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 aural backdrop. On the coast, Avocets were alarming every time a Carrion Crow or Grey Heron flew by, Lapwing crests were being ruffled in the breeze that eventually brought a heavy rain shower, Shelduck and Mallard parents were tending to their broods of undeniably cute fluffballs and a Barn Owl ghosted along the dunes before obligingly settling on a fence post.

With dusk being marked by the sky getting slightly darker than the overcast glowering gloom of earlier in the evening, Mute Swans were feeding quietly, Canada Geese and Greylag Geese arrived to roost, anything other than quietly, a Great Crested Grebe repeatedly caught and consumed small fish in front of us, a Roe Deer hurtled along the bank and swallows, martins and Swifts were flycatching through a mesmerising whirling flock of Black-headed Gulls as we reached the point of ‘difficult to see anything out there now’.

The evening added to considerably to our 11 year development of Otter-related puns. ‘otterly amazing/terrible/wonderful’ are all tried and tested, but a couple of new ones put in an appearance “What’s an Otters favourite food? Frittotter” and “What’s an Otters favourite opera? La Traviotter” 🙂