Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Category: Otter

Tired and emotional; Bespoke Otter Safari 10-11/04/2015 Part 2

…I was mulling over the options for last light when the buzzing from my pocket told me I’d received a text message. Not from Sarah, but from Stephen “Hi Martin. If you’re stuck for Otters…”

A quick dash along the track back to the car, a quick car journey down the coast, and we were soon staring intently at a duck-covered pond. A little bit of panic amongst the ducks, but no sign of an Otter. We always want our clients to see the wildlife that they desire, but in this case Georgia was so excited at the prospect of seeing an Otter, and we’d put in so much effort in pretty unpleasant weather conditions, that I was willing one to appear…even though I know that’s not how wildlife sightings tend to work. With falling light levels I tend to put my binoculars down and just scan with my eyes, so that’s what I did, not just because that’s my usual approach but also because I was chilled to the bone from earlier in the afternoon, shivering and barely able to hold my binoculars steady…and a brief dark shape rolling at the surface in the middle distance was just what I was looking for. Switch to binoculars while giving directions to everyone else in the hide…and the Otter popped up into view 🙂 A second animal appeared briefly a couple of times but this one was obligingly hunting back and forth along the edge of a reedbed. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a client so overwhelmed by wildlife, so much so that I could have cried. The Otter created a problem all of it’s own…there was no way we were going to get Georgia to leave the hide while it was still showing, and last food orders at The Swan were rapidly approaching. The girls knew what they were planning to eat though so a quick ‘phone call to Sarah, who was on her way to the pub, sorted the issue of getting their order in on time. Eventually it was so dark that Otter, reedbed and water’s edge merged into one and we headed back to The Swan.

I’d arranged to take the girls back to Newcastle to catch their train on Sunday morning, but a text from Alan changed our timings slightly and soon I was standing on the dunes at Cambois with Fran, Georgia and Sarah…watching a small group of Bottlenose Dolphins through the mist, rain and, yes, once again, bone-chilling wind 🙂

14/04/2015
More mustelid mania; Otter mini-Safari 09/04/2015

I’d arrived at Church Point, to collect Ian, Rosie, Ali, Vicky, Suzie and Aravind, and then had a voicemail on my mobile. One of their cars had a problem, so they’d taken it to CarBar. A quick change of plan and I collected them from Morpeth instead, and we headed towards the southeast Northumberland coast in search of Otters. Goldeneye were displaying, Redshank and Curlew were probing the gooey mud and a Little Egret caught a fish and then dropped it and just stared at the water without refinding it’s prey. Rosie had just asked where Otters were most likely to be seen on the stretch of water we were looking at, I turned to indicate the general area that I thought would be most productive…and there was an Otter 🙂 We watched it for a few minutes as it fed, and I was fairly sure it was one of the young female Otters we’d watched regularly since December.

Each time the Otter dived we could follow it’s movements by the trail of bubbles on the water’s surface but it soon vanished from view, as they often do, and everyone’s attention remained focused on the water. Then another Otter popped up. This one was a bit of surprise though; a very small cub that isn’t any of the four animals we’ve been watching over the last few months. It surfaced like a spyhopping dolphin before sliding back beneath the waves then an adult surfaced just beyond the cub, and we’d seen three different Otters 🙂 Rosie then spotted another mustelid, and the Weasel engaged in a game of peek-a-boo from a stone wall before running along the bank.

Sometimes, when the day seems to be going wrong…

10/04/2015
Springtime on the coast; Otter Safari 08/04/2015

The lack of summer visitors has been commented on by local birdwatchers for the last couple of weeks, but there are signs that the summer is on its way…

I collected Sam and Linda from West Acre House and we headed towards the coast, thankfully free of the sea fret that hampered Monday’s trip. All of our Otter sites were very quiet on the mustelid front, but birdwatching is starting to pick up. A male Marsh Harrier, and no less than three female harriers nest-building, was a fantastic start to the morning. Chiffchaff, Chaffinch and Robin were all singing, Little Egrets were keeping up their recent record of putting in an appearance on our tours, a song-flighting Meadow Pipit settled obligingly close to us, Skylarks were soaring and singing high overhead, Little and Great Crested Grebes may be at opposite ends of the size spectrum but both are quite beautiful, Curlew and Redshank were digging in the mud, Goldeneye were displaying their golden eyes in the bright sunshine and Gadwall, Mallard and Tufted Duck were all caught in two minds between feeding and courting. 15 Avocet were radiating elegance and the day had passed so quickly.

09/04/2015
Mustelid mania; 05/04/2015

Arriving in Newbiggin to collect Susan, Dan, Chris and Helen, the first thing that struck me was just how warm it was. Blue skies, bright sunshine, only a slight breeze – almost an early summer day 🙂

We began our search of Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland with those habitual Otter impersonators, Cormorant and Goldeneye, grabbing our attention. Then Little Egret, Redshank and Mallard all moved away from where I think our regular Otters have their holt, although there was no sign of the elusive predator. A Stoat, all bounding energy, chased, but missed catching, a Rabbit and a pair of Marsh Harriers drifted over coastal reedbeds with a third bird nearby as Cormorants and Curlew lazed in the sunshine and Red-breasted Mergansers delivered their comical courtship display.

Finally, distantly, as the sun slipped towards the horizon a sleek, sinuous shape crossed the river before inspecting a bankside log and vanishing into a tangle of brambles 🙂

07/04/2015
Life, the universe and everything; Otter Safari 04/04/2015

As I arrived at The Swan to collect Alan, Sarah and Sam it was looking like a glorious spring day. The plan for the day was to search all of our regular Otter sites around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland. Chiffchaff, Chaffinch and Robin were all singing, Little Egret were stalking through the shallows (almost a permanent feature of our coastal trips now), Cormorant and Goldeneye caused momentary panic as they slipped beneath the water’s surface, Stonechats tail-flicked atop coastal bushes and Meadow Pipits were song-flighting. Towards the end of the day we came across a species that is always attention-grabbing, as a Kingfisher flew downstream towards us before crossing the river and perching in a low bush, sitting obligingly as we trained our ‘scopes on it.

As we travelled between sites, Sam’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge generated a keenly contested quiz. Not on wildlife though, this was a quiz on the solar system and astronomy! Now, I thought my knowledge of the universe was good, but thanks to an enthusiastic 7 year old, I finished the day with it expanded 🙂

07/04/2015
Breezy; Otter Safari 28/03/2015

With the end of March approaching I was hoping for less breezy weather than we’ve been having recently. Not my lucky day though…

I collected Melissa, Graham and Marjorie and we set off to spend the day exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland. Hormones coursing through the veins of Red-breasted Merganser, Shelduck, Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Goldeneye, Teal and Mallard meant there was a lot of activity everywhere we went. Cormorants were doing their very best Otter impressions, Little Grebes kept catching the eye as they dived beneath the waves and then, finally, the sign I’d been watching for. A pair of Mallards sitting in the edge of a reedbed suddenly sat very upright, staring intently into the same corner of the pool that had produced an Otter on our previous Otter Safari. This time though the wind had lifted the water’s surface into a series of rolling waves that could have hidden the Loch Ness Monster itself, and the cause of the duck’s distress remained unseen by our eyes.

After a run of successful Otter Safaris, with some days where conditions really weren’t favourable, there was bound to be a day when they didn’t play ball…

03/04/2015
Wind tunnel testing; Otter Safari 02/03/2015

Wild and windy conditions invariably lead to fewer wildlife sightings, and it’s easy to understand why getting your head down and avoiding suffering the effects of the wind as far as possible is a good idea…

I collected Colin, Carol, Jessica, Alex and Tom (and Kelsey and Winnie) from Lowick and we headed down the coast towards Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland for a day searching for Otters. The pressure of having a particular target species is one thing…but the pressure of having a client who works with your father-in-law is something else altogether 🙂 Cormorant, Grey Heron, Goldeneye, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck and Mallard were all battling against the wind, which had whipped up the surface of the rivers and pools into a frothy white mess. Site A didn’t produce an Otter, Site B didn’t produce an Otter…so on to Site C, and yet more white water. A noticeable movement of Tufted Duck, Mallard and Canada Goose away from one side of the pond heralded the arrival of the star of the show and we watched an Otter for nearly an hour as it twisted, turned and dived. Each time it surfaced we could see that it was chomping on some small prey item, but then it surfaced with a big Eel which it slowly dragged towards the edge of the pond before disappearing into the reeds. A few minutes later it was back out and hunting, travelling quickly along one side of the pond before again vanishing from sight.

Winnie (possibly the tiniest dog I’ve ever seen) provided some insight into the absence of wildlife in windy conditions, as she kept laying down facing directly into the wind. I’m sure if she could have, she would have crept off into a nearby reedbed to get even more shelter 🙂

01/04/2015
Local knowledge; Otter mini-Safari 27/02/2015

When you arrive at a site, and meet somebody coming the other way who gloomily informs you that “there aren’t any Otters about this morning”, there’s a temptation to head off to a different site in the hope of good luck there…

I collected Chris and Christine from Church Point and we set off for a morning searching for Otters around Druridge Bay and south east Northumberland. The gloomy comments from a local photographer made me think twice about our itinerary for the morning, but I decided to stick with my original plan. As we reached the water’s edge the sunlight glinted off something in the far distance, so I lifted my binoculars. Nothing, where a second earlier there had been something…and that was enough to focus my attention. A few seconds of patiently staring at that one spot, and then an Otter surfaced 🙂 Twisting, turning, diving and munching, the sinuous predator entertained us for over 30 minutes. It came closer and closer, and then surfaced with what can only be described as one great big mouthful of fish. Slowly carrying it’s prize to the water’s edge where it would be much more manageable, the Otter vanished from sight against a pile of boulders, no doubt consuming its catch hidden from the prying eyes of other predators.

We’ve been watching this Otter since December, and he’s a fair bit bigger now than he was back then! Here’s an image of him in January.

We can help you search for Otters on mini-Safaris, Safari Days or Prestige Tours so please do give us a call on 01670 827465 to book your trip 🙂

03/03/2015
If at first you don’t succeed; Bespoke Otter Safari 14/02/2015

When we’re searching for Otters, a fair degree of success is down to hard work (checking sites repeatedly, so we know when and where they are), a good bit of it is down to luck (they are wild animals after all, so don’t perform to order…) and those often combine to give a gut-feeling…

I collected Adam and Heather from Newcastle Central Station and we set off towards southeast Northumberland and Druridge Bay for their bespoke Otter Safari. Our first destination was the site that’s our current ‘Plan A’…where there wasn’t any indication of Otter activity 🙁 Along the coast we checked other sites without any luck, although there were lots of Goldeneye, Little Grebe and thousands of Pink-footed Geese. Canada and Greylag Geese, Curlew and Redshank were all making a racket that suggested there was an Otter nearby, but still no sign. In marked contrast to the Arctic blast of a day earlier, we had our lunch on the top of the dunes looking over towards Coquet Island, above a beach covered in Sanderling, Turnstone, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Curlew, Bar-tailed Godwit and Redshank and a lone Grey Plover.

Then we headed back to ‘Plan A’. I was as confident as I could be that, with no Otter activity earlier in the day, at least one would be out and feeding as the afternoon wore on. Sure enough, we were soon watching the lithe sinuous shape twisting and turning in the water as an Otter fed on small fish 🙂 The look on Heather’s face was priceless, and reminded me that as much as I enjoy watching wildlife, I really enjoy seeing our clients enjoying it too 🙂

Here’s an image of the Otter we were watching, taken in mid-January.

Our Otter Safaris take place all year round, from warm summer evenings when we’re still out an about late in the day, through to the depths of winter, so there’ll be a time and date that suits you – just give us a call on 01670 827465 to find out when!

28/02/2015
Plan A, Plan B; Otter Safari 07/02/2015

A question I’ve been asked a few times recently is “What if we hadn’t seen an Otter there?”. The answer, of course, is that we have a Plan B (and Plan C and Plan D as well, just in case…).

I collected Bing and Martin and we headed out towards the coast for their bespoke Otter Safari. Just over an hour later, and Plan A wasn’t looking good; there were Cormorants, Goldeneye and Little Grebes as far as the eye could see, but no sign of our target species…however, good things come to those who wait, and when Bing mentioned that she’d just seen something diving I looked across in the same direction, and up popped an Otter 🙂 Here’s an image of an Otter at ‘Plan A’ in mid-January.

We watched it for a few minutes before it slipped out of sight, and I thought it would be sensible to put Plan B into action. First though, it was time for lunch. We paid a visit to probably the most endearing star of our recent days out

and then we sat on a cliff top as Turnstone, Sanderling, Grey Plover, Ringed Plover, Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit and Curlew scurried, stalked, prodded and probed their way along the shoreline below us. Plan B proved to be much more successful, as we watched an Otter as it startled Redshank, Curlew, Mallards, Canada Geese and Greylag Geese. We lost track of it for a few minutes, then suddenly it was right in front of us, getting out of the water briefly, before heading off into the reflection of the sun, and creating the typical ‘ring of bright water’, each time it surfaced 🙂 A Stoat provided some entertainment, as they always do – this one was photographed on New Year’s Day, when we were checking Plans A, B, C and D 🙂

Another species that we’ve been watching regularly over the last few weeks provided a vivid splash of colour in the fading light of the afternoon,

and then it was time to return Bing and Martin to their hotel, with the goal of seeing an Otter in the wild reached via Plan A and Plan B 🙂 If you’d like to search for Otters in the wild, or any of Northumberland’s other stunning wildlife, then give us a call on 01670 827465 – wildlife is unpredictable, but the one thing we can guarantee is that we’ll always do everything we can to make sure you’re in the right place at the right time!

10/02/2015