Tag: Mallard

  • Gloom; Druridge Bay mini-Safari 23/06/19

    The NEWT team had been out for a walk yesterday afternoon, in bright, hot sunshine but by the time I arrived in Newbiggin to collect Gordon, Judy and Mike, for an evening exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland, it was a few degrees cooler and no longer sunny… We started with a riverside walk and…

  • A punny evening on the coast; Otter mini-Safari 30/05/19

    I collected Lucy, William, David, Bella and Maia from Wallington and we headed eastwards to Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland for an evening searching NEWT’s favourite Otter sites… A very obliging Dipper was perched on a mid-stream branch at our first stop with the songs of Chiffchaff, Robin, Chaffinch and Song Thrush adding to the…

  • 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…

  • Warm spring evenings 🙂 Otter mini-Safari 20/04/19

    As much as I love the winter, there’s something special about warm spring and summer evenings with Otter Safaris and Druridge Bay Safaris finishing at dusk… I collected Andy and Helen from Bedlington for their second trip with NEWT, following a cold wet Lindisfarne Safari in 2012, and Kate and Rob and Keely and John…

  • A herd of pygmies; Otter mini-Safari 26/03/19

    I collected Jennie and Dean from Newbiggin and we set out for a few hours exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland… A chilly westerly wind kept temperatures down and the wildlife was a mixture of winter and spring; Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser and flocks of Mallard, Teal and geese were a lingering reminder of the big…

  • Early spring 🙂 Otter mini-Safari 23/03/19

    Arriving in Newbiggin to collect Jonathan and Emily & Scot and Sam, there was chilly breeze but a definite feel of changing season in the air… Cormorants were roosting on fallen trees in the river and with a big tide they soon found their tail feathers and feet getting wet 🙂 Oystercatchers, Redshank, Lapwing and…