Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Category: Northumberland

  • As the sun goes down

    Martin had just returned from leading a mini-safari when the ‘phone rang; “can you organise an otter safari for us this evening please?” Flexibility has always been a given for NEWT; a late summer tour of Southwest Northumberland, birdwatching in the depths of the winter, photographing otters, searching for rare orchids, an impromptu whale and dolphin cruise for a top national journalist. If we can make it happen then we will…

    The field full of Greylag Geese were sitting quietly, nibbling away at the grass. Behind them, a Roe Deer was working it’s way slowly along the fence line and three Brown Hares were alternately running across the field and impersonating clods of earth. A few Starlings circled overhead and were soon joined by another small group…and another…and another. Eventually over a thousand were swirling over the reedbeds. The big loose flock suddenly condensed into a tight ball as a Sparrowhawk began pursuing them. A juvenile Marsh Harrier made a brief appearance before dropping into it’s nightime roost site and distant flocks of corvids and Wood Pigeons were sprinkled across the sky like poppy seeds.

    Of our main quarry there was no sign; all of the ducks and swans were paddling around calm and contented, so we moved on to site number two. Another set of panic-free wildfowl…and time for a strategic decision; do we wait and hope, or check a site where yesterday afternoon there was so much agitation, and aversion to one corner of a pool, that there had to be a big predator lurking in the reeds?

    The decision to move sites was made and we settled to watch a flock of waders. Roosting on a mudflat and seemingly unstressed…but then a wave of panic rippled through the flock. Calm restored, but only for a few seconds, before the worried calling started again. Then a flock of Canada Geese arrived for the evening roost. A few minutes of calm settled over the pool and we watched the sunset; vivid slashes of pink, then orange, cut across the sky and visibility was so good that we could see The Cheviot and Hedgehope, many miles away to the northwest. Then it happened, chaos as all of the geese tried to take off; with only a few metres to the edge of the water they didn’t really have a chance and they stumbled onto the mudflat, scattering Lapwings left, right and centre. Surely, there could only be one cause for the panic? And there it was; diving gracefully through the reflection of the sunset, making a beeline for the geese before changing course and heading away into the deepening shadows of the night. Then it was time for us to do the same.

  • A mixed weekend

    Saturday saw us making the short journey to Newbiggin, to attend the launch event for Scone Mad. Colin and Jackie, the owners of Nevins Nibbles, have an incredible range of scones and the public were voting to select the 100th variety. With the contenders including Jelly Bean, Boost and Chili & chocolate, the competition was going to be close. We’re looking forward to finding out the identity of the winner. Even this interlude had a birdwatching theme; 2 adult Mediterranean Gulls were soaring over Newbiggin as we sat out in the sun, and Nevins Nibbles has played host in the past to meetings of the legendary collection of hardy, seabird-obsessed Northumberland residents that form SWAN (Sea Watchers at Newbiggin).

    Later that afternoon we headed to Redesdale to pre-walk the route for this Wednesday’s ‘Birds of Redesdale’ walk. Common Sandpipers were swee-wee-wee-wee-weeing along the river, Roe Deer were bounding through the long grass and Painted Ladies were seen in very good numbers.

    Sunday was our first stint as wardens at the Osprey Watchpoint in Kielder Water and Forest Park. Over 80 visitors were entertained and informed by the four wardens and the weather was glorious (for most of the time anyway…). After 7 hours at the watchpoint we were driving home – towards some ominous looking clouds. Sure enough, the first drops of rain began to hit the windscreen, and then the heavens opened. Thunder and lightning accompanied the deluge and we rounded a bend only to find a cyclist in the middle of the road. The chain had come off his bike so, with the thunderstorm inching closer we suggested that he put himself and the bike in the back of our car. The journey to Morpeth saw us driving through a lot of deep flooded roads so he would have struggled to get himself home without getting into real difficulty. We dropped him at Ashington and eventually we arrived home, with a 1hr journey having taken 2hrs, and steaming mugs of hot chocolate were in order as we dried out.

  • Birds of Coquetdale

    It was the walk that had nearly everything…that Northumberland’s weather could throw at us. As part of the Rothbury Walking Festival we were leading a 4.5 mile evening walk from Rothbury, along the River Coquet, through Newtown, Whitton Hillhead, Whitton and then back to Rothbury.

    With glorious sunshine as our 14 participants gathered, black clouds massing ominously as we set out, gale force winds and driving rain when we were just a few hundred yards from our starting point and a spectacular double rainbow over Rothbury, we were really only missing snow and fog.

    Sedge Warblers, Willow Warblers, Song Thrushes and Chaffinches were singing along the route, Swallows were trying to feed, while all the time being pursued by their recently fledged offspring and Woodpigeons, Rooks, Carrion Crows and Jackdaws were loafing around or feeding in the grassy fields.

    A stunning male Yellowhammer perched on a fence and allowed everyone a good long look at him. As he belted out his song, one of our walkers was incredulous about the description of it as ‘little bit of bread and nooooo cheese’, and suggested the alternative of ‘take off my socks and tickle myyyyyy feet’ 🙂

    As we dropped back off the hills towards Rothbury, a family party of at least 9 Great Tits moved through the trees ahead of us, Siskins called but remained out of sight and the first drops of the next rain shower began to fall.

  • Quality…and quantity

    Our Otter Safari started later than originally planned – and finished a good while later as well. It started with a courting pair of Great Crested Grebes; entertaining us, and prompting the whirring of camera shutters and DV tapes. Then, they started to look very nervous; that’s often the first sign that there’s a predator at large. The second sign was when nervousness turned into rapid departure. Finally, an otter appeared on the water surface. Sleek, handsome and supple, it twisted, turned, dived and ate it’s lunch. After a short while underwater it surfaced – alongside a second otter! Down they went, and reappeared as a trio!! With several broods of ducklings around, the mother ducks went into a frenzy; feigning injury to distract the otters, which were carving through the water like porpoises. The chase brought them closer until, suddenly, they were less than 50ft from us; lazily floating along and fixing us with a stare that seemed to say “if only we were a bit bigger…”. With 2 video cameras running we recorded much of the action, so tomorrow will see it uploaded to our gallery and to YouTube as well. Wildlife may not always perform to plan, but our success rate with otters keeps on rising and, with a little patience, the views can be mind-blowing. After the otters we spent a while checking through flocks of terns and gulls and watched 2 Marsh Harriers drifting over a coastal reedbed. Finishing the day with even more quality wildlife, a Barn Owl was hunting exactly where Martin predicted. To join in the Northern Experience, check our calendar and look for Otter Safari (or ‘Otters and Badgers’ for an evening with a difference, or ‘Druridge Bay’ for an excellent day’s birdwatching in southeast Northumberland with the possibility of Red Squirrels, Otters and Roe Deer as well).

  • Open Farm Sunday

    After spending Saturday at the Rising Sun Country Park, where the Newcastle RSPB Member’s Group were celebrating their 40th birthday, Sunday saw us spending a long day in the field. As part of Open Farm Sunday we were helping Ian Brown at Lee Moor Farm. We started with a (not quite the) Dawn Chorus Walk followed by breakfast at the Black Olive Cafe and then guided conservation tours were on offer right through the day. As we wandered through some excellent wildflower habitat, marvelling at the amount of Ragged Robin Lychnis flos-cuculi, lots of birds were in evidence. Buzzards were seen on each walk, Willow Warblers were singing their descending scales, Whitethroat and Lesser Whitethroat were both seen as were Siskin and Goldcrest. The recent influx of Painted Lady butterflies was mentioned by one walker, who had witnessed the huge numbers of this beautiful insect arriving in Sussex in late May…and Sarah’s sharp eyes soon picked up one as it raced by. Eventually 3 were seen as they settled on the track in front of us, and we all pondered on the fact that, although we may regard butterflies as delicate, they had travelled the distance from North Africa and the middle-East to be in Britain for the summer. As shadows lengthened, guests began to arrive for the evening barbecue and Bat & Moth walk. Just as the sun slipped below the horizon, the bat detector crackled into life and our first Pipistrelle of the evening appeared close by, hunting insects over a small pond. Everyone, young and old, was able to see this tiny mammal, which was soon joined by a 2nd, then a 3rd. A dispute between two of the bats saw a high-speed chase, before one returned to swooping and diving just feet away. As a spectacular moonrise illuminated the fields around Lee Moor, attention turned to the moth trap and it’s first ‘customers’ of the evening. After close study they were released unharmed into the vegetation, and we left Lee Moor after a long and successful day.

  • Birdwatching on the Costa del Druridge

    The fabulously warm summer weather that has blessed us this bank holiday has meant that the participants on this weekend’s otter safaris could do without their coats and gloves and were able to enjoy some fantastic wildlife and birdwatching in glorious sunshine under brilliant blue Northumberland skies.

    On Sunday, our group had fantastic views of an adult Mediterranean Gull which was easily compared to close by Black-headed Gulls (in fact it is the Mediterranean Gull that has the black head, but ‘Dark Chocolate Brown-headed Gull’ isn’t too catchy!). Warblers were singing along our walk of a very tranquil River Blyth, including Blackcap, Garden Warbler, Willow Warbler and Chiffchaff. Later on in the day, Whitethroat and Reed Warbler were added, with the latter even being viewed from not too far away. A lunch stop near the coast allowed a Fulmar that wheeled around the cliffs to be photographed, whilst the rest of us enjoyed a well earned picnic lunch! Further up the coast it was the unexpected that caught our eye. A Pheasant had mistakenly wandered into a Lapwing’s breeding territory and the Lapwings called in reinforcements to deter the clearly very confused Pheasant. We had a very entertaining 10 minutes watching as the Lapwings dive bombed the Pheasant who did not know what to make of the whole debacle as it just stood there are put up seemingly no resistance before wandering off to comparative safety. We were hardly able to tear our eyes away from this to watch the Grey Partridges who had appeared close by, but who wisely decided not to follow in the Pheasant’s footsteps. A little later it was another unexpected sighting that had all of our binoculars pointing skyward as two adult Spoonbills flew over. We watched them fly northward and speculated on where they might land but we did not manage to catch up with them again as we meandered back north along the coast to return our guests to the Red Lion in Alnmouth.

    Today we were out again, as it seemed was almost everybody else, keen to enjoy the warm sunshine. A Roe Deer came to drink from a pond where we were watching Herons, Gadwall, Lapwing and Ringed Plover, amongst other things. It disappeared into the willow to graze. As we headed off for our lunch stop, House Martins were busy gathering mud from a roadside puddle to use as cement for their nests, and starlings and House Sparrows came to bathe. Then, as we were busy eating lunch, overlooking one of our favourite otter spots, we were able to enjoy views of an otter diving as it looked for lunch. Then as it moved off to relax, it was joined by not one, not two, but three other otters, presumably youngsters as they were play fighting in the water together. They entertained for at least another half an hour before moving on, which was a shame because we could have sat there all day watching had they allowed us to!

  • A change in the weather

    Clear frosty nights are what we’re enjoying at the moment. After several days of strong westerly winds (that have uprooted our garden fence again) we’ve got a gentle easterly breeze and clear skies. We left the house at 9:15 last night and walked along the River Wansbeck. Mute Swans were feeding serenely, Rabbits were scattering in front of us, a Herring Gull was dive-bombing a Grey Heron (and kept up the assault even once the heron got the message and flew upstream) and Dunlin were callling in display over the tidal mud. The staccato rattle of the bat detector alerted us to Common Pipistrelles, hunting the few insects that were braving the cold night air. We’ve blogged before about the transition from day to night in the autumn and winter, but it’s a special time of day at any time of the year.

  • The Early Birder catches a big breakfast

    It was cold, dark and wet this morning as we headed out of bed and up the A1 for our Dawn Chorus Walk at Lee Moor Farm. We were however quietly optimistic as the weather forecast had promised that the showers would die away and the cloud lift as the dawn rose.

    A Roe Deer by the side of the A1 and a Barn Owl flushing from the old tree where it had been ‘on duty’ looking out over the fields at Lee Moor filled us with hope. We arrived just as it was getting light followed by our eager participants. As we were busy getting coats and gloves on, for whilst the days may be warm the nights can still be very chilly, Common Gulls flew overhead and Wrens were starting their early morning song. Wrens can sing very loudly for such a small bird and the farm has a healthy population.

    As we walked the field edges towards the wooded areas Hares could be seen bounding around, Wood Pigeons began their softly cooing song and a Whitethroat did its best to make itself heard. Jackdaws that make their nest in the kestrel and barn owl boxes that are attached to old telegraph poles began to stir and Skylarks ascended to great heights for their aerial song. As we approached the wooded areas of the farm Willow Warblers could be heard, keeping their neighbours in check by clearly marking their territories with song. Song thrushes and Chaffinches were busy announcing their presence and then in the hedge was a very distinctive song; that of the Sedge Warbler. It was just a few feet away but could only be glimpsed when it moved deeper into the hedge! Those stalwarts of the Dawn Chorus, the Blackbird and Robin were also heard. Ian Brown, farmer at Lee Moor Farm was able to provide interesting information on how his stewardship of the farm and his management of it for conservation had helped attract the wealth of wildlife that we were able to see and hear. As we headed back to the farm we were all then very hungry and eagerly anticipating the hearty Northumbrian cooked breakfast that was waiting for us and we were not disappointed. The Black Olive café did a fantastic job of filling us up after our early morning start! As we left the warmth of the café the sun was beginning to warm the morning air and the clouds were indeed lifting, and the birds were still singing. We are all looking at our diaries to see whether we can arrange a ‘not quite the Dawn Chorus’ walk in a few weeks time. Birds continue to sing until mid morning and so a start at say 7am should still enable us to hear the magnificent bird song of the early morning. As always, we’re waiting for your enquiries and bookings on 01670 827465.

  • An early start

    4am, and we’re heading out of the house and up to Lee Moor Farm near Alnwick. The reason for such an unearthly hour seeing us already on the road was next Sunday’s Dawn Chorus and Northumbrian Breakfast. ‘Prior practice prevents poor presentation’ so we were going to pre-walk the route for next week. Early mornings are Sarah’s favourite time of day for wildlife watching and as the sun’s first rays peeked over the horizon we weren’t disappointed. Yellowhammers were belting out their own top of the pops ‘little bit of bread and no cheeeeeeese’ (number one for all eternity, apparently), whilst Willow Warblers were practising their descending scales and newly arrived Whitethroats were busy marking their territories with their own rather scratchy warbling. Lee Moor Farm has been specially managed for wildlife and Tree Sparrows were evident around the farm buidings and hedgerows, Skylarks soared in song, a pair of Roe Deer watched us intently from the opposite end of the track and Brown Hares bounded across the fields. Our walk took us through a variety of habitats and, as the sun began to warm the still chilly air, Kestrels could be seen on the hunt for breakfast, then later, when the sun really came out, Buzzards could be heard and then seen, getting caught in a thermal and spiralling higher and higher until eventually they were out of sight. We were well and truly energised and looking forward to our early start next Sunday when we do it all again, and will be able to showcase the magnificent sights and sounds of the Dawn Chorus to celebrate International Dawn Chorus Day. Why not call us on 01670 827465 if you’ve got any questions or you want to come along and join us?

  • A Sunny Sunday

    Sarah had been feeling a bit under the weather for a few days, but was almost herself again this morning so we decided to head for the Northumberland coast for a few hours birdwatching. Our first port of call was Lynemouth, hoping to relocate the Water Pipit that Martin photographed on Friday. There were very few wagtails or pipits to be seen, and no sign of the Water Pipit, so we drove the short distance up the coast to Cresswell. The Avocets and Green Sandpiper seen earlier this morning had departed but we still had excellent close views of Skylark, Yellow Wagtail and White Wagtail. Alerted by a fellow birder to the presence of two Bottlenose Dolphins a few miles up the coast we headed to the spot described and found two Harbour Porpoises. Further north, we were looking for late-lingering Long-tailed Ducks and Slavonian Grebes. We found one of each but both birds were distant and not photographable. Another Harbour Porpoise appeared close inshore as we stood with the rising tide crashing against the rocks and Sarah’s videographic skills were tested to the limit with a small group of Sandwich Terns feeding just offshore. As we drove home, checking a Little Owl nest site on the way, we were handling an enquiry and booking for our Kielder Safari this coming Wednesday. Now that’ll be quite different to the last few days on the coast…