Circuit; Druridge Bay Safari 26/05/19


After collecting Jane and Graham from Newbiggin, ahead of an afternoon and evening exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland, we set off on what has become a regular route around our favourite sites…

A Grey Wagtail flew over and perched high in a riverside tree as Swifts, swallows and martins gorged themselves on flying insects overhead.

Summertime safaris often feature a few mammals and Brown Hares were laying down in the long grass. Avocets, Dunlin and Lapwings were joined by a Common Sandpiper and a Little Ringed Plover around the boundary of mud and water. A Little Owl was sitting framed by a window as we headed towards our final site for the day…

Frantic feathered flocks feasting on flies included Swift, House Martin, Sand Martin, Swallow and Black-headed Gull and, distantly, there was an Otter 🙂 Watching the gulls and the agitation spreading through swans, geese and ducks allowed us to track the Otter‘s progress and it was eventually much more obliging as it went into shallow water. It vanished into the reeds again before reappearing and quickly crossing the pool, occasionally pausing to raise it’s head in annoyance at the flock of gulls following it as a Roe Deer waded out into belly-deep water before turning back and heading to shore as the encroaching dusk made observation more and more of a challenge.