A selection of testimonials from 2008 onwards. Please refresh the page to see more.
It was incredibly rewarding seeing an otter, and we really benefited from Martin’s ‘reading’ of the river (ducks flushing etc) to lead us to it. The bird spottings were equally a delight, especially the little snipe hiding in the vegetation, and the behaviour of the herons.
What a wonderful day I had with Martin.
The plan was to look for otters….. But we got so much more!! I class myself as of low intermediate level when it comes to wildlife and, now that I am approaching retirement, wish to push my knowledge boundaries.
Martin exceeded my expectations and pointed out so many bird species, to which he enthusiastically added the ” back story”. In an unhurried manner he kept the group moving so that we covered 5 different locations in our quest.
Persistent to the end, Martin’s tenacity and experience paid off… We finally saw our otter on the Wansbeck!!
A great day out and I’d have no hesitation recommending Martin to both beginners and experts.
I’ll be back!!!
We enjoyed another great day out with NEWT. It’s always good to take a wildlife trip with someone that has detailed knowledge of the local wildlife sights. We get to visit locations that as visitors to the area, we wouldn’t think of visiting. The weather on the day was perfect and the company good, as was the variety of wildlife seen too, all captured in the comprehensive report above.
Thank you Martin, we’re already looking forward to our next visit.
Dad asked me to pass on his thanks for a wonderful day, he had a fantastic time and was over the moon with the pictures he took. He’d never tried to capture birds in flight but was really encouraged by your advice and managed to get some fantastic shots. He would recommend your excursions to anyone – this was his second trip and I’m sure he will soon be booking more. You really do a fantastic job Martin and go the extra mile to ensure that your customers have a fantastic experience.
Katie and I really enjoyed our trip with you Martin.
How wonderful the yellowhammer looked singing in full sunlight, it would have been easy to imagine we were watching some tropical beauty rather than being in Northumberland in February! The Hen Harrier was a real treat, we’ve had some good sightings of female birds in the last twelve months but to get such good views of a male, again in the golden sunshine of winter, was special.
And then of course there was that starling murmuration. We’ve been lucky enough to travel to many parts of the world watching wildlife but I have never seen anything more spectacular than that, when they flew over us the scale of the flock was awesome.
Thanks for a splendid ‘northern experience’!
Thanks for a great evening! We were very impressed that you managed to find the otter. We wouldn’t have been able to find it ourselves (if we would have known where to go to find them in the first place….)
We had a great time Martin – thanks! Your knowledge of the wildlife and local area made our trip extremely interesting and meant we didn’t waste time looking in the wrong places. The Kittiwakes were great practice for the puffins and terns in flight, although they still didn’t prepare me for getting my head pecked by the arctic terns!
Brilliant trip, highly recommended.
How rewarding it was to spot a kingfisher (one of my hopes tor the holiday) and also the dippers (one of Peter’s favourite birds). Also on this particular day, the pond at dusk was particularly atmospheric – like watching a theatre production.
We had a great holiday, superb accommodation and excellent food. Martin was a great host on this 1 to 1 holiday, and certainly knew his birds! All his efforts were for my benefit, and he could not have been a better guide. Talking to him in the car, it was obvious that he knew enormous amounts about birds, dolphins and whales and their migrations and movements. The second day is what I have dubbed “The Day of the Storm”, when the River Tyne burst its banks in the city centre of Newcastle, roads were flooded and the winds were 90mph or more – the worst storm for 50 years. High spring tides and severe offshore gales contributed to a storm surge which we witnessed the effects of at first hand. It was a superb day to be out, with alternating sessions of complete grey cloud cover, hailstones and high winds, and then, within minutes, brilliant, low sunshine, great shafts of light and almost completely clear blue skies. Photographic heaven! We were glad that Martin had decided not to be on Holy Island that day!! I am thinking about my next expedition with Martin.
Really enjoyed the day. Martin’s knowledge of the area and the wildlife really added to our enjoyment. Although otters and stars proved elusive, we had a very rewarding experience.
In the words of the girls.........Thank you for the lovely day out and the lovely lunch (I loved the chocolate cookie) thanks for giving us the opportunity to see the seals and that lovely afterbirth!! ;-) - Emily...Thanks for being so kind and patient with all my questions heheheh, really enjoyed the day - Hannah...Thankyou for taking us out and seeing all the animals and the hot chocolate and all the names of the birds were very interesting - Naomi
And finally me....Great countryside..Great company enjoyed ourselves a lot, the girls will remember for years to come, maybe not the names of all the birds though!
Another excellent day out with yourself and NEWT. My new binoculars worked well and I also saw 2 ‘lifers’.