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Other-worldly; Lindisfarne Safari 02/11/17
Thursday’s Lindisfarne Safari was a stranding trip, with our plan to cross onto the island just before the tide cut it off and then stay there until the causeway cleared again. I collected Sue, for her 6th trip with NEWT, from Old Swarland and then we headed to Alnwick to collect Paul, Edith, Jan and…
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Turning tides; Bespoke Northumberland Coast photography 12/10/17
The Holy Island causeway makes it into the news for too frequently due to overly-optimistic car drivers who think that driving into a tidal estuary is going to turn out well… I collected Tony from Fenham le Moor and we headed to the causeway to watch as the tide fell and the road was uncovered. …
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May magic; Otter Safari 09/05/17
After a week away from home, leading a wildlife photography holiday for another company, I was looking forward to getting back to all things NEWT and as I collected Mike and Barbara from Low Newton, ahead of an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay searching for Otters, I was thinking that the afternoon sunshine was…
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A glorious afternoon; Lindisfarne Safari 19/03/17
I arrived in Berwick to collect Juan and Erika from the railway station for their tour of Lindisfarne and the North Northumberland coast and a first for NEWT – clients from Argentina! We headed down the coast in some unforecast rain and in the mighty shadow of Bamburgh Castle we watched Purple Sandpiper and Turnstone…
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Northumberland in the win(d)ter; Winter Wonderland holiday 19-22/02/17
Day 1. 19/02/17. I arrived at the Bamburgh Castle Inn for the start of our Winter Wonderland holiday, then met up with with Christine, John, Linda and Rosie in the bar and outlined the plan for the next two days while we enjoyed a fantastic meal. Day 2. 20/02/17. Our first full day was targeting…
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Mud, glorious mud; Bespoke Wader ID Workshop 03/11/16
Thursday was a trip I’d been looking forward to for several months…Sue’s 5th trip with NEWT was a day searching for and identifying wading birds. Some, like the Curlew with it’s eerie cry and long downcurved beak are straightforward, but others can be a bit trickier… A field full of Oystercatcher and Lapwing close to…
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Arrivals; Holy Island bespoke birdwatching 20/10/16
Yesterday was Pete and Jan’s 9th trip with NEWT and we headed to a location that they haven’t visited with us previously… Heading north from Embleton we soon encountered the first rain of the day, and by the time we reached the Holy Island causeway the mud and shallow water around the array of Redshank,…
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Winter’s Icy Grip; Bespoke Lindisfarne Safari 25/02/2016
There’s a special quality to the winter; stark, icy landscapes filled with vast flocks of wintering birds grip the attention and leave you marvelling at the inhospitable conditions our winter wildlife contends with. We can wear a range of incredibly technical clothing, and head back to the car, or even indoors, if conditions deteriorate but…
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Winter Wonderland 21-24/02/2016
Our Winter Wonderland holiday started on Sunday evening with Ben and Diane, and David, arriving at the Bamburgh Castle Inn. Day One 22/02/16. Our first full day was around Lindisfarne and the North Northumberland coast and everything that makes the area so good in the winter put in an appearance. Purple Sandpiper, Oystercatcher, Bar-tailed Godwit,…
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Rising tide; Northumberland Coast Bespoke Birdwatching 09/10/2015
Friday was Tony’s third, and final, day of bespoke birdwatching with NEWT and we headed north in similar weather to Thursday… Travelling north, Roe Deer seemed unsure which way to run across the road so dodged back and forth in front of us. On the rising tide, Little Egrets, Bar-tailed Godwits, Curlew, Dunlin, Redshank and…