Tag: Chaffinch

  • Dipping, owling and haring; Bespoke Druridge Bay Safari 04/07/19

    Thursday’s bespoke Druridge Bay Safari for Keith and Jean was forecast to be dry…so it was unexpected when the first drops of rain started hitting the car windscreen as we headed south from Outchester… With fish taking flies from the surface of the River Blyth a Dipper flew past as Song Thrushes, Chaffinches and Chiffchaffs…

  • Getting ahead of the weather; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke Birdwatching 04/06/19

    I collected John from Cramlington, earlier than originally planned because the weather forecast wasn’t looking great and I wanted to stay ahead of what promised to be some heavy rain, ahead of a day in the Cheviot Valleys and we headed north west in bright sunshine… Roadside verges left unmowed are a haven for invertebrates…

  • Heron aid 🙂 Otter Safari 14/05/19

    Under warm sunshine I arrived in Newbiggin to collect Sue and Caroline, Ellen and Tom and Mark and Kay ahead of an afternoon and evening exploring NEWT’s favourite Otter locations around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland… Walking through sun-dappled woodland with Robins, Blackcaps, Chiffchaffs and Chaffinches singing, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Nuthatch calling and Wrens…

  • Warbling 🙂 Kielder Bespoke Birdwatching 03/05/19

    I collected Nick and Mel (for their 3rd day out with NEWT) and John and Heather from Bellingham and we took a short drive up the North Tyne valley for a day out around Kielder and the Scottish Borders… Birdwatching in a dense forest in early May is a challenge and a small flock of…

  • Calm; Otter Safari 30/04/19

    Arriving in Newbiggin to collect Marilyn, Lesley, Penny, Dave and Trai ahead of an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland the first thing that struck me was just how calm the sea was, and how the mist hanging over it left water and sky linked by an invisible horizon… We started with…

  • Waiting on the weather 😉 Druridge Bay Safari 26/04/19

    As I arrived in Newbiggin to collect Sue, Nick, Mandy and Ian for an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland the sea was looking much calmer than it had done on Wednesday, but the sky was ominous and the forecast more so… We started with a couple of riverside walks through woodland…

  • Misty, murky 🙂 Druridge Bay Safari 24/04/19

    As I collected Patrick and Susan from Newbiggin for an afternoon and evening exploring NEWT’s local patch, Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland, there were some impressive waves breaking in the bay… A flock of Black-headed Gulls were pestering a Grey Heron that flew off, voicing its disapproval, and then they turned their attentions to a…

  • Everything ‘adding’ up to a great day; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke Birdwatching 28/03/19

    Yesterday was Sue’s 9th day out with NEWT, and the first time we’d headed into the Cheviot Valleys together… In warm sunshine and under blue skies we started with a search for Adders. Sue’s sharp eyes spotted two, and we watched both from a respectful distance so they continued basking in roadside vegetation. Great Crested…

  • In the bleak midwin…wait a minute 🙂 Kielder Safari 24/03/19

    Yesterday’s Kielder Safari was filled with returning clients; Stephen on his 3rd trip, Andy and Jill on their 3rd and Gordon and Mandy on their 7th. We’d got one species in particular on the target list for the day… The forecast was for blustery showers but it started off fairly fine. Once we were out…

  • Spring has sprung? Otter mini-Safari 23/02/19

    After a break from Safaris and blogging, after I was diagnosed with a rare illness last year and had surgery in early January, it was great to be back out in the field with clients yesterday. I collected Paul and Jennifer, Paul and Kirsty and Alastair and Jess from Newbiggin and we set off for…