Otter Safari 07/04/16

After a morning spent with Martin in a lovely location watching Curlew, Little Egret and Redshank but sadly no Otters, we moved up the coast and ate a lovely lunch provided by Martin, overlooking the North Sea. It was a beautiful clear, sunny day and I was delighted to spot the first Swallows and Sand Martins of the year.

After lunch we moved on and settled in a hide for further Otter watching. While we waited I lost count of the different bird species which Martin pointed out, including Marsh Harriers, a real treat.

Finally late in the afternoon there they were, two Otter Cubs, one of which moved into shallow water to eat an Eel, it was an amazing sight, and something I'll never forget.

I had an absolutely brilliant day that simply passed too quickly!!!

Lindisfarne 01/02/2012

Great day, Martin.  Steve was especially impressed with your ID skills.  Hope to eventually do every tour. Thanks again.

Otter Safari 18/07/2015

Seeing the otter was the icing on the cake I had very much enjoyed the day seeing the birds and watching them on the water. The additional wildlife was a nice extra.

Northumberland Coast 15/05/2013

Although we had booked for the Cheviot Valley experience, the weather was so appalling - cold, wet and windy, Martin suggested that as we would be unlikely to see any wildlife in the Cheviots it would be a better bet to visit various birding sites on the Northumberland coast. This turned out to be an excellent suggestion, as we were able to see, with Martin's expert knowledge, many, for us, new species. The weather helped us, as many that may have been further out to sea, obligingly came much closer to the coast. The day finished in the sun, as we were able to watch a marsh harrier looking for his supper. All in all a great day out.

Bespoke Druridge Bay Safari 22/05/17

The Shore Lark was a delight, as were the Avocets – we get very few of either in Leicestershire!

We DO see Hares, but it was still nice to get a good long look at 4 of them.

Thanks for another great day out.

Northumberland Coast 20/02/2014

A really enjoyable day’s birding, with my highlight undoubtedly being the Water Rail – I’ve spent years not seeing one at any number of places, so to have one pottering about in full view for 15 minutes after only having waited about 5 minutes was truly memorable. Stag Rocks were great, but the flock of 600 or so Common Scoter (unfortunately I couldn’t catch the one or two Velvet in with them) was the highlight of the sea watching. And always go back and have another look – we wouldn’t have seen the Marsh Harrier otherwise! Martin is engaging company and I really enjoyed our trip. All I have to do now is persuade my wife we need another winter break in Northumberland next year!

Bespoke Cheviot Valleys Safari 18/06/17

Yet another fabulous day out with Martin. Our first visit to the Cheviots and what a place it is. Harthope Valley was so beautiful and peaceful. We’ll definitely be going back there again. We were over the moon with the birds we got that day.

Would unreservedly recommend a day out birding with Martin. Steve’s looking forward to another Pelagic. Thanks again, Martin.

Farne Islands 30/06/16

Having moved to the North East 26 years ago,also being an RSPB member,had planned to visit the Farne Islands but never got round to it.

The day arranged by Northern Experience Wildlife Tours and Martin at NEWT was superb and did surpass my own and colleagues expectations. What a great day out.

Was a great way of celebrating our colleague & friend Martin’s retirement after an amazing 50 years service with United/Arriva.

Thank you once again,already planning to make the trip again next year with some friends who also are keen birders but have not been to the Farnes.

Bespoke coastal mini-safari 24/08/16

We had a fantastic trip, and have some wonderful memories of Jon's birthday. Martin was hugely knowledgeable and made the trip really accessible for our daughters. And he was very patient with our random questions! I'd heartily recommend a Northern Experience tour as a special birthday present.

Otter Safari 06/11/2014

Whilst my previous Otter Safari suffered due to the otters keeping well out of sight, I did have a great day birdwatching with Martin.

I was therefore delighted to see that another safari was scheduled when we were back in Northumberland in November. Despite it being bitterly cold in the hide, it was wonderful to watch the otter cub fishing and feeding. What was also marvellous was watching those birds flying in from their long trip across the North Sea.

Otter mini-Safari 06/08/2013

I would thoroughly recommend this trip. It took nearly 4 and a half hours and it was a spine-tingling experience to watch the otter hunting at dusk right at the end of the evening. Despite this there was no sense of rush, it felt like we could have spent the whole week there without being moved on. Clearly driven by a passion for sharing his knowledge of wildlife, it would be a pleasure and a privilege to spend more time tapping Martin’s excellent knowledge of the fauna. An inspiring trip of discovery yet this was all slap-bang on the doorstep of normal life. He’s not paying me, but go and spend your money on one of these delightful quests into the fantastic creatures of this ancient Shire and beyond. Turnstone and Gadwall will guide your way …

Bespoke North Pennines Safari 25/04/17

An extraordinary and memorable day. Everything worked out perfectly thanks to Martin’s superb organisation and depth of knowledge, and even the grouse performed as we had hoped.