Blog

Over recent nights, the active moth trappers in Northumberland have been catching large numbers of Diamond-back Moths. One site in Tynemouth produced nearly 1000 on Sunday night but, with long days in the field with clients, I haven’t been running our trap as regularly as I would like (and not as often as our assistant County Recorder would like either!). Last night we we driving back from giving a slide-show in Alnmouth, and there was an almost continuous cloud of moths in the beam from the car headlights. So, as soon as we were back home, out went the trap. First thing this morning I went out into the garden and there were Diamond-backs everywhere. With a heavily vegetated wildlife garden it was impossible to count them all (and at less than 1cm in length, they’re fairly easy to overlook anyway). In the trap itself there were 32, along with between 30-40 moths of other species including Poplar Hawkmoth, Burnished Brass and Plain Golden Y.

Moth trapping is a fascinating, if occasionally confusing, way to spend your evenings. Another example of the fact that there’s always something to do or see in the natural world. If birdwatching is the replacement for botany during the winter (and for some naturalists it is), then surely moth-trapping is the replacement for birdwatching at night.

With a good walk around Holy Island already completed, I drove to Alnmouth to collect our second clients of the day. Bob and Charlotte are over from Connecticut, visiting some of the best birdwatching spots in Britain, and I was going to spend the afternoon guiding them on a wildlife and birdwatching trip to the Farne Islands and the North Northumberland coast. As Glad Tidings VII pulled out of Seahouses harbour with a full load of passengers, you could feel the anticipation in the air. Five of our natural history group from last weekend had stayed on in Northumberland and were also on the boat as was Margaret, who had been on one of our conservation walks at Lee Moor Farm on Open Farm Sunday. Terns were flying by the boat, returning to their hungry chicks and soon Razorbills, Puffins and Guillemots began to appear. A coastal mist led to the remarkable spectacle of Bamburgh Castle apparently floating in mid-air and we enjoyed the sailing around the islands (a real multi-sensory experience!), eventually landing on Inner Farne. The Farne Islands are surely one of the world’s greatest wildlife spectacles. If anyone could be disappointed by a visit there I would be amazed. Terns, auks, Kittiwakes and Shags all had either eggs or nestlings so photo opportunities were endless. All too soon it was time to return to the mainland. Rather than our usual picnic, Bob and Charlotte had opted for Seahouses’ finest fish and chips so we headed to Pinnacles. After eating we set out on a coastal walk. Wildflowers were luminescent in the evening sunlight, Curlews called over nearby fields, Skylarks and Meadow Pipits sang their rather contrasting songs and a juvenile Stonechat was watched closely as it attempted to eat a very large moth. Eventually we arrived at our destination; a mainland tern colony, where we watched Arctic and Little Terns in the warm evening sunshine. A family party of Stonechats, and several Reed Buntings, showed well beside the path and we returned to the Landrover for the final leg of our journey.

After dropping our happy clients at their accommodation in Hexham I drove home; reflecting on how far we’ve come; back in October 2007, when I was on the Enterprise Island Challenge, Northern Experience Wildlife Tours only existed as a name registered at Companies House. Now, in June 2009, we’ve got corporate clients, we’ve just led our first large group weekend and I’m happier, healthier and as passionate as ever about Northumberland and its wildlife, and about sharing that passion.

“Corporate clients can be really very difficult” that was the advice given by one of the course leaders when I was a participant on the Enterprise Island Challenge back in October 2007. So yesterday, with some trepidation, I headed north up the A1 to collect a group of employees from our first corporate client. The weather was even better than it had been for the last few days; ideal for a Natural History walk around Holy Island. Starting from the main carpark, we walked through the village, discussing the history of Christianity on the island, and up on to the Heugh. Grey Seals could be seen in the deeper channels between the island and Guile Point and a small group of Eiders were loafing around on a sandbar. A couple of the group were familiar with Northumberland – but mainly with the upland moorland of the interior, so the rich fertile coastal plain was a pleasant surprise for them. On a hot sunny day in mid-late June flowers were an obvious focus, with Northern Marsh Orchids and Viper’s Bugloss very prominent, but there were other surprises along the way; Swallows feeding their nestlings and a newly-emerged Six-spot Burnet Moth alongside another one that was just breaking free of it’s cocoon. Time flew by and soon we were heading back down the coast to Waren Mill. With the group safely returned to their accommodation, it was time for me to drive to Alnmouth as Tuesday wasn’t over yet…

The superb drive up to Whitelee Farm to collect clients is always enjoyable, and today was no exception. Collecting Jan, David and Thistle, we were soon heading down the A68 towards…Short-eared Owls. Jan had mentioned that she would love to see a Short-eared Owl and I thought I knew just the place. Even in mid-June, Northumberland moorland can seem bleak and inhospitable but, once you get over the other-worldliness of it, you soon realise that it has a stark beauty all of its own. The birdwatching is about quality, rather than quantity, and the Short-eared Owl that appeared, ghost-like, above the fell we were scanning, had genuine quality. Backwards and forwards, like a huge moth, it quartered the hillside, alighting briefly before continuing on it’s way. The backdrop to this was the eerie calls of Curlew and Golden Plover and then a real surprise as a stunning little male Merlin raced over our heads before pursuing a pipit across the fell, twisiting and turning in flight. As we explored further valleys, finding campions, stitchworts, bedstraws and a mind-blowing field of pansies, excellent birds continued to appear; Dippers bobbing and diving, Buzzards soaring and mewing, 14 Goosander ducklings skittering downstream, a male Cuckoo perched in a tree on the opposite bank of the river, a handsome Golden Plover watching us from a roadside hillock and a Blackcock who seemed intent on playing hide-and-seek. The journey back up the A68 afforded incredible views of the landscape and the contrast created by one or two heavy storms amongst the otherwise bright, sunny sky. Now to bed, to dream about the last few days and to think about the Holy Island walk we’re leading tomorrow morning, tomorrow afternoon’s trip to Inner Farne and Thursdays’ Otter Safari.

Arriving at Saughy Rigg Farm on Friday evening, I met up with Peter and Janet, who had been on a trip with us in September of last year. Now they were back, with 11 other members of their Natural History Society, for a weekend of wildlife, mothing, birdwatching and botanising in the Border Forests and the North Pennines. We’re preparing a full trip report (which will go on the all-new NEWT blog soon…) but just to whet your appetite; Black Grouse 15 (inc 5 lekking), Short-eared Owl 3, Peregrine 3, breeding waders, Scottish Asphodel, Alpine Bistort and a lot of moths.

Remember the days before mobile ‘phones and the internet? Well, having just spent the best part of four days without either, life’s a lot easier now.

Friday morning I set out to collect clients for a Safari Day in the Cheviot valleys. First stop was close to a Dipper nest, so it wasn’t entirely surprising that we soon found a Dipper, bobbing on the rocks before disappearing downstream. What was surprising was watching a House Martin joining a line of Swallow fledglings, apparently waiting to be fed…even more surprising was when it copulated with the adult Swallow!!! By strange co-incidence, Sarah had asked me the night before if I’d seen the picture of a presumed Swallow/House Martin hybrid in the latest issue of Birding World. I’ll need to check back there in a month or so to see if there are any hybrid young.

As we set out on a leg-stretching walk, botanical interest was provided by Speedwell, Water Forget-me-not, Heath Bedstraw and several orchids. A song-flighting Tree Pipit was up and down like a Jack-in-the-box, a tiny Common Frog was relocated from the middle of a dry footpath to a damper, shadier location and an iridescent flash as we walked along the track proved to be a Green Tiger Beetle. Siskins and Willow Warblers were abundant and Redpolls sang their buzzing flight-song. Back at the Landrover we had lunch and prepared for our afternoon walk. Much steeper and in a narrower valley, our main quarry was Ring Ouzel. Facing the elements, we made our way higher with a stunning view of the valley below and the hillside opposite. The simple, melancholy song of the ‘Mountain Blackbird’ echoed down the valley, but the songster remained out of sight. Whinchats, resplendent in their summer finery, called from the heather around us and then, as we descended towards the valley bottom, a female Ring Ouzel perched for a few seconds with a beak full of food before vanishing into the vegetation.

Inland birdwatching may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but the combination of stunning scenery, fantastic flowers and top-quality birds always make for a great day out.

And so, after returning Jacky, Andy and June to their B&B in Powburn, it was time to head into the deep southwest for our fully-booked North Pennines weekend…

Things are hectic at the moment, and with 9 trips out with clients over the next 10 days…

At the weekend, myself and Andy spent some time going through our old DV tapes and editing down to some nice length clips for posting on YouTube. The results of our labours can be seen here, here and here. Watching the White-beaked Dolphins made me realise that our 2009 Pelagic Trip programme is rapidly approaching, and by strange co-incidence we took another booking from someone we bumped into just after filming the otter video. July 31st is almost full and September 5th and 19th are filling rapidly as well. Have a look at our Pelagics page and give us a call on 01670 827465 to book your place. Always a highlight of the late summer!

Today’s big news is that a pair of Ospreys are nesting in Kielder Water and Forest Park; the first successful nesting attempt in Northumberland for 200 years (if, indeed, there has ever been evidence of breeding at any point in the past!).

When I was a young boy, Osprey was a species I only dreamed of seeing. Eventually I made the pilgrimage to Loch Garten, and saw the bird of my dreams. Since then I’ve seen many in Scotland, and found a few in Northumberland as well, but to have them breeding in my home county really is a dream come true. Myself and Sarah will both be involved in assisting with the watchpoint and we will also be adding Osprey to the list of species we search for on our Kielder birdwatching tours. Eventually we may even see the establishment of several breeding pairs of the ‘fish-eagle’. Yet another reason why Northumberland is so very, very good if you’re interested in wildlife.