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Shining in the gloom
The most memorable wildlife on a tour with clients can come in many forms; it may be the common, the uncommon, the localised, or just the way that it fits in its habitat, and the landscape and weather blend it in to the experience. I arrived at Hexham railway station to find Steve and Jill already…
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Go(at) on, make my day
Yesterday saw something we haven’t done before; a mid-August Kielder Safari. Andrew, Nick (on his 3rd trip with NEWT), Stephen and Georgina all arrived at our starting point within minutes of each other. Under a deep blue sky, with some big fluffy white clouds, conditions looked perfect and we set off for the western reaches of…
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Border patrol
After a day on the coast, yesterday brought something completely different as I headed towards Whitelee Farm and Byrness to collect John and Natalie, and then Bert, for a Kielder Safari. As we drove along a remote track through the forest, we came across some of the wildlife that makes Kielder such a special place; Roe Deer…
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Crossing the border
Along the edge of a precipitous bank in Kielder Forest, with a narrow stream below us, the “chip, chip” calls from the summit of the trees above prompt everyone to crane their necks. Then the calls are coming from below and the source of the sound is down at the stream, hidden below an undercut…
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(Man-made) Wilderness
On Saturday I had the pleasure of guiding a visit to Kielder (I still can’t bring myself to write Kielder Water and Forest Park…) for a group of Landscape Architecture students from the University of Michigan. After collecting the group from Saughy Rigg (which will be the base for our ‘Autumn Colours’ photography holiday and ‘Winter…
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Kielder; birdwatching on the edge of Northumberland
Thursday evening was the AGM of the Northumberland & Tyneside Bird Club, and the speaker following the AGM proceedings was our good friend Martin Davison. Ornithologist is an often overused (and misused) word, but Martin is a real ornithologist, gathering data through hours and hours in the field and involved in several research projects. His talk…
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Another exclusive…or two
Friday saw us in the Cheviot Valleys, enjoying probably the best weather so far this year, leading another Prestige Tour. With a client fascinated by geology and botany it was an excellent day out, with the abiding memories being the chuckling of Red Grouse in the Harthope Valley and a yaffling Green Woodpecker at Alwinton,…
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A forest foray
After a Druridge mini-safari on Tuesday, which included a visit to the Common Crane near Eshott, yesterday was something completely different with a Kielder Safari. After collecting Ruth and Diana from Stannington we took the scenic route up through Knowesgate to Bellingham, in the wilds of west Northumberland. That’s the point where we deviate from…
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Four seasons in two days
I spent the last three days guiding a familiarisation trip around the northeast, showcasing the landscape, wildlife and birdwatching of Northumberland, the North Pennines and Tees Valley for two wildlife officers and the development manager from ORCA (Organisation Cetacea). My main input was to the 2nd and 3rd days, as I had another booking for the 1st day…
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A lazy Saturday morning?
With the continuing excellent weather the Buddleia in our shrubbery is plastered with butterflies, bees and hoverflies. Ten Peacocks and four Painted Ladies are busy consuming as much nectar as they can, so we’ll be out there shortly with our cameras. Then it’s a day in the middle of the countryside for us; pre-walking routes…