Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Tag: Otter

  • Putting in the effort

    Early afternoon on Tuesday I collected Julian and Andrew from their accommodation at The Swan for an afternoon of birdwatching and general natural history in Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  After a busy afternoon that produced sightings of Barn Owl (an incredibly obliging bird that we watched hunting for nearly 20minutes), 4 Brown Hares and a Temminck’s Stint amongst a myriad of other birds, flowers and wildlife we headed towards a small pond, dusk, destiny and a date with that elusive predator…

    With an 80% success rate searching for Otters since early April (in 4 trips with clients, one trip for the NEWT guides) I was fairly confident…then it got darker, and darker, and darker…and still no sign.  A chance break in the clouds reflected in the water surface and visibility improved for a few moments.  I’d been concentrating on a pair of the oft-derided Canada Geese for a few minutes, because they were standing very alert, when they began cackling.  A quick scan along the water’s edge…and was that an otter, distantly in the gloom?  or were my eyes playing those tricks that you often have in the last light of the day?  As it surfaced again, before swimming right by, I reflected on the effort that we’d all been putting in, in the failing light, and the reward for that effort as it’s final act before vanishing into the darkness of a reedbed was to feed just a few metres away, with it’s tail waggling about above the water.

  • Cold as ice…then a little ‘otter

    On Tuesday I had a very enjoyable evening at Doxford Hall; meeting a group of tourism and trade delegates from Iceland and talking to them about ‘best practice’ in wildlife tourism.  Cold, northern countries have always appealed to me (one factor in my decision to leave Arizona in May 2000 was the daytime temperature), so it was fascinating to listen to the group describing how wildlife tourism in Iceland is developing.  That we were able to do this over dinner (which was excellent) made it a fairly informal Q&A, with lots of ideas shared and explored about the development of wildlife holidays, client requirements, the importance of local knowledge, the benefits of networking and the effects of the global financial crisis.

    Another enjoyable part of the evening was the chance to catch up with David Hunter again.  I first met David just after we launched NEWT, when he was still at Matfen Hall and I went along to tell him what we were doing.  At that time we were a fledgling business and didn’t have any real idea where it would go, or how it could develop.  Three years down the line, and we’ve got a better idea (to the point where I’m invited to describe best practice to overseas delegates), although there’s a lot of development still to come!  With David now running Doxford Hall it will surely continue developing into an outstanding venue, and we’re looking forward to working with him in the future.

    Yesterday evening was a more typical one for myself and Sarah; scattering Coots, nervous geese, a hissing Mute Swan and the familiar, sinuous, twisting, turning and swirling of an Otter feeding in front of us.

  • Pressing on

    It started with a question from Sheelagh Caygill at Northumberland Tourism “Martin, we’ve got a journalist staying in Northumberland during the Easter holidays.  He’s interested in wildlife.  What could you do for him and his family?”

    Which is how,  yesterday afternoon, I found myself trying to deliver the interesting wildlife double of Black Grouse and Otter, combining the ‘quality over quantity’ birdwatching opportunities of the North Pennines with the close to home familiarity of Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland .  Once the article is published, I’ll link to it…

  • Familiarising

    Last week saw a repeat of a familiarisation trip we led in late March 2010, as the ORCA wildlife officers, who will be on board the DFDS King Seaways over the summer months, had a couple of days with us to familiarise themselves with Northumberland and the wildlife and birdwatching opportunities that it has to offer.

    One major difference was the weather; this year it was warm and sunny…a marked contrast with last year’s trip, when the weather threw everything it could at us.

    After a very nice meal at Longhirst Hall on Thursday evening with the wildlife officers, and Jude Leitch from Northumberland Tourism, I collected Richard and Isabelle on Friday morning and we headed north along the coast.  With a relatively calm sea, we enjoyed a cruise around the Farne Islands on Glad Tidings V.  Rafts of Puffins, the raucous calls of Guillemots and Kittiwakes, Grey Seals lazing in the sun and 2 Common Terns displaying and calling high over the islands were all well appreciated.  Once back on dry land we drove down the coast to Low Newton, to have lunch at the Ship Inn.  As we turned off the main road an unexpected bonus appeared in the shape of a ringtail Hen Harrier, mobbed by crows before heading inland.  More birdwatching along the coast followed, including a visit to Holy Island, before an outing at dusk on the North Northumberland coast that produced sightings of a Roe Deer and 2 Otters.

    Saturday started with an interesting discussion during breakfast “what’s the difference between a whale and a dolphin?”, then we travelled down the coast, birdwatching in Druridge Bay, before it was time to deliver Richard and Isabelle to the waiting ship.  Good luck to them both, and may they find many cetaceans this summer 🙂

  • Getting ready

    We just had an all too infrequent ocurrence; both of us at home and able to go out and about together for a whole weekend 🙂

    On Saturday we decided to concentrate on our local area.  Southeast Northumberland offers some excellent wildlife and birdwatching opportunities and, with bookings for the rest of this year coming thick and fast, we’re checking over our Safari Day routes whenever we get the chance so that we hit the ground running once the season gets properly underway.

    If our morning excursion is the shape of things to come then it’s going to be an excellent Spring 🙂  Little Owl, Roe Deer (including a handsome buck with velvet antlers, who watched us between the trees as we trained our binoculars on him), Red Squirrel, point-blank views of Treecreeper, Nuthatch and Great Spotted Woodpecker and lots of fresh Otter spraint all combined into a memorable morning.

    As dusk approached we were out and about again.  We monitor a few Badger setts regularly and the activity around the sett we checked on Saturday evening was exactly what we’d expect in early March.  Another successful outing 🙂

    Yesterday we were doing something completely different (although birdwatching featured again, of course).  We set out for the southwestern border of Northumberland, and beyond, as we pre-walked the route that Martin will be leading for the North Pennines AONB ‘Know Your North Pennines’ course on Wednesday.  Journeying to Upper Teesdale gave us the chance to check out some of our favourite Black Grouse sites en route (you’ll be pleased to know that the species hasn’t vanished from Northern England!) and enjoy the sight of Lapwings displaying and flocks of Golden Plover  in the fields.  Our photography holiday in late October ‘Autumn Colours’ is based in the North Pennines and we finished the day with a visit to one of the area’s gems.

    North Pennines,Photography Holidays,Northumberland,Photography Tuition
    Low Force

  • In a dark wood

    October ended with a Prestige Tour around Druridge Bay and Southeast Northumberland.  I collected Christine and Mark from Stannington and we headed across to the coast.  Flocks of Linnets. Lapwings and Grey Partridges were close to the road and we settled to check one of our regular Otter sites.  All of the assembled Mallard, Teal, Wigeon, Gadwall and Coot were concentrated in one area of the pool and clearly nervous about one particular corner.  We weren’t fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of any predators, but the behaviour of the waterfowl was typical of the type of indication you get that there’s an Otter about.  Our lunch spot for the day was beside the River Coquet and, along with the Cormorants and Grey Herons that were patrolling the water’s edge, an Atlantic Salmon provided some spectacular entertainment as it launched itself vertically out of the water, three times in rapid succession, just a few metres away from us.

    As we walked along the River Wansbeck after lunch, via a detour around the north edge of Ashington to enjoy the spectacle of 90+ Waxwings gorging themselves on Rowan berries, skeins of Pink-footed Geese passed overhead and, as the sun sank towards the horizon, it was time to seek out the wildlife that occupies that magical time of day.  As we settled into position near one of our favourite badger-watching spots there was an incredible commotion from the trees on the other side of the stream.  Blackbirds, Song Thrushes, Wrens, Robins and Magpies were all alarming loudly.  The mobbing was too intense, and too stationary, to be the mild alarm that a Red Fox or Badger often triggers and shortly after one Tawny Owl flew through the trees opposite, a second bird finally got fed up with the mobbing and flew from it’s perch.  An unwelcome sighting was a Grey Squirrel, in a woodland that until recently still held Red Squirrels.  Our first Badger of the evening was a big adult, trotting across the top of the clearing.  Then, after a few minutes of near silence, two Badger cubs came crashing through the undergrowth.  They crossed the stream beneath a fallen tree, paused briefly rising on their haunches like stripy black-and-white meerkats, and then headed uphill behind us.  Our fourth Badger of the evening followed the same route before we headed back to the Landrover and civilisation.

    I dropped Christine and Mark back at Stannington and there was time for one last piece of magic as a Barn Owl floated lazily from a fence post as I drove back towards the A1.

    Throughout the late autumn and winter we’ll be scheduling most of our trips to finish in darkness.  Druridge Bay and Lindisfarne are both excellent locations through the winter, and as darkness descends, so give us a call on 01670 827465 to find out how we can bring that experience to you.

  • Wildlife and birdwatching on the Northumberland coast 08/08/2010

    Sunday’s Northumberland coast safari started very close to home, with Germaine and Greg having stayed at The Swan on Saturday evening.  We started with our usual riverside walk, looking at an artificial holt and talking about the ecology of the Otter.  Our first really good sighting of the day was a Red Squirrel, which chattered angrily at a photographer who was sitting beneath the tree that it was descending.  Woodland birdwatching can be sometimes be very quiet, but with a large mixed flock of tits and Goldcrests, as well as Treecreepers and a very aggressive Nuthatch around the same glade there was plenty to see.  Out on to the coast south of Druridge Bay and, in the warm sunshine, our favourite Little Owl was posing for the camera.  The sunshine was also encouraging insect activity and we quickly added to the day list; Common Darter, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Common Blue Damselfly, Meadow Brown, Small Copper, Shaded Broad-bar, Lesser Marsh Grasshopper, Common Blue Butterfly, Green-veined and Small White were all found along one small stretch of footpath.  Grey Herons were stalking along the pond edges and one got into a gruesome wrestling match with a large Eel.  All of the ducks scattered, clearly there was something in the reeds that they were unhappy about, but what it was didn’t reveal itself.  Further north, we came across three Little Egrets (surely the next addition to Northumberland’s breeding birds – if they haven’t already…), a Common Lizard that was sunning itself and, thanks to Germaine’s sharp eyes, a pair of Roe Deer.  A really good day, with a real mixed bag of wildlife and clients who made it all the more enjoyable.  And to think…Sunday used to be homework-marking day 😉

  • A real challenge

    In the 17 years that I’ve lived here, I’ve always believed that Northumberland is one of the finest counties for birdwatching in the whole of the UK.  That belief played a big part in reaching the decision to launch NEWT, and it’s why we’re such an enthusiastic member of the Birdwatching Northumberland Consortium.  We’ll be at the Bird Fair in August (Marquee 1, Stand 53/54) so come along to meet us and find out just how good Northumberland is.

    This morning, though, my attention is on mammals.  We don’t do too badly for them either; Badger, Red Fox, Grey Seal, Red Squirrel, Roe Deer, Weasel, Stoat and Brown Hare all feature regularly on our safaris and, on our Northern Experience Pelagics, there’s the possibility of Minke Whale, White-beaked Dolphin, Harbour Porpoise and other cetaceans.  We’ve had some random sightings as well; a Bank Vole that sat munching on a leaf just a few feet away from us and a Mole that walked into a hide we were sitting in were both bizarre (especially the Mole; I hadn’t seen a live one for a long, long time).

    With the exciting news earlier this week of the first confirmed evidence in 16 years of Pine Marten in Northumberland, we’ve got a new challenge 🙂  We’ve spent some time in the last couple of years checking likely sites and following up reports that we’ve received.  Some of those have been very tantalising, and the species may be more widespread than people imagine.  Otters and Badgers are fairly difficult, but we’ve developed an excellent track record with those two species.  Pine Marten is going to be an altogether different proposition, but we relish a challenge.

  • A little otter on Friday

    Our fifth safari in four days had been arranged as a birthday present and I collected Barry and Maureen from Ponteland before starting with our usual southeast Northumberland birdwatching woodland walk.  The ‘Red vs Grey’ conundrum occupied our conversation as we enjoyed excellent views of a Red Squirrel.  As we walked by a wonderful hay meadow it was hard to believe that we were in an area that one of our previous clients had expected to be ‘sort of grim and industrial’ 😉  On the coast our regular Little Owl was as chilled out as ever and the Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings were struggling to cling to the reeds in a strengthening breeze.  Strong wind is just about the worst condition for watching wildlife but I’m ever the optimist…

    The combination of that optimism, and a lot of experience of Otter behaviour, meant that I still believed that our target for the day would be achieved.  Sure enough, we were able to watch an Otter briefly as it fed.  A commotion in a reedbed, a scattering of ducks, and two nervous-looking Coots, meant that I was sure we were about to see a second Otter.  It soon appeared and we enjoyed a prolonged period of observation as it made it’s way across the pond, eventually passing close by our position.  More Sedge Warblers and Reed Buntings were singing as we walked through another meadow, teeming with vetch and some stunning orchids and a Reed Warbler was picking it’s way along the base of a reedbed before starting to sing and providing a perfect comparison with a nearby Sedge Warbler.  As I drove Barry and Maureen home I was thinking about how, no matter how often I lead our tours, every day is different.  It may be a cliche, but it’s the best part of what we do.

  • On the trail of the otter…and then some

    Yesterday was the first of several forthcoming days where we’re running multiple trips on the same day, and with 6 clients during the day, and 2 of them joining us for an evening safari as well, it was a day that could go really well, or not…

    The primary target species for everyone was our old favourite, Otters. We started with a spot of birdwatching, and excellent views of the Little Owl that we should probably be adding to the NEWT payroll 😉  Our first Otter site didn’t produce the goods, although 2 Brown Hares chasing each other around a nearby field provided good entertainment.  Once we’d been there as long as I’d decided in advance of the trip, I had a hunch that another site, that has disappointed for several months now, might just produce the goods.  As we arrived I pointed out the location of a holt and suggested that the area around that was a good place to check.  Within a minute, Anthea had found 2 Otters, and we watched them for 75 mins as they fed, played, paddled along the surface, dodged in and out of the reeds and eventually vanished, probably to have an afternoon nap after their marathon feeding session.  A bit more birdwatching further up the coast produced excellent views of Common and Sandwich Terns and then it was time to return Liz & James and Kate & Take (pronounced Tarka – the most appropriate name for any participant in a NEWT trip so far) to their respective holiday locations and start the second trip of the day with Andy and Anthea.

    Anthea is an Australian with a fascination for British wildlife and the day out was part of a target list that she has for a 3 month trip around Britain and Europe.  Red Squirrel was next on the list and patience and persistence paid off as we settled ourselves close to a feeding area and eventually had excellent views of at least 3 squirrels, and some very close Jays, Great Spotted Woodpeckers  and a Nuthatch.

    With such a long day, sustenance came in the form of a meal at The Swan before we were on our way again.  Myriads of Rabbits were along the roads and we made our way along the heavily wooded valley of a small stream and got into position opposite a Badger sett.  A Red Fox walked along the hillside before vanishing into the undergrowth and causing consternation in all of the birds that were settling to roost.  It re-appeared just up the track from where were sitting and ran up the hill behind us, then a 2nd Fox crossed the hillside.  Soon we were treated to the sight of not one, not two, but three Badgers crossing a clearing.  As the light levels in the wood dropped to unmanageable we relocated to a feeding area that’s popular with Badgers and Foxes where we watched another Fox as it stalked along an edge, apparently invisible to the Rabbits that were sitting on the grass.  As we walked back to the Land Rover we added mammals #7 and #8 to the day list; Common Pipistrelle and Daubenton’s Bat.  A long day, but a really, really excellent one 🙂