Our monthly WeBS count should have been done a couple of weeks ago although, with weekends from mid-March through to mid-September fairly well occupied, this morning was the first chance I’d had to do the count. With today’s tide times, and a mid-morning meeting with a potential sponsor for NEWT, I left the house just after 6am and drove to Cresswell. Our usual method of covering the 3.75 miles of our survey section is to take 2 cars, leave one at East Chevington and then drive to Cresswell in the other, leaving us with a walk north along Druridge Bay. As a solo survey it’s a 7.5 mile round journey, and good exercise on the sand. As I headed north on a deserted beach, the southwesterly wind brought icy, stinging rain. Nearly 100 Common Eiders were just offshore, 5 Common Scoter were just beyond them and a summer-plumaged Red-throated Diver brought a splash of colour. A Sand eel had managed to become stranded almost 20m above the receding tideline so I did my good deed for the day and returned it to the sea, although it initially resisted my efforts to pick it up 🙂 Sandwich Terns were flying backwards and forwards along the shore, giving their creaky, rasping call, and a summer-plumaged Sanderling was feeding alongside 2 Ringed Plovers.
With legs stretched and lungs filled with clean sea air I finished my walk and headed home. All the while I was thinking about my early birdwatching days when I would get up before dawn and cycle to what I’d identified as promising local birdwatching spots. Sometimes they produced the goods, sometimes they didn’t…but there was always that sense of having the world to yourself. Sometimes, birdwatching in Northumberland can feel like that in the middle of the day 🙂
After a couple of days in the office (although I’m not complaining; I spent those two days finalising details for two new projects and taking bookings for group photography trips and a Northumberland birdwatching holiday) it was good to get out with clients this morning. Our three clients became just one though, due to the Icelandic volcano, and I collected Ellen from Newbiggin by the Sea for a tour of southeast Northumberland and Druridge Bay. We started with a search for Mediterranean Gulls. None of the nice, ghostly white-winged adults were around but there was a 2nd year bird amongst the Black-headed Gulls. It made a good identification subject, as the lack of obvious white wings meant that it was possible to focus on structure rather than just plumage, although the obvious wing-bar ensured that a discussion of wing topography was easy to relate to what we could see flying in front of us.
Under deep blue skies with fluffy white clouds this was a beautiful morning, although the bitingly cold, howling northwesterly meant that hats and gloves were in order. At Cresswell we admired our bird of the day; a stunning male Black-headed Wagtail. I’d never seen one before, and as Ellen is from the southwestern US it was a lifer for her as well. The geographical connection to where I spent 6 months in 1999/2000 focused conversation on two of my favourite topics; birdwatching and Mexican food. Summer visitors were evident, with Swallow and Sand Martin flying over all the coastal pools, Willow Warblers singing their silvery, descending cadence sheltered from the wind, a nervous Common Sandpiper just a few metres away from us and, best of all one of the best looking ducks to have ever dabbled around Druridge Pools, Garganey, was another lifer for Ellen. A pair of Stonechats perched in a bare hawthorn were a welcome sight, after a winter that will have surely decimated their population. The three hours passed incredibly quickly and I dropped a happy birdwatcher in Morpeth to continue the next leg of her journey through Northumberland.
Friday saw us in the Cheviot Valleys, enjoying probably the best weather so far this year, leading another Prestige Tour. With a client fascinated by geology and botany it was an excellent day out, with the abiding memories being the chuckling of Red Grouse in the Harthope Valley and a yaffling Green Woodpecker at Alwinton, that culminated with a meal at the Angler’s Arms at Weldon Bridge.
Yesterday we had a Kielder Prestige Tour that that had been arranged as a 70th birthday present. Collecting our clients from Belford we headed southwest. After a fine drive in the beautiful weather, we reached Bellingham and left the public roads behind for an hour as we journeyed through the forest. A pair of Red Grouse on a moorland edge provided excellent views, Roe Deer crossed the track in front of us and Common Buzzards flew close by across clearfell areas. Back in civilisation we stopped for a comfort break and found our first Common Crossbills of the day. Small groups were flying overhead, giving their distinctive calls, and a few were perched at the top of nearby trees dismantling cones with ease. Huge numbers of Chaffinches were around the feeding station at Leaplish and, as the day progressed we had excellent views of Siskins, Goldeneye, and an incubating Oystercatcher, as well as one of the Osprey pair that have returned to Kielder this year.
The journey back retraced our route from the morning, with one exception. The birthday boy suggested a short-cut to Chatton, and that proved to be very fortuitous. Just before Chatton village, myself and Vic, who were in the front of the Landrover, noticed a large bird in a flooded field. As we stopped…there was a White Stork! It’s legs were hidden by the bankside vegetation, so we couldn’t see if it had the most obvious sign of captivity; colour rings on it’s legs. As it stalked along the bank, flushing a pair of Oystercatchers, those legs were gradually revealed to be bare of any adornment. Howard managed to take some photos, but the bird was very wary and quickly began to head away from us. With White Storks, there’s always the taint of ‘escapee from captivity’ but this would be a good time for an overshooting bird returning from it’s wintering quarters in tropical Africa and, regardless of it’s origin, this was one stunning bird. An unpredictably exciting end to the day out.
Tuesday’s North Pennines Prestige tour was a complete contrast to Wednesday’s Otter Safari. The weather was much nicer than on Tuesday as I collected Mark and Clare from Alnwick. Our Otter Safaris, although structured to maximise our clients’ chances of getting good views of Otters, always produce lots of other wildlife as well. This one was no exception, with excellent views of Red Squirrel, Roe Deer, Brown Hare and Little Owl, amongst all of the usual suspects. Unusually, we were struggling to find an otter, so I had one last throw of the dice…however, the nice weather had brought out lots of holidaymakers and they appeared to be concentrated around that last chance 🙁 Clare, after watching a ‘sleek, shiny lump’ hidden in a small channel in the reeds, that she decided couldn’t be an otter, was concerned that the lump had now vanished! Then, the behaviour we’d been watching for; Teal and Mallard began to leave the safety of the reeds and head out into the open water. More importantly, they were doing this in sequence along the edge of the pool. Sure enough, there was the sleek, dark shape of an otter working it’s way through the reedbed 🙂 Not the best views, but Mark did see it lift it’s head, just before a group of holidaymakers appeared in front of the hide! One last view as it bounded along a furrow in the field behind the pool, and then the ducks all settled back down. They really are an excellent indicator; they know when a predator is close, and they know when it’s far enough away to stop worrying. The conclusion to two of the most enjoyable days we’ve had with clients since our first safari.
Today was the first of two Prestige Tours organised as a 40th birthday surprise. With our destination being the North Pennines, the tour where we cross the border from Northumberland into Upper Teesdale, the mist, drizzle and general murk first thing this morning didn’t look too promising. Sometimes, though, the less promising days prove to be the really memorable ones…
Checking one of our favourite Black Grouse sites there were no birds in the field close to the road. However, after watching that site for the last two years I guessed that the birds were probably at a lek site away across the moor. Sure enough, we soon found three birds sitting around, another two flew in a few seconds later and then the lek started. The cold wind and icy rain was barely noticeable as the birds postured around the clumps of rush. More sightings of Black Grouse followed, including birds at two sites where I hadn’t seen them before; one of them producing excellent views of a Blackcock sitting near the road, and a rather more shy and retiring Greyhen. Across in Upper Teesdale the views of Blackcock got even better, and were accompanied by drumming Snipe and displaying Curlew.
The walk to Cauldron Snout can seem bleak and devoid of wildlife but it is there; watching from amongst the heather were Red Grouse, some more Red Grouse, stunning Golden Plover and even more Red Grouse. Meadow Pipits flitted back and forth, Snipe were calling, Curlew were singing their eerie song over the moorland and Lapwings demonstrated that their display flight and calls both defy belief.
One of the best days we’ve had in two years of NEWT.
After a Druridge mini-safari on Tuesday, which included a visit to the Common Crane near Eshott, yesterday was something completely different with a Kielder Safari.
After collecting Ruth and Diana from Stannington we took the scenic route up through Knowesgate to Bellingham, in the wilds of west Northumberland. That’s the point where we deviate from the public roads and follow a track that’s off-limits to the public. Along the way we saw a few Buzzards, but a superb male Goshawk, and an incredibly skittish Red Fox, were the highlights of the drive through the forest. Around the reservoir there were Crossbills and Siskins everywhere. Lunch just over the border in Scotland was followed by more birdwatching and the spectacle of a Common Buzzard catching, dismembering and consuming a vole. With lots of other buzzards up in the air whenever the sun came out, there was plenty to see. A stunning drake Mandarin brought a splash of garish colour to the afternoon and a long-distance ‘scope view of last year’s Osprey nest revealed a small white blob – probably the head of one of the pair that have returned to the site. As we headed back towards civilisation a large flock of Fieldfares and Redwings near Bellingham was a reminder that the winter is only just behind us.
I spent the last three days guiding a familiarisation trip around the northeast, showcasing the landscape, wildlife and birdwatching of Northumberland, the North Pennines and Tees Valley for two wildlife officers and the development manager from ORCA (Organisation Cetacea).
My main input was to the 2nd and 3rd days, as I had another booking for the 1st day so only joined the group late in the afternoon on a rather wet Northumberland coast.
Day 2 dawned bright and dry at home but, as I passed Morpeth, it looked wet and misty ahead. The main road to Rothbury had been closed by flooding so a detour via the moors and past Cragside was necessary. We met up with Gill Thompson, the Northumberland National Park ecologist, and parked at Lordenshaws for a walk up Simonside. It was cold, snowy and exhilarating and we walked up to the start of the ridge. Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Red Grouse were all seen as we climbed.
Steph, Kathryn and Martin on the ridge above Lordenshaws
Returning to the car we set off to drive across to Otterburn, round the base of Simonside. That ran into a slight problem as, although we were fine in the Landy, Gill’s car couldn’t get through one of the floods we encountered. I continued with the girls and Gill backtracked to Rothbury to find an open route to Otterburn. After an excellent lunch at Otterburn Mill we headed towards Kielder Water and Forest Park. A drive along a forest road that isn’t publically accessible produced excellent views of Roe Deer and Common Buzzard…in increasingly heavy snowfall. At the Kielder Castle visitor centre there was excellent information provided about Ospreys, Goshawks, Tawny Owls, Red Squirrels and Hen Harriers. We also visited the two wildlife hides at Bakethin and Leaplish. Crossbills were calling in the tree tops, Goldeneye were displaying on the reservoir and the feeding station was a hive of activity, with Chaffinches, Coal Tits and an elusive Treecreeper. As we returned to the dam wall and waved goodbye to Shona, it was time to head to Hadrian’s Wall. Gill provided an excellent description of the wall, it’s history and the geology of the area while we were at Steel Rigg. Then, after a long day out it was time to travel the short distance to Saughy Rigg Farm; our accommodation for the night and also where were having dinner, hosted by the Kielder Partnership. The welcome, accommodation, evening meal and breakfast at Saughy Rigg were as outstanding as ever and it was good to chat to Sian and Shaun (who were both students at Haydon Bridge High School when I was teaching there).
Yesterday was our North Pennines day. I went out for a walk at 6am, and it was a beautiful Spring morning; Curlews were displaying and the early rays of sunlight were highlighting the contours and crevices of the landscape at their very best. After a breakfast that would set anyone up for being stranded in the middle of nowhere, Black Grouse was clearly high on the wanted list and I’d devised a route that would take in my top 2 sites for this handsome bird. The first obstacle was a vintage Triumph, completely blocking the road with it’s front wheels in a ditch where it had hit a patch of black ice. We manouvered our cars (Stephen had been away at a meeting the day before so was now travelling behind us) and a van to safety, in case the Triumph started sliding once it was back on the road. Thankfully that was accomplished without any problems and we continued. We would have checked one Black Grouse site and then re-traced our route, but that patch of black ice on a sharp downhill bend led to a change of plan and we took the road from Allendale to Carrshield instead…
As we crossed the moor there was a thin layer of snow on the road, but there were tyre tracks coming from the other direction so we continued. Stephen was following our tracks and then, at the high point of the road, the Landy skidded on some hidden ice, juddered and stopped. Snow was drifting in faster than we could shovel it away and we couldn’t get any traction to free us from the drift. Other vehicles from either direction were getting into difficulty in less snow than we had and…to cut a long story short…the entire incident involved two Landrovers, a family estate car and a snow plough all stuck fast, a team of drivers busy shovelling snow, two snapped tow ropes and Steph and Kathryn using the supplies (and flasks of boiling water) from the back of our Landy to provide coffee and hot chocolate to keep everyone warm. (Note to self; keep two shovels in the Landy in future!).
Once we we free from the drift, and checked that everyone else was able to continue, we headed on and found two excellent Blackcocks by the side of the road. Across to Langdon Beck and our (delayed) rendezvous with Shane Harris from the North Pennines AONB Partnership. As we re-structured the schedule Shane said “can anyone hear hissing?”. Yes, after all the effort we’d put into trying to get some traction with our offside front tyre…it was punctured. Just a minor inconvenience really so, with the spare wheel on, we had lunch at the Bowlees visitor centre (where the weather was positively summery), walked along the river at Low Force and then drove all the way down the Tees Valley to visit RSPB Saltholme. Finally, I dropped the girls at Royal Quays, ready for their first sailing this afternoon.
As Stephen put it at the end of the trip “A real Northern Experience!”.
I’ve always thought it slightly ironic that the Outdoor Show involves lots of outdoor professionals spending 3 full days cooped up in an exhibition hall in Birmingham, as detached from the outdoors as you can be. So, last Thursday I drove down to the NEC with Graham and we helped Jude from Northumberland Tourism to finish setting up the Outdoor Northumberland stand, prior to the arrival of all the other staff. Then we had 3 long, intense days of promoting Northumberland to all of the visitors who came along to our stand. Compared with 2009 the show itself wasn’t as impressive so it will be interesting to see if the change of venue for 2011 reinvigorates things. As far as the Outdoor Northumberland stand goes, I think we made some real improvements since last year and, hopefully, that will turn into more people choosing to visit our county. Having excellent locations for a range of activities that includes walking, cycling, MTB, watersports, rock climbing, equestrian, wildlife and birdwatching, Northumberland has so much to offer if what you want involves the great outdoors. (I just realised that the last sentence reads like an advert…). With our stand staff coming from several organisations and businesses the social side of the trip was good as well; I don’t think any of us were aware that Northumberland had produced so many accomplished belly dancers…
Finally, the three of us who had been first to the stand were the only ones remaining and we packed up and headed north, reaching our home county just shy of Monday morning. As I stepped out on to our drive, an Oystercatcher was calling loudly behind St Pauls’ Church. It felt good to be home.
After a few hours sleep I was up and about, catching up on some paperwork, before collecting one of the participants for a 3 day familiarisation trip that we’re guiding. I can’t help thinking that promoting the outdoors actually outdoors will be so much better than promoting the outdoors indoors 🙂
I had not planned to have a birding weekend this weekend – with fine weather forecast and no appointments that would take me out of the house for more than an hour or so, this is the first weekend this year that I have been able to get into the garden, and it needs a lot of tidying up. Although some would say that the “wild” effect was good, there is wild and there is wild! Following an early(ish) morning run by the River Wansbeck, where Jays were active in the overhead canopy, Moorhen and Mallard were on the river and the sound of a Mute Swan in flight just over our heads alerted us to its presence, it was back home for more physical effort in the garden. It was clear that the garden was already a hive of activity. Blackbirds have been busy gathering nesting material, Dunnocks are dancing for their lives (which could keep me entertained all morning) and the air was filled with the sound of Robins and Great Tits. I am having a rest from the garden now, but the birds are still active, now that they can get back onto the feeders without me in the way!
I spent yesterday in an unfamiliar role; as support to The Swan Striders (Sarah and Kirsty) as they took part in the Sport Relief mile at Druridge Bay Country Park. This is the first step in a grand plan that should eventually see them completing a marathon. As they only began their training regime a couple of weeks ago, and Kirsty tore a calf muscle last week, it was impossible to guess how they would perform. Needless to say, they both finished the mile (well, 1.4 miles…) still running, in a time of 16:47. I’m a proud husband 🙂
My own health improvements are taking the form of lots of walks (I’d love to run with the girls but one of my knees is very unstable). After the Alnwick Tourism Fair on Friday I walked the 4 miles up to Morpeth to collect Sarah’s car from the garage where it had been for it’s MOT. Against the prevailing wind I knocked 5 mins off the time it took in the other direction with the wind behind me. Progress…and now we’re going to set a series of targets for me, probably culminating in the Three Peaks. As ever there was a wildlife angle to my walk; although an unexpected one as I flushed a Woodcock from under a hedge near Hepscott. Yellowhammers, Skylarks and Reed Buntings were singing and there’s a vibrant fresh feel to the countryside. Can you feel it?
