Northern Experience Wildlife Tours

Tag: Tufted Duck

  • Here come the Scandinavians; Druridge Bay Birdwatching 26/10/2015

    October, mist, drizzle, winds off the sea…

    I collected Bernard from Newbiggin and we headed north to begin a day birdwatching around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  A very obliging Dipper was singing from a mid-stream rock, before it started feeding.  If you’ve never seen a Dipper feeding, put it on your list of things that you really need to see!  As Common Redshank and Curlew probed in gooey estuarine mud, we could see a wave of panic spreading towards us from the north.  First, the air was filled with Greylag and Pink-footed Geese, Woodpigeon, Rook, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw. Then Wigeon, Mallard, Canada Geese and Curlew took flight and 20 Black-tailed Godwit passed overhead.  A few minutes later the cause of all the consternation put in an appearance – a female Sparrowhawk, menacing and muscular as she followed the coast southwards.  Then a sight, and sound, that always warms my heart as 20 Redwing and 6 Fieldfare, winter visitors from Scandinavia, flew over.  More waders and wildfowl featured during the afternoon; Goldeneye, Red-breasted Merganser, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Common Snipe, Dunlin, Lapwing and Golden Plover resplendent in low autumn sunlight.  A Water Rail wandered out of the reeds and our final new bird for the day was an elegant female Pintail, as the calls of Redwing and Fieldfare continued to cut through the afternoon air.

  • Vanishing act; Otter mini-Safari 18/10/2015

    All along the water’s edge, ducks, geese and swans were feeding contentedly, and that wasn’t what we were hoping for…

    I’d collected Zoe and Mal, and Laura and Michael, and we were exploring Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland in search of Otters.  The icy cold wind was cutting across the water, ruffling the feathers of Teal, Mallard, Wigeon, Shoveler, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Mute Swan, Canada Goose and Little Grebe and giving a quick blow dry to a Cormorant.  I’d been out with Sarah during the morning, checking our regular Otter sites, and had an extraordinary wildlife experience as an Otter cub came out of a holt and swam up and down close to the bank…to the obvious displeasure of it’s mum, who sat on a tree root and, as the cub swam by, grabbed it by the scruff of the neck and hauled it unceremoniously back to the holt 🙂  4hrs later and no sign of the Otters, proving once again just how unpredictable wildlife is, so after 90mins of patient scanning we headed off to another of our regular sites…

    As Water Rail squealed from the dark depths of the reeds, Grey Herons stalked patiently through the shallows, Lapwings roosted uncharacteristically quietly and a Black-tailed Godwit had several aborted attempts to join the roost, our quarry appeared.  Initially in the dark shadow of a distant reedbed, the Otter was on a feeding run – coming closer, and out of the dark shadows, it stayed in view for 30mins, eventually vanishing into the enveloping darkness of the reeds but not before it had entertained us by persistently porpoising back and forth 🙂

    We’ll be running Otter Safaris through the winter months, so give us a call on 01670 827465 to book your place on one of our regular searches for this stunning predator.

  • Embrace the weather; Druridge Bay Bespoke Birdwatching 07/10/2015

    Crisp clear winter nights for stargazing, calm conditions for our North Sea Pelagic trips and warm summer nights for Otter Safaris are all fantastic, but what really gets my heart racing is mist, drizzle and winds from the east in October…

    I collected Tony from his b&b in Newbiggin for the first of three days of bespoke birdwatching, and we started just down the road at Church Point.  Walking north along the clifftop we were soon watching Rock Pipits, Wheatears, Dunlin, Purple Sandpiper, Curlew, Ringed Plover, Redshank, Sanderling, Gannet, Eider and a remarkably confiding Golden Plover.  I’d just suggested that we’d find a Snow Bunting ‘in the next 50 metres’ when one shuffled out from the sparse ground cover just in front of us 🙂  Staring at bushes and trees produced Blackcap, Robin, Dunnock, lots of Reed Bunting, Blackbird, Song Thrush, Ring Ouzel, three Yellow-browed Warblers, a Kestrel that was causing regular alarm, flocks of Golden Plover high overhead and an enjoyable chat with Alan.

    Lunchtime brought the rain that had been forecast and the afternoon in Druridge Bay produced Little Egret, Grey Heron, Tufted Duck, Gadwall, Ring Ouzel, Redwing, flocks of Goldfinch and Linnet, a juvenile Marsh Harrier and an Otter that Tony spotted as it made it’s way along the edge of a reedbed.  And the rain continued…just what I was hoping for ahead of day two for Tony; a trip to Holy Island 🙂

  • Signals; Otter Safari 04/10/2015

    I collected Lizzie and Tom from Church Point and we set out to explore Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland in search of Otters.

    We’ve been mainly concentrating on three sites this year; Site A was great early in the year, and we’d had an Otter there in mid-September, Site B opened our 2016 Otter account on New Year’s Day and has been producing Otter sightings for the last few weeks and Site C has been great, and really, really great this year 🙂  Sites A and B produced skeins of migrating Pink-footed Geese, and agitated Mallards, Gadwall, Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Teal, Wigeon, Grey Heron and Little Egret but no sign of the cause of their agitation.  As daylight started to fade, we headed to Site C.  Roosting Lapwings suddenly flushed in panic, forming a twisting, turning, amorphous mass worthy of a Starling murmuration.  Greylag and Canada Geese began descending noisily towards the water as Grey Herons stalked the margins and engaged in angry disputes over the best feeding spots.  Only two Greylag and one Canada Goose landed though, the rest vanished into the gloom.  Then the assembled wildfowl all stretched their heads up; always an encouraging sign.  Concentrate on the one part of the pool that seems to be bird-free…and there’s an Otter 🙂  Swimming across in front of us, sinuous and stealthy, it graced us with it’s presence before vanishing into a reedbed that was soon ringing with the calls of Water Rail and Moorhen.  The focused gaze of a Grey Heron gave a clue as to the Otter’s whereabouts in the reeds as daylight faded to darkness.

  • Waders and wildfowl; Northumberland coast Prestige Tour 02/10/2015

    October is a fantastic month to be out birdwatching on the Northumberland coast.  If we haven’t had the mist, drizzle and easterly winds to shower us with migrants, there’s always a wealth of wintering and passage waders and wildfowl to enjoy…

    I collected Alison, Jon, Sally and Andrew from Tughall and we set out for a day on the coast.  Alison and Jon had been out with us two years ago, on a day that featured a stuffed badger in the back of a police car! Heading north towards Lindisfarne we soon came across Greenshank, Redshank, Ruff, Dunlin, Black-tailed Godwit and Little Egret by the roadside.  Then it was the turn of wildfowl to take centre stage; Teal, Wigeon, Shelduck and Greylag, Pink-footed, Barnacle and Pale-bellied Brent Geese.  Bar-tailed Godwit and Curlew were probing the mud along the shore line as a Red-throated Diver sat serenely just offshore and the moaning wails of Grey Seals drifted across the low-tide mud.  Back to Tughall for lunch and then we were away again, this time heading south towards Druridge Bay.  In sublime light, but with an ever strengthening breeze, a Little Egret seemed to glow as it’s breast feathers were fanned out into an impressive ruff by the wind.  Little Grebes just got on with being as cute as ever, Grey Herons stalked along the water’s edge, occasionally breaking off to dispute feeding locations and Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Wigeon and Tufted Duck were all resplendent in the sunshine.  A great day out, and no dead wildlife was stroked, fondled or petted 🙂

  • Interpreting; Otter Safari 16/09/2015

    I’ve been finding and observing wildlife for well over 40 years, and if there’s one thing I’ve learnt it’s that other wildlife will (almost) always be better at it than I am…

    Day four for Clare and Peter was an Otter Safari, and we collected Chris and Mel, and David and Mike, from Church Point before starting our search of Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland.  I planned to follow our usual strategy at our first site, which is to move on if we haven’t found an Otter within the first hour.  55 minutes in and it wasn’t looking good; everybody else was watching an assortment of waders and wildfowl, and I was staring intently at an almost birdless stretch of water.  Then some movement; a flock of Tufted Duck drifted away from the bankside vegetation where they’d been dozing.  They turned, stared towards where they’d been disturbed from and then drifted back.  Another minute and they left again, this time in a tight flotilla.  By now I was confident that we were going to find our quarry in the first 90 minutes of the trip.  Sure enough, an Otter soon surfaced a few metres away from the ducks and we watched it feeding for 45 minutes before we lost it from view behind bankside vegetation 🙂

    The rest of the afternoon was a tableaux of angry birds.  First a Greenshank took a vigorously intolerant approach towards a juvenile Ruff in a ‘scope filling squabble. As daylight faded into the magical light of dusk and a Common Snipe, glorious in low golden sunlight, gave uncharacteristically obliging views close to male and female Ruff and a healthy sprinkling of Little Grebe, the Grey Heron took centre stage.  Gangly, scruffy, ungainly juvenile Herons, tussling over the best feeding spots, ventured from the reed edge as light levels rendered them elegant; stalking the shallows, squawking and croaking in flight, each maintaining their own individual feeding territory as detail faded to silhouette and a flock of Curlew, heralding their arrival with piercing cries, circled before thinking better of it and vanishing into the gloom.

  • When the wind blows; Whales, waders and wildfowl 4-7/09/2015

    Last weekend was our ‘Whales, waders and wildfowl’ mini-break, with an extension to include our Farne Deeps pelagic.

    Day -1 (Friday 04/09/15).  A late cancellation left Sandra and Linda as the only guests on the holiday, and with conditions unsuitable for being offshore, we headed to the far north of the county.  Fulmars and Gannets were battling into the stiff breeze and Eiders were riding the deep troughs and towering crests of the waves that were pounding the shoreline.  Bar-tailed Godwit busied themselves along the water’s edge and the eerie moaning of Grey Seal and haunting cries of Curlew, carried on the rushing wind, enveloped us in the atmosphere of Holy Island in the early autumn.  By mid-afternoon, the wind had died down and the sea was calming – had the forecasters got it wrong…

    Day 1 (Saturday 05/09/15).  04:00 and I wake up to the sound of a strengthening northerly 🙂  Throughout the day, we were close to the sea and could see the amount of swell close to the shore.  Linnets, Goldfinches, Meadow Pipits and Greenfinches were tossed like leaves on the breeze as they ventured from the cover of bushes along the dunes, a stunning male Stonechat looked equally uncomfortable and Lapwing, Redshank, Curlew, Oystercatcher, Dunlin and Black-tailed Godwit were roosting facing into the wind as Grey Herons sat motionless and a Little Egret still radiated elegance as it’s feathers were disarranged by the now rather stiff wind.  Always impressive, a male Marsh Harrier flew by before vanishing over a distant ridge, and the day finished with Wigeon, Teal, Gadwall, Mallard, Ruff, Black-tailed Godwit and 30 Little Grebes.

    Day 2 (Sunday 06/09/15).  No breeze, bright warm sunshine 🙂  An extraordinary contrast to the preceding days, and with close views of Cormorant and Eider as they dived in calm water.  The Cormorants spent a lot of time standing with wings spread in heraldic pose, drying them before heading back into the water, always an impressive sight.  Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe and Mute Swan were swimming lazily around in the afternoon sunshine and a huge flock of gulls, roosting, bathing and following the plough, exploded into the air like a burst eiderdown as a Common Buzzard drifted over.  Dinner at the excellent Ashianna in Bedlington ended the holiday after three great days with Sandra and Linda 🙂

    Our next holiday is Winter Wonderland in early December, so give us a call on 01670 827465 to find out more and to book your place now 🙂

  • Slugs and snails and dolphin tails; Druridge Bay Safari 25/06/2015

    As I drove to Newton to collect Sue and Julian, the first few raindrops hit the windscreen of the car.  My optimism that the rain would soon pass over was drenched, literally, by a torrential downpour that the windscreen wipers couldn’t cope with and which sounded like I was in a tin can being pelted with stones 🙁  We set off for Bamburgh, completely surrounded by storms and found a flock of Common Scoter and Eider on the sea, and a miserable looking Puffin on the beach.  The rainfall left the air warm and humid, so as the afternoon passed into evening paths were covered in slugs and snails.  Common Toad and Common Frog crossed our path too, and the air was alive with small insects – and a good handful of Common Pipistrelles hunting them.  A Fox trotted along the edge of Cresswell Pond, where Avocets and Black-Tailed Godwit were roosting and feeding.  A male Marsh Harrier flew by, causing consternation amongst the Swallows, and Tufted Duck and Red-breasted Merganser both looked elegant as Mute Swans and Shelduck watched carefully over their young.  A Whitethroat sang from rank vegetation just a few metres away from us, and dusk brought Swallows, Sand Martins and Starlings to roost.

    The day will remain in the memory for years to come though, as a pod of dolphins put on a remarkable display.  We’d just finished our picnic and I decided to have one last scan before heading up the coast.  Top Tip – always have ‘one last scan’ 🙂  Close inshore I saw a small group of dolphins breaking the surface. White-beaked Dolphin should be here in a few days time, but these were big, dark animals and we soon confirmed that they were Bottlenose Dolphin.  Now, these are big impressive animals, and we spent nearly 40mins watching at least 12 of them as they slowly travelled north.  They weren’t just travelling though; synchronous breaching, tail-slapping, lob-tailing, spy-hopping, flipper waving and fighting continued as they passed by our viewpoint and eventually out of sight away to the north.  I’ve spent a lot of time watching dolphins, both with clients and when carrying out offshore surveys, but I’ve never seen a group of dolphins so animated as these were.  Wonder if they’ll be there for this evening’s pelagic trip 🙂

  • Is this June?; Otter Safari 18/06/15

    Arriving at Warkworth to collect Hugh and Sue, and Lou, it struck me that there was a bit of a chill in the wind…

    Avocets, Black-tailed Godwits and Great Crested Grebes radiated elegance, Wigeon, Gadwall, Mallard, Teal and Tufted Duck were either dabbling quietly or engaging in half-hearted courtship, Swallows chirped at us from their nests, Grey Herons stalked the shallows, Fulmars arced above the cliff edges, ‘rhythmic’ Reed Warblers and ‘scattergun’ Sedge Warblers delivered their songs from deep cover, with occasional forays to the reed tops, but the star of the evening made it’s entrance towards the conclusion of the act.

    Sue spotted it first; distantly, hunched on a fence post, in a breeze that was taking temperatures down to something we’d expect in the late winter.  Starlings, Sand Martins and Swallows were swirling around prior to going to roost as the Barn Owl turned its head and lifted into the air.  Quartering the reedbeds and rough grassland it focused its attention on the ground below.  Graceful, silent and deadly, the ‘White Owl’ is always an attention grabbing bird, and with good reason 🙂

  • Batty; Cheviot valleys/Druridge Bay Bespoke Tour 08/06/2015

    Looking back through previous blog posts I was reminded that we’ve done a few days combining the best of the hills and the best of the coast, and I headed towards Old Bewick to collect Helen for an afternoon and evening exploring the Cheviot Valleys and Druridge Bay.

    As a Common Buzzard soared over the steep valley sides, Curlews launched from the heather, calling in alarm.  Dippers bobbed on mid stream rocks, a Nuthatch with young was busying itself along tree trunks and branches, Whinchats flicked nervously through the bracken, the air was split by the explosive trilling song of Lesser Redpoll and Spotted Flycatchers perched upright on fence posts before sallying forth after flies.

    Down on the coast we enjoyed the sight of Avocets mating, two Spoonbills feeding with their heads sweeping from side to side and bills submerged, a female Marsh Harrier causing alarm as it flew over the edge of a pond and Swallows singing and bringing feathers to line their nests.  Dusk brought a remarkable wildlife spectacle, with 30-40 bats hunting in front of us.  The bat detector revealed an astonishing wall of sound as Common Pipistrelle and Noctule swooped, tumbled and hunted insects…right above an Otter that was stalking Tufted Ducks 🙂

    The journey back to Old Bewick produced Barn Owl, and a Tawny Owl in the middle of the road sitting on a baby Rabbit!  Then it was time for me to head back towards southeast Northumberland…and Northumberland’s country lanes produced a late night plethora of wildlife; Red Fox, Brown Hare, Roe Deer, Barn Owl, another Tawny Owl sitting on a baby Rabbit, and three Badger cubs trotting alongside the edge of the road 🙂