-
A hunch pays off
Days out with a specific target in mind for our clients can be very good, or very frustrating and, as I drove across the snow and ice coated roads towards Elsdon to collect George, Tam, Ken and Kath, I had a good feeling about the day ahead. One of NEWT’s all-time favourites was in our…
-
Mud, Murmurations, Med Gulls and Marsh Harriers
Sometimes, just one animal or bird can make a trip a special experience for our clients. Other times it’s the scenery. Maybe a combination of the weather, Northumberland’s stunning skies and the ‘atmosphere’. Occasionally, it’s a little bit of each. I collected Keith and Anne from their home in the Tyne valley, and headed east…
-
Springtime in the hills
After a day on the coast, heading inland to Kielder seems other-worldly, but it always produces something memorable. In rather misty conditions I drove across to Otterburn Hall to collect Anne and Peter for a day of birdwatching around Kielder and the Border forests. As we travelled through the forest the temperature gauge on the car…
-
Autumn colours
Yesterday was a twice-postponed bespoke photography trip to look at the techniques involved in capturing autumn colours at their finest. I collected Norman from his home in Throckley and we headed towards the Northumberland coast. Landscape photography tuition is something I really enjoy delivering. Just a few simple camera settings can make a huge difference,…
-
Patience pays off
Finding Red Squirrels on a Bank Holiday Monday had the potential to be a tricky task. With a good weather forecast, all of our local woodlands were likely to be filled with visitors. I headed up to Alnwick, to collect Tracy, Graham, Eleanor and Joe, before the rush started, and Sarah set off at the…
-
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…
-
Highs and lows
When I collected Charlie from Springhill Farm campsite, for a day’s birdwatching around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland, I could never have guessed that the day would bring such extremes of emotion and experience. As a wildlife tourism business we appreciate that the control of Grey Squirrels, in order to conserve our Red Squirrels, is…
-
An eventful evening
Thursday was my 3rd consecutive late finish. Before setting off for a ‘Red Squirrel and Badger Safari’ I had a few admin things to get done including some more planning for the Birdwatching Northumberland stand at this year’s British Bird Fair (I’ve got 2 lecture slots at the Bird Fair this year!). After collecting our picnic from The…
-
A gift from heaven
I’ve always known that I tend to be very lucky when out with clients but last week, when we welcomed our first ever clients from Cyprus, that luck took an unexpected form. I collected Jane, Aristos, Eva and Nassos from Newcastle and we headed coastwards in the blazing sunshine. Our birdwatching along Druridge Bay included what was,…