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Gems; Lindisfarne Bespoke Birdwatching 08/10/2015
Thursday was Tony’s second bespoke birdwatching day with NEWT, and we were heading to Holy Island. The weather was an extraordinary contrast to the mist, murk and torrential rain of Wednesday; clear blue skies and bright warm sunshine accompanied us on the drive north… Our first port of call on the island was the Vicar’s…
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Waders and wildfowl; Northumberland coast Prestige Tour 02/10/2015
October is a fantastic month to be out birdwatching on the Northumberland coast. If we haven’t had the mist, drizzle and easterly winds to shower us with migrants, there’s always a wealth of wintering and passage waders and wildfowl to enjoy… I collected Alison, Jon, Sally and Andrew from Tughall and we set out for…
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Timing; Northumberland Coast 17/09/2015
Seasonality in wildlife watching is an important consideration, but ‘micro-timing’ shouldn’t be overlooked. There’s a time of day when we rarely meet anyone else on our tours, and I don’t entirely understand why… Thursday was Day Five for Clare and Peter, and I collected them from The Swan before heading north to start our day…
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Searching; Lindisfarne Safari 14/09/2015
When we’re heading to the coast, and a generally easterly wind is accompanied by mist and drizzle, my pulse starts racing… I collected Clare and Peter from The Swan and we headed north to collect Phil and Susan from the Lindisfarne Hotel. Holy Island can be a migrant hotspot, and the number of Song Thrushes…
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When the wind blows; Whales, waders and wildfowl 4-7/09/2015
Last weekend was our ‘Whales, waders and wildfowl’ mini-break, with an extension to include our Farne Deeps pelagic. Day -1 (Friday 04/09/15). A late cancellation left Sandra and Linda as the only guests on the holiday, and with conditions unsuitable for being offshore, we headed to the far north of the county. Fulmars and Gannets…
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Weasily identifiable; Lindisfarne Safari 20/04/2015
April is when we start to spend more time visiting our inland areas, but the coast can still deliver real quality, and quantity, at this time of the year too. I collected Sue and Colin from Beadnell and we headed north to Holy Island. Crossing the causeway we paused to watch Eider and Red-breasted Merganser…
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If at first you don’t succeed; Bespoke Otter Safari 14/02/2015
When we’re searching for Otters, a fair degree of success is down to hard work (checking sites repeatedly, so we know when and where they are), a good bit of it is down to luck (they are wild animals after all, so don’t perform to order…) and those often combine to give a gut-feeling… I…
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Bone-chilling; Beginners Photography 13/02/2015
I pulled into the car park at the mainland end of the Holy Island causeway, and Heather was already there for our Beginners Photography ‘Winter Wildfowl’ workshop. The first thing that struck me as I go out of the car was just how cold it was. With a bitingly cold cold wind racing across the…
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Plan A, Plan B; Otter Safari 07/02/2015
A question I’ve been asked a few times recently is “What if we hadn’t seen an Otter there?”. The answer, of course, is that we have a Plan B (and Plan C and Plan D as well, just in case…). I collected Bing and Martin and we headed out towards the coast for their bespoke…
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Mud, glorious mud; Lindisfarne Safari 28/11/2014
The Northumberland coast in the late autumn is a birdwatching destination that I’ll never tire of. Even in weather that could best be described as inclement, there’s a wealth of wildlife to enjoy. I collected Mike and Janet from the Dunstanburgh Castle Hotel and we headed north for a day birdwatching around Lindisfarne and the…