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Getting ahead of the weather; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke Birdwatching 04/06/19
I collected John from Cramlington, earlier than originally planned because the weather forecast wasn’t looking great and I wanted to stay ahead of what promised to be some heavy rain, ahead of a day in the Cheviot Valleys and we headed north west in bright sunshine… Roadside verges left unmowed are a haven for invertebrates…
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One plus one makes three; Cheviot Valleys Safari 07/06/18
Having arranged all of our clients for last Thursday’s Cheviot Valleys safari to meeting at the same location I arrived in Powburn and collected Vicky, Dave and Babs, Diane and Ruth before heading along a grassy verge buzzing with bees and hoverflies and bejewelled with Common Blue Damselflies and Red and Black Froghoppers. Ruth proved…
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Spotted; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke Photography and Birdwatching 26/05/18
For the second year running we had a day out with David, and John, as part of his prize from the North East Wildlife Photography Awards. This time we were heading into the centre of Northumberland to explore the Cheviot Valleys… Exploring a roadside verge produced Common Blue and Blue-tailed Damselflies, Red and Black Froghoppers…
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Localised weather systems; Cheviot Valleys group birdwatching 11/07/17
Watching the weather forecast on the breakfast news, I was confident that any rain we encountered on our day in the Cheviot Valleys would be quickly passing showers… As I collected Mike and the other 12 members of his group from Belford there was a steady drizzle, and I was questioning the forecast already 😉…
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Summer days; Cheviot Valleys Bespoke birdwatching 18/06/17
An early start on Sunday saw me collecting Jill and Steve for their 4th day out with NEWT (and Steve’s 5th trip with us as he was on this memorable pelagic!)… Our destination was the Cheviot valleys, but we headed to Bothal first to search for the Ruddy Duck that had been there the day…
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Making the most of the weather; Bespoke Cheviots Safari 08/06/17
I have a bit of an obsession with the weather. It can have a real influence on the outcome of our trips and we always try to be as flexible as we possibly can. If the forecast is really poor we always offer clients the option of rescheduling; either for a different time on the…
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You never know what’s around the corner; Cheviot Valleys Safari 01/06/17
Always expect the unexpected is a good philosophy to hold when you’re out and about searching for wildlife… I collected Steph from Kingston Park and we headed north for a morning exploring the Cheviot valleys. Along the streams and rivers Grey Wagtail, Pied Wagtail and Dipper were all sitting on rocks or flycatching, Willow Warbler…
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Springtime in the hills; Bespoke Cheviot Valleys Safari 20/04/16
mid-April can be a strange time inland. Some summer visitors will have arrived, but you can never be quite sure which ones… I collected Richard and Florence from West Acre House and we headed westwards towards the central massif of Northumberland. An unexpected, and very pleasant, surprise was bumping into Dean from Cheviot View who…