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From the office window
I’m easily distracted and always have been, but also quite obsessive. Maybe an odd combination, but it seems to work for me. With an office window that looks over several allotments and gardens, as...
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Would you like to stroke my Badger?
On Saturday I was in the Kielder area with Sarah, collecting our new mountain bikes from Ian at The Bike Place. The weather was glorious; blue skies, sunshine – everything you would want on a day there...
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The Kill; Druridge Bay birdwatching 24/09/2013
Through the thickening mist, just inches above the ground, the Sparrowhawk maneuvered it’s way at speed around bushes and the edge of a reedbed. From that position it couldn’t see any possible...
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Rest and recuperation; A walk in the woods 04/11/2013
Goldcrests are flitting tirelessly through the branches just overhead, Jays are leaving the edge of the wood and flying over nearby fields on strange bat-like wings, the thin high seee calls of...
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Home from home
During our quieter times of the year, I spend much of each day dealing with NEWT’s admin stuff. I try to get out and enjoy some fresh air every day though… It’s mid-January and it really should be...
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The Island; Lindisfarne Safari 12/10/2014
After a break from work and blogging, and our first proper holiday in quite a while, I got back into the swing of things on Sunday with a visit to probably my favourite mid-October location… Crossing...
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Raptor Day; Kielder Safari 23/04/2015
There’s a lot of very impressive wildlife in and around Kielder, particularly if you extend your visit across the border into Scotland, and we always hope for bright clear weather with a bit of warmth...
View ArticleSearching; Lindisfarne Safari 14/09/2015
When we’re heading to the coast, and a generally easterly wind is accompanied by mist and drizzle, my pulse starts racing… I collected Clare and Peter from The Swan and we headed north to collect Phil...
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Gems; Lindisfarne Bespoke Birdwatching 08/10/2015
Thursday was Tony’s second bespoke birdwatching day with NEWT, and we were heading to Holy Island. The weather was an extraordinary contrast to the mist, murk and torrential rain of Wednesday; clear...
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Dread; Otter Safari 15/10/2015
The great thing or the worst thing (depending on your point of view…) with watching wildlife is the sheer unpredictability of it. There’s always something to watch though, and if you watch for long...
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A raptor day; Bespoke Kielder Safari 28/03/2016
I love the Northumberland coast, and my obsession with the North Sea and it’s wildlife is well documented, but I always look forward to the drive west – away from the sea and into forests and remote...
View ArticleHidden; Otter mini-Safari 09/04/2016
The best thing about wildife, and at the same time occasionally the most frustrating thing, is that you can’t ever predict exactly what it’s going to do… I collected Jeff and Helen, and Kevin, from...
View ArticleCheviot Valleys Bespoke Birdwatching 23/05/16
Monday was Pete and Jan’s 8th trip with NEWT, and we were heading back to the Cheviot valleys where we’d watched a Cuckoo together back in 2013. It’s always a pleasure to have a day out with them and...
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Searching; Otter Safari 18/10/16
A day around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland was in store as I arrived at Church Point to collect Sam, Luke, Perdi and Georgina. Ghostly white Mediterranean Gulls were drifting through the...
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Damp; Druridge Bay 19/10/16
I collected Phil and Richard and we set out for a day birdwatching around Druridge Bay and southeast Northumberland. The forecast suggested there was the possibility of a rain shower sometime in the...
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Arrivals; Holy Island bespoke birdwatching 20/10/16
Yesterday was Pete and Jan’s 9th trip with NEWT and we headed to a location that they haven’t visited with us previously… Heading north from Embleton we soon encountered the first rain of the day, and...
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The enchantment of dusk; Bespoke Otter Safari 26/10/16
Whatever the time of year, that final hour or so before it’s too dark to see any wildlife is invariably the best bit of the day… I collected Gerry and Tracey from The Swan and we headed towards the...
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Northumberland in the win(d)ter; Winter Wonderland holiday 19-22/02/17
Day 1. 19/02/17. I arrived at the Bamburgh Castle Inn for the start of our Winter Wonderland holiday, then met up with with Christine, John, Linda and Rosie in the bar and outlined the plan for the...
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A swift return; Druridge Bay birdwatching mini-safari 23/05/17
I arrived at Newbiggin to collect Brendan for a mini-Safari around Druridge Bay, in weather that was little short of glorious… Brendan lives just a few miles from the village where Sarah’s parents...
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Darkness descending; Druridge Bay mini-Safari 20/09/17
I collected Ian and Julie from Hauxley and before we’d set off for an afternoon and evening around Druridge Bay things got off to a great start with Goldcrests and a Yellow-browed Warbler in the car...
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