Category: Southeast Northumberland

  • Vital signs; Otter mini-Safari 12/01/20

    A dual purpose title for today’s blog… I collected Fara, Andrew and Nicola & Graeme and Jen from Newbiggin and we set off to explore Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland on a Sunday morning that was thankfully lacking the stiff breeze that has characterised the winter so far… Water that was almost mirror-calm was patterned…

  • London buses; Bespoke Red Squirrel Safari 25/06/19

    Yesterday was one of those days with a very specific target, this time one of our favourite mammals, and a real Northumberland specialty, Red Squirrel… I collected Lynne and Rob from Lowick and we headed down the Northumberland coast towards Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland. I’d got an itinerary in mind, based around good wildlife…

  • A punny evening on the coast; Otter mini-Safari 30/05/19

    I collected Lucy, William, David, Bella and Maia from Wallington and we headed eastwards to Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland for an evening searching NEWT’s favourite Otter sites… A very obliging Dipper was perched on a mid-stream branch at our first stop with the songs of Chiffchaff, Robin, Chaffinch and Song Thrush adding to the…

  • Why did the Roe Deer cross the pool? Otter Safari 28/05/19

    Some days are memorable because of the volume of wildlife we encounter, and then there are the days when what the wildlife is doing defies belief… I collected Sarah, and then Chris and Alex, from Newbiggin and we headed off for an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland. Our regular riverside walk…

  • Group birdwatching; Druridge Bay and Lindisfarne 21-22/05/19

    We usually limit our tours to a maximum of 6 participants, and our increasingly popular bespoke tours to 2 participants, but over the last 11 years we’ve done a few tours for larger groups. 34 members of an RSPB group was on a different level though… With Sarah and Tom assisting we separated the group…

  • Spring has sprung? Otter mini-Safari 23/02/19

    After a break from Safaris and blogging, after I was diagnosed with a rare illness last year and had surgery in early January, it was great to be back out in the field with clients yesterday. I collected Paul and Jennifer, Paul and Kirsty and Alastair and Jess from Newbiggin and we set off for…

  • Mist, murk, mud and mergansers; Otter Safari 12/04/18

    I collected Stephen and Soraya from The Swan, then Martyn and Colin, and Jo, from Church Point, ahead of an afternoon around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland searching for Otters… On a stiff easterly breeze with drizzle, mist, murk and heavy rain showers, spirits could have been dampened but having a car filled with cheerful…

  • Snowmelt; Otter Safari 23/01/18

    Double figure temperatures, blue sky and hardly any hint of a breeze were a revelation as I collected Kellie and Sean from The Swan for a day around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland searching for Otters. Improved weather and the forecast gales and torrential rain were nowhere to be seen…what could go wrong?  Flight views…

  • Ice, ice baby; Otter mini-Safari 20/01/18

    I collected Judy and Gary, Jess and Jarrod, and Ben from Whitley Bay, ahead of a few hours around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland for possibly the first time that a NEWT mini-Safari has been a birthday present for a 6-year old.  No ordinary 6-year old though…a 6-year old who wants to be a marine…

  • Chilly; Otter mini-Safari 09/01/17

    Cold and breezy has been a recurring theme over the last couple of months, and when I arrived at Church Point to collect Andrea and Ian ahead of a few hours around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland searching for Otters a stiff breeze had whipped the sea into a frothy white mass and was biting…