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Another raptor day 🙂 Kielder Safari 05/04/18
When we’ve got a day in and around Kielder and the Scottish Borders ahead of us what I’m hoping for is blue sky, not too much cloud and a nice breeze…exactly what we’d got as I collected Ian and Ian from Newbiggin, Joan and Jerry from Hexham and Duncan and Laura from Bellingham… As Chaffinches…
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Raptor Day; Kielder Safari 23/04/2015
There’s a lot of very impressive wildlife in and around Kielder, particularly if you extend your visit across the border into Scotland, and we always hope for bright clear weather with a bit of warmth and a breeze… I collected Brian from Bellingham and we headed up the valley in just the sort of weather…
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Kettling; Kielder Safari 23/04/2014
The alarm went off at 06:00 on Wednesday, and my heart sank as I looked out of the window…heavy mist, not ideal for any of our tours, but particularly not good for a day in Kielder. I drove to Kingston Park to collect Steph and we headed west in much more promising conditions; low cloud…
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Black Grouse Bonanza Day 2; Cross-border birding
Saturday saw a much more relaxed start, at a much more civilised hour, for the second day of our Black Grouse Bonanza guided holiday. After another filling breakfast at Peth Head we set out for a day around Kielder and the Borders. With beautiful blue sky, fluffy white clouds and a nice breeze, it looked…
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Black Grouse Bonanza Day 1; Nothing to grouse about
As I drove to Peth Head Cottage on Thursday afternoon, the rain was hammering against the car windscreen. Friday’s forecast was good though so, after a meal at The Travellers Rest in Slaley, I reminded Derek and Deirdre that we would have an early start the next morning. 19/04/2013 05:00…the incessant ringing of the alarm…
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North Pennines Wild Watch
We’ve had the first two bird ID sessions for the North Pennines WildWatch project already, and both have produced some excellent sightings during the ‘in the field’ bit of the course. The first session, at Eggleston, produced one outstanding bird – at least for those in the group who weren’t impatiently hurrying back for their bread,…
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A walk in the park
There are days when the weather is so good that my resolve to stay in the office and get on with admin work gets stretched beyond breaking point… Monday is my usual office day, but the afternoon looked promising and I soon found myself driving inland towards the Northumberland National Park. Knee surgery last December…
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Exposure compensation
When we’re on a trip with a specific target, we usually find what we’re looking for. Sometimes, we don’t though…and sometimes we find something that we hadn’t even considered as a possibility. I collected Gary and Stephanie from Seahouses and we headed south towards Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland. ‘Red Squirrel and raptors’ was the…
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A flying birdwatching trip to Holland
On Wednesday afternoon we set off from Royal Quays, out into the North Sea, onboard the MV King of Scandinavia as guests of DFDS. The weather forecast was for it to be wet, although we did manage a couple of hours birdwatching from the observation lounge before the driving rain obliterated the view. Gannets were diving into the…
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Another exclusive…or two
Friday saw us in the Cheviot Valleys, enjoying probably the best weather so far this year, leading another Prestige Tour. With a client fascinated by geology and botany it was an excellent day out, with the abiding memories being the chuckling of Red Grouse in the Harthope Valley and a yaffling Green Woodpecker at Alwinton,…