Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Tag: Mute Swan

  • Dabbling in duck ID 😉 Druridge Bay Safari 28/02/19

    I collected Toni and Tom from Newbiggin and we headed off to explore NEWT’s local patch, Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland… Late winter often features wildfowl expressing their affection, and yesterday was no exception. Drake Goldeneye and drake Red-breasted Mergansers were enthusiastically following ducks around and a violent altercation between two Mute Swans eventually ended…

  • Low light; Bespoke Otter Safari 25/11/18

    I collected Colin and Tricia from Newbiggin ahead of a tour around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland searching for Otters and we were soon at our first site… Little Grebes, Goldeneye and Cormorants were all fishing in water ruffled by a stiff easterly breeze and a Little Egret was trying to fish but constantly harrassed…

  • Mesmerising murmuration; Druridge Bay Bespoke birdwatching 15/11/18

    A lot of our clients muse on the possibility of retiring and moving to Northumberland, and John had done just that and booked a bespoke day out with us to explore some of the lesser-known birdwatching sites around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland… With an almost cloudless blue sky and a chill wind we set…

  • Falling; Bespoke Otter Safari 11/10/18

    As I left the house to head north to Embleton to collect John and Margaret for an afternoon and evening searching for Otters around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland a flock of 43 Redwings passed overhead, heading southwest on the stiff breeze and drizzle… Rather than lunch overlooking the North Sea I thought that one…

  • Eye of the storm; Lindisfarne Safari 27/09/18

    Yesterday’s Lindisfarne Safari was a trip of returning clients; Diane, who’d been on a Cheviot Valleys Safari in June and Paul and Pauline who’d enjoyed a successful Otter Safari last November… A flock of Golden Plover trying to fly against the stiff breeze were almost low enough to be between rooftops and treetops in the…

  • Deluge; Otter Safari 06/09/18

    Our second Otter Safari in 2 days looked as thought it was unlikely to be blessed with the same good weather as Wednesday… I collected Alison and then Amanda and David from Newbiggin and we set off for an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland searching for Otters.  When the Otters eluded…

  • Between a rock and a hard place; Druridge Bay Safari 25/08/18

    I collected Barbara and Jeff from Newbiggin and we set off for an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland in conditions that felt slightly cooler than of late… A walk along the Wansbeck brought 2 Green Sandpipers, 2 Greenshank, Mute Swans, Canada Geese, Mallard, Lapwing, Curlew, 2 Little Egrets and some delicious…

  • A Storm of Puffins; Druridge Bay Bespoke Birdwatching 30/07/18

    Wouldn’t that be a great title for the next book in the ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series (Game of Thrones)?  I’ve met a few people over the last 10 years who expected Puffins to be much larger than they actually are, so the idea of unleashing a horde of them on your enemies…

  • The sublimity of evening; Bespoke Otter Safari 05/07/18

    I’ve never been great in hot sunny weather so as I collected Mike and Moira, for an afternoon and evening searching for Otters around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland, I was hoping for an increase in cloud cover… In the heat of the afternoon, Avocets were harassing Grey Herons and Shelduck ducklings were skittering about…

  • In the wake of Hector; Bespoke Druridge Bay Safari 15/06/18

    I collected Alison and Paul from Amble and we set out for an afternoon and evening exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland, in search of Otters and Badgers… One Otter site had to be removed from our itinerary after a walk along it on Thursday, following the passing of Storm Hector, had revealed a path…