Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Category: Wildlife

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
Snowstorm; Otter mini-Safari 04/02/2015

I’ve never made any secret of the fact that my enthusiasm is raised by the winter, and snow in particular. I love it, and always have done. We’ve only had a few trips over the last seven years with snow on the ground, and generally only a light dusting…

06:00 and there’s a very light covering of snow on the ground.

08:00 and it’s starting to snow properly

08:15 I’m on my way to Lesbury to collect Phil and Carol, and it’s picturesque; sunshine, blue sky, pristine glistening snow blanketing the fields

08:30 now it’s bleak – not so much a white-out as a murky, unpleasant grey-out; heavy snowfall and the roads are completely covered

09:15 I arrive at Lesbury, and it’s picturesque again 🙂

10:00 We’re watching our first Otter of the morning when a proper snowstorm hits. This is wildlife-watching at it’s finest; an elusive predator hunting a little distance away from us, and the elements chucking a good amount of the white stuff in our direction 🙂 As the snow passes it turns into a quite pleasant morning; sunny, not too cold, although we can see snow in the distance. Then a second Otter appears, covering a lot of distance, but performing briefly within range of Phil’s camera. A hovering Kestrel found itself on the receiving end of a sustained attack by a Sparrowhawk, Mallards watched warily as the Otters swam by, Cormorants flying inland looked prehistoric and incredibly, we’d been watching the Otters for over two hours 🙂

Here’s an image from mid-January of one of the Otters that we’re seeing regularly just now.

We’ve added another Otter mini-Safari to our calendar, on February 27th, and there are a couple of spaces still available so give us a call on 01670 827465 to book your place 🙂

06/02/2015
In the teeth of a wintry gale; Otter mini-Safari 01/02/2015

I wake up and look at the alarm clock. It’s only 04:00, and the howling wind is tearing along the length of our road and beyond. I’m collecting James in 5 hours, for an Otter mini-Safari on his birthday, so I drift back to sleep, hoping that it won’t be quite so breezy by the time we’re out in the open and tracking down the sinuous, elusive predator.

I pull into the car park at The Swan at 09:00, and the wind has died down a bit 🙂 As we head towards our first location for the morning James describes his obsession with Otters, and we discuss where to look and how to study each type of habitat that they occupy. Approaching the water’s edge, there’s a stunning drake Goldeneye and a Cormorant…and less than 5 seconds later our first Otter of the morning 🙂 Diving and rolling, it soon vanishes – only to reappear a few metres away as it gets out of the water carrying a substantial meal and then creeps out of sight. We can see another Otter distantly, and a patient approach allowed us to get within a few metres of that one too, as Goosander and Red-breasted Merganser were also reaping nature’s rich bounty nearby.

The Otter we managed to get clsoe to by stalking is one that we’ve been watching since mid-December, and here’s a picture of him in January.

As the morning wore on the wind started to pick up again, with Lapwings tossed on the breeze like leaves and a Common Buzzard battling against the wind. A Cormorant caused a brief ‘is that another Otter?’ moment and 4 hours had quickly passed so I returned James to The Swan then went home and started wondering whether a bike ride in that wind would be a good idea…

We’ve got Otter Safaris regularly throughout the year, so give us a call on 01670 827465 or email enquiries@newtltd.co.uk to join us in searching for this stunning predator 🙂

02/02/2015
Battling the elements; Otter Safari 06/11/2014

Last Thursday was Sue’s second Otter Safari with us this year, after an unsuccessful search in early July…a trip that was followed by five consecutive successful Otter Safaris for other clients! I was really looking forward to this trip – Sue is great company and pleasure to be out birdwatching with – but the added pressure of already having one Otter Safari not produce our target species had me planning, re-planning and then planning some more…

I’d got two sites lined up that I was confident would produce Otter sightings, but the one spanner in the works was the weather forecast. If it was accurate (and, as it turned out, it was) we’d got three hours of good weather, and four of poor, ahead of us. As I drove to Church Point, I was mulling over the options for the two sites, and decided to go with the one that’s been our most reliable this year during the good weather, and then head to the other one towards dusk. Then I thought about it again – would the reliable site, where I can usually predict to within a few metres where the Otter will first put in an appearance, be better in the poor weather just before dark? I decided to trust to my first instinct and we were soon watching over the water as the wind strengthened and the first drops of rain were carried towards us on the breeze. As Goldeneye and Cormorant dived in the ruffled water I noticed a dark shape in the corner of my field of vision. It might have been nothing, but I held my concentration on that spot and just over a minute later an Otter cub surfaced in front of us 🙂 Twisting, turning, porpoising, diving and feeding, it kept us entertained for 90 minutes before slipping out of sight as the next wave of raindrops stung our faces on the now howling wind.

We retreated to the car and sat eating lunch overlooking the North Sea, as a distant speck heading towards us over the waves revealed itself to be a Blackbird that paused for a few minutes on the cliff face before continuing its migration inland. Then a Wheatear came ‘in-off’, and soon after that three Redwings arrived, following what must have been an arduous sea crossing, as the rain intensified. As dusk approached, and the rain somehow became even heavier, we watched flocks of Teal and Wigeon, Common Snipe and Dunlin probing in soft mud, Curlew appearing as if from out of nowhere, Starlings and Jackdaws heading to roost, and Blackbirds, Robins, Fieldfare and more Blackbirds, and more Blackbirds 🙂

14/11/2014