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The magic of dusk; Otter Safari 20/08/2014
After four consecutive successful Otter Safaris since mid-July, I was fairly sure that dusk would be the best time to search for them, and the afternoon could be spent enjoying some excellent birdwatching with the added possibility of stumbling across an Otter in broad daylight… I arrived in Craster to collect Dave and Naomi and…
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Edgy; Otter Safari 23/07/2014
Last Wednesday was a bespoke ‘truncated’ Otter Safari, booked as a retirement present for Joe. I collected Joe, Ann, Jess and Jack from Newton by the Sea and we made our way south to Druridge Bay. We had our picnic, overlooking the North Sea, enjoyed the graceful elegance of Avocet and Little Egret and then…
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“That’s not a bill. That’s a bill”; Otter Safari 12/07/2014
Often, the species that we’re specifically searching for appears and is the highlight of the day. Sometimes, the scenes involving the supporting cast take some beating though… I arrived at Church Point to collect Rose, Tom and Alison, and we headed up the coast for an afternoon around Druridge Bay searching for Otters. July is…
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Pyramids; mini-Safari 22/06/2014
You’ll probably be familiar with the concept of ‘pyramid of numbers’, but there’s a loop in that pyramid and I spend a lot of my time on the wrong end of it… I collected Boyd and Louise from Newton and we headed south along the Northumberland coast to search around our favourite Otter sites. Ducks…
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Zzzzzzzzzz; Badger mini-safari 31/05/2014
After dropping John, David and Sheila back in Alnwick after their bespoke photography trip to the Farne Islands, I met up with Sarah to have something to eat and then I was on my way to Alnmouth to collect Zoe, Richard, Ella, Luke and Charlie. This was their second trip with NEWT, following an evening…
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Eye of the storm; Druridge Bay 13/05/2014
The deep ominous rumble of thunder was all around us now. There was a light at the end of the tunnel though, but could we make the most of it? I’d collected Stephen from home in North Shields and we headed up the coast for an afternoon and evening birdwatching around Druridge Bay. The early…
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Hunters and hunted; Druridge Bay mini-safari 07/05/2014
So many of our experiences with clients revolve around the day-to-day life and/or death activites of the wildlife that we watch. I collected Philip and Wendy from Amble and we headed south along Druridge Bay. Two birds in particular had us all transfixed during the evening. First was a Grey Heron, elegant, statuesque, patient and…
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On silent wings; Northumberland coast 26/04/2014
There are some species that are favourites with particular clients, there are others that may be fairly common but still have good wildlife experience appeal, and then there are a select few that have everybody watching their every move… I arrived at Church Point and quickly located Carol, Dave, Megan and Emily. Our carload was…
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Wild Geese and small predators; Druridge Bay 20/09/2013
After a damp morning around Druridge Bay on Thursday, Friday looked much more promising. I collected Simeon and Kathy from their holiday accommodation in Warkworth and we set off down the coast for an afternoon around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland. Late summer/early autumn trips often feature plenty of waders and wildfowl and this was…
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Northumberland coast birdwatching and Otter-spotting 16/07/13
Sometimes I think that I’m lucky, sometimes I’m quite sure that I’m lucky, and sometimes I have absolutely no doubt… As the heat of the day began to cool, with increasing cloud cover, it was time to head out and collect the five clients for our Otter mini-Safari. I picked Gabrielle and Michael up from…