Tag: Sand Martin

  • In the summertime…Druridge Bay bespoke birdwatching 26/06/18

    Yesterday was Sue’s 8th day out with NEWT and after I collected her from Old Swarland we headed south east towards NEWT’s local patch, Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland… We’re now starting our Druridge Bay trips with a riparian woodland walk, and Nuthatches were feeding noisy fledglings in the branches overhead, Blue, Great and Coal…

  • Yes, this really is southeast Northumberland 😉 Otter Safari 18/05/18

    In warm but breezy weather I collected Baird and Margaret, and then Jacqui, Paul, Chris and Louise ahead of an afternoon and evening around southeast Northumberland and Druridge Bay searching for Otters… Starting with a woodland walk we could hear Blackbird, Blackcap, Robin, Wren, Woodpigeon, Chiffchaff and Chaffinch all singing but the only movement in…

  • Mediterranean; Druridge Bay Bespoke Birdwatching 30/04/18

    I collected Pete and Jan from Embleton for their 11th day out with NEWT, and our intended destination was the Cheviot Valleys.  That isn’t where we headed though as the howling northerly wind would have made several hours on exposed moorland quite unpleasant so, after a quick chat, we decided to head down the coast…

  • A wet day in the borders; Kielder Safari 17/04/18

    I collected Gordon and Mandy from The Battlesteads for their 5th day out with NEWT and we headed towards Kielder.  The forecast suggested occasional showers, so I was hopeful that the breaks in the rain would encourage raptors to be up and about… 6 hours later the rain eventually stopped 🙂  We’d had views of…

  • Birds, birds, birds; Druridge Bay mini-Safari 12/09/17

    I collected Peter and Melanie from Cramlington ahead of a few hours around Druridge Bay and apart from a stiff breeze the weather was just about ideal… Some impressively dense flocks of Swallows and Sand Martins were gorging themselves on flying insects, Little Egrets were stalking through the shallows with the feathers ruffled by the…

  • Stalking; Otter Safari 29/08/17

    I collected Julie, Thomas, Steven and Mandy ahead of an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland searching for our favourite predator… At this time of the year it’s fair to say that ducks aren’t really at their best and Mallard, Teal, Gadwall, Tufted Duck and Shoveler were all easier to separate based…

  • Halcyon days; Druridge Bay mini-Safari 25/08/17

    This morning saw me working at the opposite end of the day to usual, and I arrived to collect James, Wendy, Megan and Saffy (an adorable Whippet) from Church Point at 09:00, ahead of a morning around Druridge Bay and Southeast Northumberland… Sand Martins and Swallows were feeding low over the water, a Grey Heron…

  • Persistence; Otter mini-Safari 22/08/17

    Warm and foggy is a slightly ethereal combination of weather conditions, but that was just what we had when I collected Mark and Rachel and Phil and Katrina and Debbie and Neil from Church Point, ready for an evening searching for Otters around Druridge Bay and Southeast Northumberland… We may still be in August but…

  • Owling; Otter Safari 17/07/17

    I collected Una and then Verna from Church Point and we set off for an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay and South East Northumberland searching our favourite Otter spots… The heat of the afternoon was tempered by a gentle breeze as we came across 8 Little Egrets and a Kingfisher put in a brief…

  • 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 😉…