-
The overlap
On Saturday we ventured into Kielder Forest, checking out some new sites for our forthcoming safari on March 24th. The weather was changeable, but we still found our first Sand Martin of the year, as well as Goosander, Mandarin, Merlin, Buzzard, Kestrel, Sparrowhawk and plenty of Redwing and Fieldfare. Yesterday was WeBScount day, so we…
-
Signs of Spring
06:30 – Martin woke from a good night’s sleep and sensed something different, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. The most obvious thing was that the sky wasn’t the deep black of a winter morning, but it was starting to get light already. 06:30? When did this start to happen? Then the…
-
Change is all around
There has been a noticeable change in the weather over the last couple of days with much warmer temperatures clearing away the snow that had fallen so hard at the end of last week. We may even avoid any frosts over the coming nights too. Being out and about over the weekend we saw our…
-
“Much better than on the telly”
The road beneath our wheels was a clear sheet of ice as we proceeded cautiously, past several drivers who hadn’t. The day promised clear skies and sunshine, but the strong northerlies overnight had whipped the sea up to the point where taking a boat trip would have been foolhardy at best. Of course, we always…
-
Wild Goose chase
For several years now we’ve been involved in the Icelandic-breeding Goose Census, and our survey work has enabled us to enjoy some spectacular flocks of birds departing their overnight roosts as daylight breaks, not only the geese but there’s also a roost of several thousand starlings at East Chevington, the site we count. Barn Owls…
-
Lovely weather for…
…ducks and geese. On Tuesday we were out on a tour in Druridge Bay, and were luckily sheltered from some torrential rain. Quite a lot of the day was spent discussing how to identify different species of duck, and relating head/bill profiles to what each species eats. Some nice waders were found as well; Wood…