Northumberland in November 2012

Saturday 24^th

With a cold and frosty start we set off on our journey to Elsdon – we planned to stop at Saltholme RSPB for a wander around but when we arrived the weather was the same as the journey there – foggy! So foggy you could see nothing out on the reserve at all. So we settled for a coffee instead (much warmer than being out in the cold fog!) Then on our way again and a quick stop at Asda in the Metro Centre (enormous place) we said farewell to the hustle and bustle of the city and drove the last 40 miles to our holiday cottage near Elsdon. The A696 is a lovely road and apart from the occasional small village there was only countryside and big skies from Ponteland to Otterburn. As we approached our turning we were greeted with a beautiful landscape of frosty fields with a low mist hanging over the valley of the River Rede. As darkness fell we settled in to our new surroundings and after reviewing the weather (rain!) changed our plans for the first part of the week.

Sunday 25^th

After a quick call to our wildlife guide who was planning on taking us out on Monday we decided to postpone till Thursday as the forecast for Monday was bad. He did give us a location for our target species for the week (Red Squirrel) which was in Harwood village. As it was raining we visited Otterburn Mill for a while and when the rain eased we made our way via Elsdon to Harwood. Sadly the rain descended again and while we sat in the car and watched the rain through ever steaming up windows we saw a Red Squirrel run across the forest track in front of us! We were happy to have made a sighting on our first day. The rain appeared to have set in for the day so we decided to visit Rothbury – nice old town but as it was Sunday it was very quiet. The River Cocquet was impressive though as it powered through the village swollen by the recent heavy rains. As we sat at a set of traffic lights we spotted a tree creeper. Back home via some more wonderful scenery and roads that looked more like small streams. 

Monday 26^th

Weather bad again so made tracks to Jedburgh (as we were only 12 miles from the Scottish border and wildlife photography was nigh on impossible we though a trip to Scotland was a good idea) where we found a wonderful new visitor centre with a very helpful and friendly lady. Sad to say the rest of the town was a disappointment – a far cry from its glory days. However Mary Queen of Scots house was very interesting and highly recommended if in the area. Another lunch in a steamed up car and back to the cottage to escape the rain!

Tuesday 27^th

Kielder was planned for today and it did not disappoint. A visit to the hide resulted in 5 squirrels some in reasonable range of our cameras. We had the new Canon SX50 with us so we put its 50x view through its paces – highly impressive little camera. Later we visited the Kielder Birds of Prey centre where we were able to get close up head shots of several birds of prey including White Tailed Eagle, Peregrine and my own favourite the Goshawk. Then we were able to get really close to the birds as Ray gave us the opportunity to feed them – weather too bad for flight. Ray is a real pro, really knows his stuff and looks after the birds wonderfully well and we learned a lot from him. So at last some photography (although it was dull and damp!)

Wednesday 28^th

Waterfall day today! Very excited as I was planning to use my Lee Big Stopper to take some long exposures. However the walk to Hareshaw Linn had been closed for health and safety reasons as one of the bridges had become unstable. So after great disappointment we decided to do a walk near Falstone village (near Kielder). Don’t go there on a Wednesday (it is closed!) The tea rooms where we planned to park were closed – the pub was closed (all day) and the village was full of signs which said no parking. Not the friendliest of villages and we will not be in a hurry to return! However once we had parked near the Post Office (you guessed – it was also closed) we had a very nice walk up through some woods and back down to the village – wonderful views and although no wildlife the walk was invigorating and interesting. Once the walk was over we went the short distance back to Kielder (Leaplish) and revisited the squirrel hide. Plenty of squirrels again and this time we also saw a tree creeper and a brambling hiding with the chaffinches. We drove home observing a fantastic sunset but sadly arrived back just as it was ending. The sky was on fire!

Thursday 29^th

This was the day we were off with Martin Kitching from Northern Experience Northern Experience Wildlife Tours – postponed from Monday when we had heavy rain. The day dawned bright and frosty and we were soon loaded up and on our way. First visit was to Stannington churchyard where there is a well-known squirrel feeding station – more squirrels observed here along with a tree creeper. Then to look at some gulls and then to Woodhorn – an old colliery which has been turned into a celebration of its history. There is also a wonderful bird feeding station which doubles as a squirrel feeding station also. Someone has taken plenty of time to carefully lay branches for them to run along (and sometimes stop to eat nuts on!) Fantastic place for squirrels. We spent probably too long there and ended up having lunch (we are sure Martin wanted us to have lunch somewhere else)! Finally we finished the day at Cresswell Pool which is a Northumberland Nature Reserve and we all agreed that it was probably the best hide we have ever been in. There were snipe, curlew, lapwing and all the usual water birds plus short eared owl, kestrel and sparrow hawk. Wonderful and a big thank you to Martin for showing us these places.

Friday 30^th

Last day already! As we had such a lovely day on Thursday we decided to go back to Woodhorn for more squirrels (where Martin joined us) and then to Cresswell where we saw the same birds again but this time also spotted a bittern which made several appearances. Then as dusk was falling on another beautiful sunset we watched a barn owl hunting over the dunes. Then back to The Redesdale Arms where we had a the most wonderful meal. A fitting end to our time in Northumberland and I am sure we will be back – if only for the waterfalls!!

Kent June 2012

Saturday 9th June

Two years since our last trip to Kent when we stayed at Acorn Barn near Bilsington. As there were so many hares within easy reach of the camera we decided to visit again. Should be interesting to see what has changed.

We set off on Saturday planning to stop at Rainham Marshes (RSPB) on the way down as it was just off our route. Weather wasn’t too bad but we had seen the forecast for the next week – not promising! Gales and rain and lots of both. Interesting place though – a bit too windy for many birds to fly but we managed to spot several egrets amongst the reeds. Plenty of marsh frogs also – heard but not many seen! There were a couple of red admirals also.

After the usual shopping for provisions for the week ahead we arrived at Acorn Barn to sunshine. Everything looked the same at the barn and we got a friendly greeting from the owners. We did notice a huge new housing development near the Tesco in Ashford which wasn’t there in 2010! During the week we found quite a few housing developments where there used to be fields or countryside. Whatever happened to our green and pleasant land?

Evening sun brought the chance to take some pictures of the view from the barn as well as the hares – there was even one on the drive to welcome us!

Sunday 10th June

We planned to visit Dungeness today as the forecast wasn’t too bad. However as there had been so much rain all the water levels were very high and there was no space for waders. For the first time ever we visited the hides but they were all empty – nothing to see. We did find a group of people waiting for the purple heron (had been there hours with no success) but having not seen anything we made our way back. Made the wrong decision and decide to take the long walk back to the visitor centre – rain arrived on a day which was forecast to be dry and we got soaked! Still a nice day – still windy though. Made our way back to the barn where the hares were still out in the field so managed to get some more shots of them. I made it my mission to take pictures every morning and evening of the hares.  A kestrel came and sat on the fence (had gone before I got the camera) and there were several thrushes around also. Butterflies today – red admiral and a few green veined whites. Think it is too cold and damp for our usual species to be flying.

Monday 11th June

We were going to revisit Dungeness but as the forecast was wet decided to go to Wingham Wildlife Park – made a pleasant change to see overseas animals – meerkats, lemurs, lions and tigers. However it was a lovely warm day with no rain. So we know that this week is going to be difficult to gauge the weather! More hares before breakfast and after dinner today again. More in the sunshine and pictures seem to get better each day! Guess they are getting more used to this strange man with a big lens being around.  Kestrel visited again too. We took a short drive out to the military canal and some pictures of a lovely sky over it before coming back home.

 Tuesday 12th June

Dry forecast so we knew what was going to happen! Decided to go to Rye as it was a nice little town when we visited before – morning was supposed to be wet with a dry afternoon before the weather closed in overnight. It was a damp but otherwise ok morning which we spent wandering round the town before heading to Rye harbour nature reserve for the dry afternoon. As you can guess it was far from dry! Got soaked and the hides only showed black headed gulls (plenty of chicks) but nothing much else. There was also one avocet which flew off fairly quickly. Back to the barn to dry out – more hares some very close this time. There is a horse in the field which seems to have encouraged the hares to come out of the field – they like to sit at the bottom of the garden just the other side of the fence. Also today we saw a lesser spotted woodpecker family (think they are in the large oak tree next to the barn); a pied wagtail which sat on the fence and the evenings highlight was a fly past from a barn owl!

Wednesday 13th June

Blean woods for heath fritillary and then Denge woods for Duke of Burgundy. Sunny, warm the right time of year but no butterflies. We did the whole circuit of the RSPB footpath which went to where all the new coppicing had been done but despite being plenty of food plant and flowers and also being warm and sunny we did not see a single butterfly. Very strange and we can only assume that the rain and wind had finished off the spring butterflies. Plenty of orchids at Bonsai Bank however (and we did see a female common blue here so hopefully the next generation of blues will be around later in the year). Fragrant orchids were just flowering and there were lady and butterfly orchids although these had seen better days. By far the most common orchid was the common spotted.

Thursday 14th June

Park Gate Down for orchids followed by sandwich bay nature reserve. Lovely warm sunny summers day although a little windy – we have noticed that in recent years it can be either sunny and breezy or wet and still! There were quite a few monkey orchids around among the butterfly, fragrant, and common spotted orchids. After spending a lovely few hours here we drove to Sandwich bay nature reserve and had a windy picnic looking at the bay. Tide was out which was bad news for spotting birds but we did the walk through the reserve calling at the hide – although as the tide was so far out we could only spot wildlife through binoculars. Shelduck and curlew were plentiful, the latter being repeatedly disturbed by an erratic aeroplane which kept flying low and disturbing them. It was nice to see a large flock of them take to the wing but not so sure about the continual disturbance by low flying planes! Plenty of orchids here too (spotted and fragrant) and a few more butterflies – holly and common blue plus a red admiral. Next stop was Kingsdown were the small blue colony lived but like all the other butterfly sites we had visited there were none. This is a wonderful site although it has come to the attention of wildlife groups who plan to “manage” it. Reading the management plan it seems the first thing they want to do is pull out the valerian which is one of the nicest parts about the little area and an important nectar source for insects – in particular the humming bird hawk moth which loves it. Then on the way home we called in at Samphire Hoe for a cup of tea only to find that they had closed! Before 4 o clock in June! We had planned a walk but as it was so windy decided to abort the visit and find the nearest pub for a drink and an early tea! A few hares around when we got home but there seem to have been less as we move through the week.

Friday 15th June

There was a terrific storm overnight with thunder, lightning and very heavy rain. Kept us awake and awoke this morning to find bits of oak tree (there is a very large one just behind the barn) scattered all over the car and lawn! However good weather today! We decided to do something different and just plan a walk somewhere – we chose to go to Dover and park at the white cliffs and then do the short 2 mile walk along the cliff top to the South Foreland lighthouse. Windy but we had some magnificent views over the channel and also had a bonus when we saw a spitfire flying around. It was accompanied by two helicopters which were full of people taking photos if the spitfire flying over the white cliffs. After a very nice piece of cake at Mrs Nott’s tea rooms we had a guided tour of the lighthouse and it was extremely interesting. We learned all about its history and the history of the area as well as lighthouses in general. To be recommended! Then it was the walk back with some stops to take in the landscape before another windy picnic on the cliff tops above the very busy harbour. Then a quick browse around the national trust shop before heading back to Acorn Barn to pack have tea and watch England in their second group game of Euro 2012.

Saturday 16th June

Home sadly. We have enjoyed our second stay at Acorn Barn and will be back. It is the only place we have returned to for a holiday (people always say never go back – it is never the same the second time but it has been as good as the first week we spent there). We called at Rye Meads on the way back home and although no kingfishers were seen (they were sitting on eggs) we did have the unexpected bonus of seeing a pair of green sandpipers. Then home and prepare for work the next day! All good things come to an end but it means our next break is that much closer – North Wales in July.

Northumberland May 2012

Saturday

The morning arrived – grey, dull, cold and slightly damp. Not a promising start for our week in Northumberland and to complete the poor start I pulled a muscle in my back! However we set off on the first part of our journey to Whittingham (near Alnwick) with a planned stop at the RSPB reserve at Saltholme. Needless to say with a temperature of around 9 degrees and a biting wind we did not stay too long here! We did however stay long enough to watch swallows flying low over the lake and stopping to take insects off the water or drink from it. A pair of avocets also arrived which was an unexpected surprise. So earlier than expected we set off for Morrisons at Alnwick to buy our provisions for the week. As we had been expecting cold and wet weather it was somewhat of a surprise when the sun appeared and the temperature rose (just slightly). It was an indication of things to come! Accommodation when we arrived at it (Bluebell Cottage) was lovely – everything we needed was there and it was in a lovely peaceful location in the middle of the countryside near the village of Whittingham. After a warm welcome we unloaded and relaxed for the evening with a glass of wine and nice meal! There was also a pair of swallows nesting outside the front door.

Sunday

What a weather change! Warm and sunny – we set off for Craster where we planned to walk to Dunstanburgh castle. With the car parked we set off through the village and onto the beach (rocks here mainly). Fantastic views of the castle from here and we had loads of fun exploring the rock pools where we found some shrimp although the colour suggested they may be prawns. Picnic on the beach in full sun and warm (not something we ever expected). Decided to walk back to the village where we explored the harbour and then left cameras in the car so we could get some refreshment in the Jolly Fisherman (lovely beer from the Mordue brewery based in North Shields) while watching the harbour. We also spotted some butterflies here (not in the pub!) on the grassy shoreline – wall brown and small copper. Also linnets in the gorse bushes which have an annoying habit of sitting at the top of bushes until you point a camera at them! From here we went to Embleton and walked from the golf club over the dunes to a fantastic beach (they all are in Northumberland!) and saw the castle at Dunstanburgh from the north side. This side is even better than the view from the other side as you get a cliff face to the left of the castle. More wall browns here in the dunes. As we had planned a trip to the Farne Islands we headed to Seahouses so we could check parking and our departure point. Back home for another lovely meal (and wine and beer!)

Monday

A foggy start. Kielder today – we wanted to find red squirrels but as we were told they did not come to the feeding stations it was unlikely. Sadly this was true so the quest for red squirrels will continue another time. Weather was foggier until we arrived when the sun had burned off the low cloud and the day became warm and sunny. We concentrated around Leaplish Waterside Park and the viewing hide – no squirrels but plenty of birds. Unfortunately they were only chaffinches – all of them apart from a few siskins. After lunch we went to Kielder Castle where we at least managed to see a squirrel at a feeding station in the forest (via a webcam at an undisclosed location!). Then to Bakethin Nature reserve where we sat for half an hour and saw cormorants and a buzzard. Everywhere in Kielder we noticed that signage was noticeably absent so we struggled a few times to find places! Temperature now in the 20s and feeling pleasantly warm – also of note was the fact we drove 45 miles with not a petrol station in sight (apart from a village one at £1.55 a litre – we did not fill up there!). Home for another lovely meal.

Tuesday

Sunny and warm again! Heading for Druridge Bay today which we hear is good for birds. We parked in the country park and walked into the nature reserve at East Chevington which has the noisiest bird hides in the world! All constructed of metal so when you open or close the doors (or windows) there was a loud clanging sound! Plenty of warblers all around plus linnets, swallows, herons and the usual water birds. Drove back to Hauxley Nature reserve which was brilliant. Wall browns again spotted as well as small copper butterflies – from the hides we saw oystercatcher and lapwing chicks. Then on to Amble and Alnmouth via Warkworth – a lovely town which deserved more exploring. We found a lovely pub in Alnmouth (Red Lion) which does amazing food (at least our bowls of homemade chips were). Home again to charge batteries and format memory cards as tomorrow is the highlight of the trip. We saw a hare loping down the drive in the evening after tea. Hope the weather stays warm and sunny for tomorrow!

Wednesday

Weather warm and sunny with no wind! We set off for Seahouses full of anticipation. We had booked with Billy Shiels for his all day bird watching trip – mainly to get 2 hours on each of the islands (Inner Farne and Staple Island). Even if you are not particularly into wildlife this trip is fantastic for the sheer sight and sound of the sea birds. Thousands of puffins, guillemots, razorbills, terns and hundreds of seals. As well as the landing on each island (National Trust – there is a £6.20 charge for each if not a member) we got a trip around the islands to see the cliff nesting birds from the sea and good views of the seals. As far as photographic opportunities go this was heaven! Puffins with sand eels in their beaks flying past at a rate of 2 or 3 per minute (probably more) terns (arctic, common and sandwich) everywhere not to mention all the others (Kittiwakes also). Good value at £30 each for a trip lasting from 9:45 till nearly 5 pm. After such a lovely day we had to find out if the fish and chips in Seahouses was as good as it was supposed to be. It was!

Thursday

Even warmer! Today was our day locally in Alnwick (although we did not go into the castle at the high price that was being charged) so we visited the market, had coffee in the market place, looked around the shops etc. It is a lovely little town with some individual shops. Later in the afternoon we visited Cragside (National Trust again) – this is a must if you are in Northumberland. A large estate which used to be home to Lord Armstrong and the house is full of his inventions. A large park also with some formal and some wild places. Then back to the house to collect our picnic for the beach at Embleton. We had planned to do this so we could see Dunstanburgh Castle at sunset. Sadly the weather didn’t know this and a veil of mist descended until the castle completely disappeared! Never mind – the beach was splendid anyway.

Friday

Why does a week always go so fast when you are on holiday! Day for Lindisfarne today. Warm (even hot) and sunny again. Having already checked the tide tables we knew that the causeway opened at 9:05 today so we planned to arrive as soon afterwards to see could maximise out rime on the island. Driving over the causeway was a delight – golden sand on both sides until we got to the nature reserve when we had beach on one side and nature reserve on the other. A small flock of plover were on the beach. On to Holy Island and we parked in the large car park (there is a shuttle bus to the castle which is about a mile walk). As the weather was so nice we decided to walk and got some lovely views of the castle and the harbour. We then did the marked walk around the nature reserve – lots of warblers, a pied wagtail nest in the hide and lots of northern marsh orchids. Also some more wall browns! Lovely to see them as they are so rare back home in Derbyshire! As this was the last evening we drove down the coast taking in the castle at Bamburgh, the village of Beadnell and finally finding a lovely pub for tea in Embleton – The Greys Inn. Fantastic food (huge portions) friendly staff and good beer. What better way to round off a fantastic week than sitting in a warm and sunny beer garden with good friends enjoying a great meal. An added bonus was that we walked to the beach after tea and found the castle (Dunstanburgh) bathed in warm evening sunlight.

That’s it – off home tomorrow but have to say the week in Northumberland has been a fantastic experience.