Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Tag: Mallard

  • Feeding time; Otter Safari 29/12/2015

    Yesterday saw returning clients, as Jayne and Andy joined us for an Otter Safari.  Their previous day with NEWT, back in September 2010, proved memorable as we found a White-winged Black Tern at Cresswell.

    Under blue skies and sunshine, in stark contrast to recent days, we headed for Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  Arriving at our first site, it was immediately apparent that Little Grebe, Mallard, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Wigeon and Mute Swan were all avoiding one area of the pond.  As a noisy flock of Fieldfare moved through the trees above the reedbed on the opposite side of the water the birds began dispersing over the wider area of water and there was no further sign of possible Otter activity so we headed onwards.  Little Egret were darting at small fish in the shallows, Curlew, Oystercatcher and Redshank were probing the mud as Goosander and Eider dived in search of prey.  I focused my attention on a gap between two small groups of Little Grebe…and there was the tell tale dark shape, twisting and diving 🙂  A second Otter surfaced right alongside the first and as they came closer I could see that they were the two cubs that we’ve been watching for the last few weeks.  We watched them as they came closer and closer, feeding constantly for over 90 minutes, regularly surfacing and diving synchronously.

    After lunch overlooking the North Sea, we headed to Cresswell where an impressive wader roost included Redshank, Oystercatcher, Turnstone, Dunlin, Knot, Curlew, Lapwing and the Long-billed Dowitcher.  Skein after skein of Pink-footed Geese patterned the sky, Red-breasted Merganser were displaying and drake Goldeneye stood out from the gloom as the sky clouded over, a strengthening breeze began to exert a chilling grip and we headed back to Alnmouth.

  • Gloom; Druridge Bay Safari 15/12/2015

    Tuesday was a trip around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland for Stephen, who’s been out with NEWT a few times already.

    As we headed north along the coast it seemed to be getting darker and by 11:00 the light levels were approaching those you would normally expect at dusk in mid-December.  Even in the gloom there was plenty to see though; Shoveler, Teal, Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Goldeneye, Tufted Duck and a gorgeous drake Pintail were all looking superb in breeding plumage, Common Snipe gave incredibly obliging views (although they probably thought they were well hidden in short reed stubble), Little Egret really shine in the gloom and the Long-billed Dowitcher at Cresswell occasionally lifted it’s head out of the water 🙂  A very vocal Twite was a lifer for Stephen, a mixed flock of Redwing and Fieldfare added another new species to his list and the high pitched yapping of thousands of Pink-footed Geese reached us before we spotted them dropping from high overhead.  On a day when twilight seemed to be with us throughout, the birdwatching was still high quality 🙂

  • Five star Otter watching; Otter Safari 25/11/2015

    I collected Eve from The Swan and we headed towards the coast for a day searching for Otters around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  I’d seen two Otter cubs on Monday afternoon and Tuesday afternoon, while I was out searching for berries to make Sea Buckthorn vodka, so I’d already got the plan for the afternoon firmly sorted…

    Having the morning to play with, we headed off in the direction of another recent Otter sighting.  Hardly any birds on the water, and ducks, geese and swans all along the bank, is a promising sign and, soon after a Common Buzzard glided past us on the cool breeze, I spotted the tell-tale dark shape rolling and diving.  The Otter soon resurfaced, alongside a second, and then a third 🙂  We watched them for 45mins, before they did the very typical Otter trick of diving and then vanishing.  Ten minutes later and the birds were all back on the water, apparently unconcerned, so we knew it was time to move on.  As we’re approaching the winter, the ducks are in fantastic condition; Wigeon, Teal, Goldeneye, Mallard, Gadwall and Tufted Duck are all stunning birds once they’re out of eclipse plumage and a real wildfowl highlight was four Bean Geese flying northeast.

    As the afternoon turned dull and dark, with a spectacular sky at sunset, Little Egrets were stalking through the shallows, a Kingfisher gave tantalisingly brief views and there were the two Otter cubs 🙂  Playing and feeding around a semi-submerged tree close to the water’s edge we had another 45 mins of Otter action before they slipped out of sight and into the darkness of the late afternoon.

  • Northerlies; Otter Safari 21/11/2015

    Approaching Scots Gap, to collect Teresa, Lisa, Scott and Brett for an Otter Safari around Druridge Bay, the overnight snow made the road ‘interesting’ in places.  The icy fingers of the northerly wind probed and poked at exposed skin and we headed down towards the coast…

    Just a few miles along the road we came across a big flock of Fieldfare and Redwing, those beautiful Scandinavian thrushes, and ahead of us we could see snow falling on the coast.  Incredibly, apart from a light flurry of snow at Druridge Pools, it stayed away for the rest of the day.  Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Goldeneye, Gadwall, Tufted Duck, Goosander, Red-breasted Merganser, Coot and Little Grebe were all braving the choppy water, as Redshank, Oystercatcher and Curlew all probed the gooey mud along the water’s edge as the biting wind dug deeper and we resembled the images of early antarctic expeditions.  Out of the wind, the low single figure temperatures didn’t feel so bad, and…was that something diving close to the reflection of the sun?  Choppy water and dazzling reflected sunlight aren’t a great combination, but a dark shape surfaced – and there was our first Otter for the day 🙂  It dived and resurfaced, this time with another young Otter alongside it, and we watched them on and off for an hour before they disappeared in the direction of the setting sun.  A Kingfisher, iridescent blue in the gloom of a waterside bush, and Little Egrets, seemingly luminous against the dark mud, caught tiny fish as we headed back inland under a stunning starry sky.

  • More wildlife in the mist; Otter Safari 04/11/2015

    Heading to Bamburgh to collect Michelle and Pam, I was feeling optimistic that the mist was going to lift and we’d have good weather…

    As it turned out, the mist came and went throughout the day – but the wildlife was the usual high quality that the Northumberland coast delivers throughout the year.  A singing Dipper broke off from proclaiming his territory in order to dive into the river as another Dipper bobbed up and down on a nearby rock.  Otter site ‘B’ looked promising as we arrived – Little Grebe, Gadwall, Mallard, Tufted Duck, Teal and Wigeon were all clustered on one edge of the water so I scanned the large area of bird-free open water…and there was an Otter 🙂  After entertaining us for 45 minutes it vanished into the reeds and we continued along the coast.  Whooper Swans called in the mist and Gannets were plunging into the sea as we made our way to Site ‘A’…where an Otter cub was sitting on a rock 🙂  It was soon in the water feeding within 30m of us, as Little Egrets and a Kingfisher added a surreal luminance to the misty afternoon, then it seemed to realise it’s mum and sibling weren’t around and decided to go in search of them.  Initially that involved getting out of the water and persistently calling – while running straight towards us!  Soon it was back in the water and we followed it’s progress by the bright water of it’s wake as it disappeared into the mist and murk of the late afternoon.

  • Here come the Scandinavians; Druridge Bay Birdwatching 26/10/2015

    October, mist, drizzle, winds off the sea…

    I collected Bernard from Newbiggin and we headed north to begin a day birdwatching around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  A very obliging Dipper was singing from a mid-stream rock, before it started feeding.  If you’ve never seen a Dipper feeding, put it on your list of things that you really need to see!  As Common Redshank and Curlew probed in gooey estuarine mud, we could see a wave of panic spreading towards us from the north.  First, the air was filled with Greylag and Pink-footed Geese, Woodpigeon, Rook, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw. Then Wigeon, Mallard, Canada Geese and Curlew took flight and 20 Black-tailed Godwit passed overhead.  A few minutes later the cause of all the consternation put in an appearance – a female Sparrowhawk, menacing and muscular as she followed the coast southwards.  Then a sight, and sound, that always warms my heart as 20 Redwing and 6 Fieldfare, winter visitors from Scandinavia, flew over.  More waders and wildfowl featured during the afternoon; Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Common Snipe, Dunlin, Lapwing and Golden Plover resplendent in low autumn sunlight.  A Water Rail wandered out of the reeds and our final new bird for the day was an elegant female Pintail, as the calls of Redwing and Fieldfare continued to cut through the afternoon air.

  • Panic; Otter Safari 24/10/2015

    There’s little that gets my heart racing as much as that moment when panic spreads through the wildlife that we’re watching…

    I collected Anne and Keith from Newbiggin and we headed along the coast for an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland searching for Otters.  First stop was lunch, overlooking the North Sea, with Eiders rafting just offshore and distant Gannets diving into the waves.  Small groups of Starling were scattered throughout the afternoon and Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Gadwall, Shoveler, Tufted Duck and Little Grebe were around the water’s edge as we concentrated the search for our favourite sinuous, stealthy predator.  One stretch of reeds suddenly had fewer ducks that it had a few minutes earlier.  No great panic, no obvious departure, but definitely not as many birds.  Scanning along the edge I caught a glimpse of a dark shape on the periphery of my vision.  A couple of minutes concentrating on that spot produced nothing more tangible so I returned to scanning the entire pool.  Ten minutes later and there was a definite departure of Mallard and Wigeon from that same reedbed.  I suggested that this could well be due to an Otter…and Keith lifted his binoculars and spotted one 🙂  We watched it feeding for fifteen minutes before it slipped mysteriously beneath the surface and didn’t reappear.  Mass panic among the ducks on the opposite edge of the pool wasn’t down to the Otter, but instead caused by a female Marsh Harrier drifting slowly north.

    As dusk approached, Grey Herons were stalking through the shallows, Common Snipe emerged from long vegetation to probe for worms along the water’s edge, a Water Rail was squealing from the depths of a reedbed and Lapwing took flight in a tight, twisting, turning panic as darkness closed in around us and raindrops peppered the surface of the pool.

  • Swanning around; Otter mini-Safari 20/10/2015

    We’ve spent a lot of time watching Otters, and probably just as much time watching the behaviour of other wildlife whenever our favourite sinuous stealthy predator is on the prowl.  You could be forgiven for thinking that we’d know exactly how birds would behave…

    I collected Rebecca and Russell from Church Point and we set off for a few hours exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland on an Otter mini-Safari.  The chilly afternoon air was bathed in beautiful light, as Wigeon, Mallard, Gadwall, Teal and Shoveler dabbled and Little Grebe and Tufted Duck dived.  Lapwing skittishly took flight, Grey Heron and Little Egret stood motionless, Common Snipe squabbled and probed, a small murmuration of Starlings soon dropped into the warmth and security of the reeds and a Water Rail came out into the open to bathe.  As the light faded I was scanning the shadows at the base of a reedbed and passed by a family of Mute Swans.  There was sudden swirl of brown next to them, and my first thought was Little Grebe – after all the swans didn’t seem concerned, but there was a niggling doubt in my mind…and then the Otter resurfaced 🙂  For nearly 30 minutes it fed, often in amongst the swans, and rarely more than a few metres away from them.  I’ve seen swans hissing and growling at Otters, I’ve seen them angrily charge towards a feeding Otter when they’d got small cygnets, but this was the first time I’d seen them almost completely ignore one that was so close that it was swimming, and feeding, between them!  The Otter vanished into the reeds, and we headed back to the car with pipistrelle bats hawking around the trees in the half-light of dusk.

  • Vanishing act; Otter mini-Safari 18/10/2015

    All along the water’s edge, ducks, geese and swans were feeding contentedly, and that wasn’t what we were hoping for…

    I’d collected Zoe and Mal, and Laura and Michael, and we were exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland in search of Otters.  The icy cold wind was cutting across the water, ruffling the feathers of Teal, Mallard, Wigeon, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mute Swan, Canada Goose and Little Grebe and giving a quick blow dry to a Cormorant.  I’d been out with Sarah during the morning, checking our regular Otter sites, and had an extraordinary wildlife experience as an Otter cub came out of a holt and swam up and down close to the bank…to the obvious displeasure of it’s mum, who sat on a tree root and, as the cub swam by, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and hauled it unceremoniously back to the holt 🙂  4hrs later and no sign of the Otters, proving once again just how unpredictable wildlife is, so after 90mins of patient scanning we headed off to another of our regular sites…

    As Water Rail squealed from the dark depths of the reeds, Grey Herons stalked patiently through the shallows, Lapwings roosted uncharacteristically quietly and a Black-tailed Godwit had several aborted attempts to join the roost, our quarry appeared.  Initially in the dark shadow of a distant reedbed, the Otter was on a feeding run – coming closer, and out of the dark shadows, it stayed in view for 30mins, eventually vanishing into the enveloping darkness of the reeds but not before it had entertained us by persistently porpoising back and forth 🙂

    We’ll be running Otter Safaris through the winter months, so give us a call on 01670 827465 to book your place on one of our regular searches for this stunning predator.

  • Dread; Otter Safari 15/10/2015

    The great thing or the worst thing (depending on your point of view…) with watching wildlife is the sheer unpredictability of it.  There’s always something to watch though, and if you watch for long enough it just gets even less predictable…

    I collected Neil and Julia from Newbiggin and we headed towards Druridge Bay for an afternoon and evening searching for Otters.  Anybody who reads our blog regularly will know that Northumberland is a great place to look for Otters, but it usually involves some effort and patience.  45mins into the afternoon and Black-headed and Common Gulls rose in a ‘dread’ then started circling.  The only logical place to look was directly under them…and there was an Otter 🙂  We watched it for nearly an hour, until it eventually caught a huge Eel and vanished into the reeds.  During that hour there was a mass exodus of Wigeon, Teal, Mallard, Shoveler, Little Grebe and Gadwall from one reedbed…and a Fox peered out from the reeds before coming out into the open.

    The rest of the afternoon was a study of fascinating wildlife; Dippers were fighting with the victor eventually bursting into song, although not before it had been seen off itself by a Kingfisher, Hawthorns were dripping with Goldcrest, a Hebe bush was a mass of Peacock, Small Tortoiseshell and Red Admiral Butterflies and Buff-tailed Bumblebees, a second Kingfisher flew by before perching obligingly on a fence post, Grey Herons were stalking patiently in shallow water, a Little Egret perched high in a tree, a Little Owl fixed us with a withering stare and the afternooon headed towards sunset.  In beautiful orange light from the setting sun, Lapwing, Golden Plover, Curlew, Black-tailed Godwit, Turnstone, Redshank and Oystercatcher roosted as Dunlin busied themselves along the water’s edge, Snipe probed in the mud next to a reedbed and a Water Rail emerged from the gloom of the reeds into the gloom of dusk before slipping back out of sight.