Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Category: Druridge Bay

  • Captivating; Otter mini-Safari 16/12/2015

    Wednesday’s trip was an Otter mini-Safari, concentrating on Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland, and I collected Gillian, Stevie, Evelyn and Davy from Church Point, in weather that was quite a contrast to Tuesday’s gloom…

    We haven’t had an Otter Safari since late November, and we’d been on a long run of successful trips, so I’d got my fingers crossed that we’d find Otters at at least one of our regular sites.  Incredibly, we’d not even reached the water’s edge when we spotted the first Otter cub of the afternoon 🙂  Within a few minutes we were watching an adult female and two cubs, and for nearly two hours they provided fantastic entertainment; feeding, playing, play-fighting, calling to each other, clambering into the holt for a rest.  After the female ate a small fish on a rock right in front of us, she caught a larger fish and swam towards the holt and both cubs came rushing out of the holt and met her before she’d reached the water’s edge as Little Egrets and Little Grebes continued plundering the supply of small fish.  We finished at dusk with an impressive roost of Lapwing, Dunlin, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Teal and Wigeon.  It would probably be a struggle to watch a 3hr wildlife documentary, but 3hrs of real wildlife just getting on with life in front of you seems to fly by 🙂

  • Gloom; Druridge Bay Safari 15/12/2015

    Tuesday was a trip around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland for Stephen, who’s been out with NEWT a few times already.

    As we headed north along the coast it seemed to be getting darker and by 11:00 the light levels were approaching those you would normally expect at dusk in mid-December.  Even in the gloom there was plenty to see though; Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck and a gorgeous drake Pintail were all looking superb in breeding plumage, Common Snipe gave incredibly obliging views (although they probably thought they were well hidden in short reed stubble), Little Egret really shine in the gloom and the Long-billed Dowitcher at Cresswell occasionally lifted it’s head out of the water 🙂  A very vocal Twite was a lifer for Stephen, a mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfare added another new species to his list and the high pitched yapping of thousands of Pink-footed Geese reached us before we spotted them dropping from high overhead.  On a day when twilight seemed to be with us throughout, the birdwatching was still high quality 🙂

  • Targets; Prestige Otter safari 26/11/2015

    Thursday was a trip I’d been looking forward to for a long time; Stephen and Helen had been out with us on a Kielder safari back in 2009, and our targets for the latest trip were Kingfisher and Otter.  A slight change of plan saw Stephen taking the trip with Ruth, rather than with her daughter, and we headed coastwards from Shilbottle.  With two very active Otter sites just a day earlier, I decided that we’d switch Wednesday afternoon’s site to the morning, as that would leave us with a very reliable back-up site if needed…

    Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser were feeding incessantly, and a Cormorant was drying it’s wings in that fantastic heraldic pose.  I continued scanning and when Stephen said “Martin, on that triangular rock over there, there’s something Otter shaped…” I turned around to see that the Cormorant had gone…and had been replaced by three Otters 🙂  These were the two cubs from Wednesday afternoon again, and their mum!  As Little Egrets disputed prime feeding spots, Curlew and Redshank kept a wary eye on the Otters but continued probing the gooey mud just a few metres away from them.  You almost couldn’t make it up, but our other target for the day turned up and perched on a stick just in front of us while we were watching the Otters!  With a flash of electric blue the Kingfisher was soon on it’s way again, as a Sparrowhawk cruised along the tree tops nearby.

    The afternoon brought thousands of yapping Pink-footed Geese, as flocks of Starling and Lapwing took to the air, then as dusk approached, a Dipper raced along a river below our feet and a Barn Owl ghosted by; a quality end to a quality day 🙂

  • Five star Otter watching; Otter Safari 25/11/2015

    I collected Eve from The Swan and we headed towards the coast for a day searching for Otters around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  I’d seen two Otter cubs on Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon, while I was out searching for berries to make Sea Buckthorn vodka, so I’d already got the plan for the afternoon firmly sorted…

    Having the morning to play with, we headed off in the direction of another recent Otter sighting.  Hardly any birds on the water, and ducks, geese and swans all along the bank, is a promising sign and, soon after a Common Buzzard glided past us on the cool breeze, I spotted the tell-tale dark shape rolling and diving.  The Otter soon resurfaced, alongside a second, and then a third 🙂  We watched them for 45mins, before they did the very typical Otter trick of diving and then vanishing.  Ten minutes later and the birds were all back on the water, apparently unconcerned, so we knew it was time to move on.  As we’re approaching the winter, the ducks are in fantastic condition; Wigeon, Teal, Goldeneye, Mallard, Gadwall and Tufted Duck are all stunning birds once they’re out of eclipse plumage and a real wildfowl highlight was four Bean Geese flying northeast.

    As the afternoon turned dull and dark, with a spectacular sky at sunset, Little Egrets were stalking through the shallows, a Kingfisher gave tantalisingly brief views and there were the two Otter cubs 🙂  Playing and feeding around a semi-submerged tree close to the water’s edge we had another 45 mins of Otter action before they slipped out of sight and into the darkness of the late afternoon.

  • Northerlies; Otter Safari 21/11/2015

    Approaching Scots Gap, to collect Teresa, Lisa, Scott and Brett for an Otter Safari around Druridge Bay, the overnight snow made the road ‘interesting’ in places.  The icy fingers of the northerly wind probed and poked at exposed skin and we headed down towards the coast…

    Just a few miles along the road we came across a big flock of Fieldfare and Redwing, those beautiful Scandinavian thrushes, and ahead of us we could see snow falling on the coast.  Incredibly, apart from a light flurry of snow at Druridge Pools, it stayed away for the rest of the day.  Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser, Coot and Little Grebe were all braving the choppy water, as Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew all probed the gooey mud along the water’s edge as the biting wind dug deeper and we resembled the images of early antarctic expeditions.  Out of the wind, the low single figure temperatures didn’t feel so bad, and…was that something diving close to the reflection of the sun?  Choppy water and dazzling reflected sunlight aren’t a great combination, but a dark shape surfaced – and there was our first Otter for the day 🙂  It dived and resurfaced, this time with another young Otter alongside it, and we watched them on and off for an hour before they disappeared in the direction of the setting sun.  A Kingfisher, iridescent blue in the gloom of a waterside bush, and Little Egrets, seemingly luminous against the dark mud, caught tiny fish as we headed back inland under a stunning starry sky.

  • More wildlife in the mist; Otter Safari 04/11/2015

    Heading to Bamburgh to collect Michelle and Pam, I was feeling optimistic that the mist was going to lift and we’d have good weather…

    As it turned out, the mist came and went throughout the day – but the wildlife was the usual high quality that the Northumberland coast delivers throughout the year.  A singing Dipper broke off from proclaiming his territory in order to dive into the river as another Dipper bobbed up and down on a nearby rock.  Otter site ‘B’ looked promising as we arrived – Little Grebe, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Teal and Wigeon were all clustered on one edge of the water so I scanned the large area of bird-free open water…and there was an Otter 🙂  After entertaining us for 45 minutes it vanished into the reeds and we continued along the coast.  Whooper Swans called in the mist and Gannets were plunging into the sea as we made our way to Site ‘A’…where an Otter cub was sitting on a rock 🙂  It was soon in the water feeding within 30m of us, as Little Egrets and a Kingfisher added a surreal luminance to the misty afternoon, then it seemed to realise it’s mum and sibling weren’t around and decided to go in search of them.  Initially that involved getting out of the water and persistently calling – while running straight towards us!  Soon it was back in the water and we followed it’s progress by the bright water of it’s wake as it disappeared into the mist and murk of the late afternoon.

  • Here come the Scandinavians; Druridge Bay Birdwatching 26/10/2015

    October, mist, drizzle, winds off the sea…

    I collected Bernard from Newbiggin and we headed north to begin a day birdwatching around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  A very obliging Dipper was singing from a mid-stream rock, before it started feeding.  If you’ve never seen a Dipper feeding, put it on your list of things that you really need to see!  As Common Redshank and Curlew probed in gooey estuarine mud, we could see a wave of panic spreading towards us from the north.  First, the air was filled with Greylag and Pink-footed Geese, Woodpigeon, Rook, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw. Then Wigeon, Mallard, Canada Geese and Curlew took flight and 20 Black-tailed Godwit passed overhead.  A few minutes later the cause of all the consternation put in an appearance – a female Sparrowhawk, menacing and muscular as she followed the coast southwards.  Then a sight, and sound, that always warms my heart as 20 Redwing and 6 Fieldfare, winter visitors from Scandinavia, flew over.  More waders and wildfowl featured during the afternoon; Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Common Snipe, Dunlin, Lapwing and Golden Plover resplendent in low autumn sunlight.  A Water Rail wandered out of the reeds and our final new bird for the day was an elegant female Pintail, as the calls of Redwing and Fieldfare continued to cut through the afternoon air.

  • Panic; Otter Safari 24/10/2015

    There’s little that gets my heart racing as much as that moment when panic spreads through the wildlife that we’re watching…

    I collected Anne and Keith from Newbiggin and we headed along the coast for an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland searching for Otters.  First stop was lunch, overlooking the North Sea, with Eiders rafting just offshore and distant Gannets diving into the waves.  Small groups of Starling were scattered throughout the afternoon and Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Tufted Duck and Little Grebe were around the water’s edge as we concentrated the search for our favourite sinuous, stealthy predator.  One stretch of reeds suddenly had fewer ducks that it had a few minutes earlier.  No great panic, no obvious departure, but definitely not as many birds.  Scanning along the edge I caught a glimpse of a dark shape on the periphery of my vision.  A couple of minutes concentrating on that spot produced nothing more tangible so I returned to scanning the entire pool.  Ten minutes later and there was a definite departure of Mallard and Wigeon from that same reedbed.  I suggested that this could well be due to an Otter…and Keith lifted his binoculars and spotted one 🙂  We watched it feeding for fifteen minutes before it slipped mysteriously beneath the surface and didn’t reappear.  Mass panic among the ducks on the opposite edge of the pool wasn’t down to the Otter, but instead caused by a female Marsh Harrier drifting slowly north.

    As dusk approached, Grey Herons were stalking through the shallows, Common Snipe emerged from long vegetation to probe for worms along the water’s edge, a Water Rail was squealing from the depths of a reedbed and Lapwing took flight in a tight, twisting, turning panic as darkness closed in around us and raindrops peppered the surface of the pool.

  • Swanning around; Otter mini-Safari 20/10/2015

    We’ve spent a lot of time watching Otters, and probably just as much time watching the behaviour of other wildlife whenever our favourite sinuous stealthy predator is on the prowl.  You could be forgiven for thinking that we’d know exactly how birds would behave…

    I collected Rebecca and Russell from Church Point and we set off for a few hours exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland on an Otter mini-Safari.  The chilly afternoon air was bathed in beautiful light, as Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Teal and Shoveler dabbled and Little Grebe and Tufted Duck dived.  Lapwing skittishly took flight, Grey Heron and Little Egret stood motionless, Common Snipe squabbled and probed, a small murmuration of Starlings soon dropped into the warmth and security of the reeds and a Water Rail came out into the open to bathe.  As the light faded I was scanning the shadows at the base of a reedbed and passed by a family of Mute Swans.  There was sudden swirl of brown next to them, and my first thought was Little Grebe – after all the swans didn’t seem concerned, but there was a niggling doubt in my mind…and then the Otter resurfaced 🙂  For nearly 30 minutes it fed, often in amongst the swans, and rarely more than a few metres away from them.  I’ve seen swans hissing and growling at Otters, I’ve seen them angrily charge towards a feeding Otter when they’d got small cygnets, but this was the first time I’d seen them almost completely ignore one that was so close that it was swimming, and feeding, between them!  The Otter vanished into the reeds, and we headed back to the car with pipistrelle bats hawking around the trees in the half-light of dusk.

  • Vanishing act; Otter mini-Safari 18/10/2015

    All along the water’s edge, ducks, geese and swans were feeding contentedly, and that wasn’t what we were hoping for…

    I’d collected Zoe and Mal, and Laura and Michael, and we were exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland in search of Otters.  The icy cold wind was cutting across the water, ruffling the feathers of Teal, Mallard, Wigeon, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mute Swan, Canada Goose and Little Grebe and giving a quick blow dry to a Cormorant.  I’d been out with Sarah during the morning, checking our regular Otter sites, and had an extraordinary wildlife experience as an Otter cub came out of a holt and swam up and down close to the bank…to the obvious displeasure of it’s mum, who sat on a tree root and, as the cub swam by, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and hauled it unceremoniously back to the holt 🙂  4hrs later and no sign of the Otters, proving once again just how unpredictable wildlife is, so after 90mins of patient scanning we headed off to another of our regular sites…

    As Water Rail squealed from the dark depths of the reeds, Grey Herons stalked patiently through the shallows, Lapwings roosted uncharacteristically quietly and a Black-tailed Godwit had several aborted attempts to join the roost, our quarry appeared.  Initially in the dark shadow of a distant reedbed, the Otter was on a feeding run – coming closer, and out of the dark shadows, it stayed in view for 30mins, eventually vanishing into the enveloping darkness of the reeds but not before it had entertained us by persistently porpoising back and forth 🙂

    We’ll be running Otter Safaris through the winter months, so give us a call on 01670 827465 to book your place on one of our regular searches for this stunning predator.