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A raptor day; Bespoke Kielder Safari 28/03/2016
I love the Northumberland coast, and my obsession with the North Sea and it’s wildlife is well documented, but I always look forward to the drive west – away from the sea and into forests and remote moorland… I collected Jeanette and Simon for their second trip with NEWT, following the Otter mini-Safari on Sunday,…
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…or maybe not; Otter mini-Safari 27/03/16
After Friday’s lovely weather, it was almost too much to hope that the weekend would stay like that… I arrived at Church Point to collect Jeanette and Simon, Liz and Simon & Gareth and Chris and we set off on a tour of southeast Northumberland in search of Otters. As we arrived at our first…
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Between the storms; Bespoke Otter Photography 31/01/2016
I collected Gill and Stuart from The Swan, ahead of a day in search of photographable Otters, and the most noticeable thing was the gentle breeze and lack of rain/sleet/hail/snow 🙂 Always a good start… After a morning of Treecreepers, Moorhen, Little Grebe, Long-tailed Tits, mirror-calm water, two separate incidents where Mallards, Mute Swans and…
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Midwinter mammal magic; Otter and Squirrel Safari 10/01/2016
Trips with more than one target species can be tricky, particularly if the different targets don’t occur at the same sites as each other… I collected Lynn, Alan, Glynis and Michael from Swarland and we headed southeast towards Druridge Bay. The weather forecast promised showers and the first of those, accompanied by a bone-chilling breeze,…
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The approaching storm; Druridge Bay Prestige Tour 04/01/2016
04/01/2008, and NEWT’s first ever day out with clients was a strange, cold, gloomy day where we managed to find our target species for the day, Roe Deer. Eight years on and I found myself out with clients on January 4th again… As I arrived at Church Point to collect Roberta and Dougie, the first…
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Feeding time; Otter Safari 29/12/2015
Yesterday saw returning clients, as Jayne and Andy joined us for an Otter Safari. Their previous day with NEWT, back in September 2010, proved memorable as we found a White-winged Black Tern at Cresswell. Under blue skies and sunshine, in stark contrast to recent days, we headed for Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland. Arriving at…
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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…
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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…
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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…