Guests<\/strong> Monday 11th May<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n After a relaxed picnic lunch under cloudless skies, we boarded again for the short hop to Inner Farne. A large mixed group of terns were roosting on the shore adjacent to the landing jetty. Climbing onto the island,\u00a0Arctic Terns\u00a0were beginning to settle on their nesting areas and around 100\u00a0Sandwich Terns\u00a0were already perched together with\u00a0Black-headed Gulls\u00a0in their nesting colony. We eventually found\u00a0Rock Pipit\u00a0feeding on short turf, with the bird\u2019s dusky plumage and large size helping us identify it.\u00a0Ringed Plover\u00a0parents with day old chicks delighted us as we headed back to the boat again for the ride back to shore, with just enough time to enjoy the stunning views north to Holy Island and west up to the Cheviot Hills.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A short car ride north found us overlooking Bamburgh Castle and catching a small group of both duck and drake\u00a0Common Scoter\u00a0at close quarters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tuesday 12th May<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Heading due west, we drove into Keilder Forest Park, a mixture of open moorland, spruce forest and reservoir open water in north west Northumberland. Keilder is home to around 30 pairs of Goshawk and is a well know raptor viewing spot in the region. Kev in particular was keen to see Goshawk in the UK after years of near misses. Ideal viewing conditions greeted us as we walked up into the forest, eventually getting good panoramic views across the reservoir.\u00a0Buzzards\u00a0were present in abundance, with each sighting giving hope of the \u201cbig hawk\u201d. By lunchtime, early optimism was fading and\u00a0Lesser Redpoll, Willow Warbler,\u00a0Meadow Pipit\u00a0and\u00a0Siskin\u00a0were the limits of the slim pickings until a silhouetted\u00a0Osprey\u00a0heading down the reservoir lifted our spirits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We headed for home after a hard day of seeing little in a wonderful, promising landscape.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Wednesday 13th May<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Driving south west we headed for the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, home to some cracking birds. In a steep oak woodland valley along the River Derwent, a singing\u00a0Blackcap\u00a0was the only audible song on our arrival. A pair of\u00a0Treecreeper\u00a0flew over us as we tried to pinpoint tantalising fragments of bird song. Eventually, a pair of\u00a0Redstart\u00a0gave great views and we found\u00a0Long-tailed Tits\u00a0bringing food into an amazingly exposed nest high in an oak tree. A quick relocation helped us latch onto\u00a0Pied Flycatcher\u00a0song. Finding the songster proved difficult as this fast moving bird gave good views to Mike but eluded the rest of us. Another move paid off and we all enjoyed close views of the stunning male flycatcher.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Heading out of the wooded valley, we drove over heather moorland, stopping for\u00a0Red Grouse\u00a0on the way and had a short walk along the River Wear, seeing\u00a0Common Sandpiper,\u00a0Dipper,\u00a0Grey Wagtail\u00a0and\u00a0Goosander. Our lunchtime picnic was taken high on the moors, sitting in an old quarry and being entertained by a pair of\u00a0Wheatear\u00a0and family of\u00a0Mistle\u00a0Thrush. Close by, another river valley held male\u00a0Ring Ouzel,\u00a0Cuckoo, more Wheatearand nesting\u00a0Kestrel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continuing west into Teesdale, the high pastures and meadows held\u00a0Black Grouse\u00a0(five males),\u00a0Curlew,\u00a0Lapwing\u00a0and\u00a0Redshank. Mike found five boxing\u00a0hares\u00a0in a pasture close to the grouse. A final drive high onto the moor tops got us close to several feeding\u00a0Golden Plover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Thursday 14th May<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n In the early afternoon, Hauxley Nature Reserve held a lone\u00a0Pink-footed Goose\u00a0and lots of nesting\u00a0Tree Sparrow. A late afternoon phone call left us all disappointed, bringing news of the cancellation of our scheduled Coquet Island sailing to see Roseate Tern. The strong east wind had hampered sailings all week and our chances of seeing roseates were dashed. Seeing live CCTV pictures of the terns at their nesting colony on the island was as close as we could get.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an attempt to offset this disappointment, we fitted in one more stop on the way back to the hotel, finally picking up\u00a0Coot\u00a0and\u00a0Little Grebe\u00a0for the first time this week, along with a hunting\u00a0fox. What a turn around!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Friday 15th May<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n With heavy rain scheduled on our last day, we agreed that our best option was a quick run north to Holy Island to try and see a male Bluethroat before the rain arrived. With only two other birders arriving before us on the island and no news of the\u00a0Bluethroatthat morning, the cold wind and drizzle that greeted us did nothing for our spirits. Two hours later, broad smiles and inner cheer followed our return after close and prolonged views of this stunning bird \u2013 a first for some of the group. Crossing back onto the mainland, a short stop helped us pick up a party of five\u00a0Grey Plover\u00a0in lovely plumage out on the mudflats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kev Mann
Mike Freer
John Smith<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Breeding](\"http:\/\/realbirder.com\/ToursImages\/farnes.jpg\")
Bright sunshine and a gentle easterly greeted our arrival at Seahouses on the Northumberland coast. A quick look at the harbour rocks gave us\u00a0Oystercatcher\u00a0and\u00a0Turnstone. The dual island boat trip headed out to Staple Island first, with hundreds of auks giving great views from the boat as we approached their nesting rock stacks.\u00a0Eiders,\u00a0Fulmar\u00a0and\u00a0grey seals\u00a0all added to the fun. Once landed, dozens of\u00a0Puffins\u00a0greeted us standing at the entrance to their nesting burrows. Incubating\u00a0Razorbills,\u00a0Guillemots,\u00a0Shags\u00a0and\u00a0Cormorant\u00a0were all approachable, allowing useful comparison of plumage and body form in what can be confusing species.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Birdwatching](\"http:\/\/realbirder.com\/ToursImages\/farnes2.jpg\")
A quick drive north over the border into Scotland after lunch gave us an insight into what this remote landscape would have looked like before the construction of the enormous reservoir and forest planting. Back at Keilder Castle,\u00a0Sparrowhawk\u00a0flew over, being mobbed by martins. A long dusty drive across the forest rewarded us with little new and by late afternoon hawk hopes were fading. A final throw of the dice found us sitting in a hide overlooking a small pond and stream in a wooded valley. Ever looking skywards, Kev spotted a hawk and after frantically exiting the hide we picked the hawk up again as it slowly circled high above us. The stocky build and longish wings, coupled with very pale belly and flanks encouraged us to think Goshawk. The hawk then closed its wings, plummeting down into the river valley, striking at a Sand Martin right in front of us. This close-up finally confirmed a great view of a male\u00a0Goshawk. Yippee!<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Bluethroat](\"http:\/\/realbirder.com\/ToursImages\/Bluethroat.jpg\")
Another cloudless morning saw us driving 10 miles east to Druridge Bay, home to four Northumberland Wildlife Trust freshwater nature reserves. Starting at the south end of the bay and working north, we bumped into a good range of birds. Highlights included close views of a pair of\u00a0Grey Partridge,\u00a0Ruff,\u00a0Stock Dove,\u00a0Whimbrel,\u00a0Sedge Warbler\u00a0and\u00a0Whitethroat. We were also treated to over 30 minutes of\u00a0otter\u00a0play, with three different animals tumbling together in the water and running along the pool banks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"New](\"http:\/\/realbirder.com\/ToursImages\/saltholme.jpg\")
Driving south through strong wind and rain we eventually arrived at the RSPB\u2019s new\u00a0