher, Redshank and Purple Sandpiper along the edge of the breaking surf, Common Eider, Common Scoter, Red-throated Diver and a lone Puffin surfing the waves just beyond…