Birding with Flowers: July 2023

Wednesday 19 July 2023

Autumn Vacancies

Bearded Tits

There are about 8 weeks before the Autumn course starts, and there are a few vacancies on Fridays and Thursdays and Tuesday mornings. Migration is the keyword of the term, and initially we will be encountering summer migrants as they prepare to leave these shores. We will also spend some time identifying waders at a variety of seashore and estuarine locations. Some people find waders tricky, so I will do my best to point out out all the key features. Later, winter migrants will arrive, and these will be identified too. The best ever Autumn class was 7 years ago when the star birds were probably two confiding Hen Harriers, several Short-eared Owls, a Barn Owl and a Woodcock all seen at the same location. If they reappear, the intention will be to connect with them once more.

Peregrine - a photograph taken in the company of the Wednesday afternoon group. In the Autumn we are most likely to find one of these looking far more active whilst it is harassing the waders on the Humber estuary!

Bearded Tits - at Ness End

Autumn is the best time to see these charismatic birds

Wryneck - at Spurn

One of Autumn's unusual birds, which we'll try and see if we get an influx on the coast

Moulting male Redstart - on migration at Spurn

Stonechat - this beauty over-winters with us

Ring Ouzel - on migration at Spurn

Snow Bunting - we may encounter these later in the Autumn term

Goldcrest - some years thousands appear on the coast

Pallas's Warbler - this is less common than the previous bird

Rough-legged Buzzard

Great Grey Shrike - 10 years ago these were eating many of the exhausted Goldcrests

Bar-tailed Godwit in breeding plumage

Black-tailed Godwit

Greenshank

Spotted Redshank

Water [as thin as a] Rail

Hen Harrier - the star bird of a previous Autumn

Ditto

Short-eared Owls - always popular with the classes

Ditto

Bewick's Swan

Starling Murmuration

Monday 17 July 2023

Honey Buzzard Special

Last Wednesday several class members from various days met at Wykeham in the hope of connecting with the enigmatic Honey Buzzard. The birds have stopped wing-clapping and displaying, so the chances seemed rather slim. The windy weather, and threat of showers also didn’t help. Would we obtain any views at all? Certainly not like the bird below photographed at South Landing just over a decade ago.

One surprise was a Nuthatch, a bird we have not seen there before. There was one calling at the Raptor Viewpoint, and presumably a second bird - an immature - actually in the car park

Immature Nuthatch

Ditto

The viewpoint itself was rather quiet. One early highlight was a Jay, which flew into trees on the edge of the clearing. There were plenty of Siskins flying over - none of which gave excellent views, but Chaffinches tried to compensate. We had been there approximately half an hour when a brown Honey Buzzard flew leisurely past us at quite a reasonable distance. A telescope was superfluous. The double dark bar in the middle of the tail was easy to spot, as was the dark fringe to the trailing edge of the wings. The bright yellow staring eye is clear on some of the photos. This was a “lifer” for many attendees, and those who had seen one before declared this was the best view they’ve ever obtained. Shortly afterwards three chunky Crossbills flew over our heads, but disappeared into the conifers.

Ditto

Ditto

From exactly a week earlier at the same location. Does the Honey Buzzard pass close to the viewpoint on a regular basis?

Ditto

Of course it would have been great to see a Honey Buzzard being mobbed by crows as with this example just over a decade ago on the coast. This is the same bird as that at the top of the blog post.

After the wait we walked towards one of the nurseries in the hope of a Turtle Dove. We didn’t see or even hear one, but we did see Willow Warblers, Swallows, plus plenty of butterflies and flowers.

Willow Warbler

Heather

This week’s highlights in the moth trap

Dark Arches

Light Arches?

Broad-Bordered Yellow Underwing

Dun-Bar

Ditto

Dot Moth

Dun-Bar

Mother-of-Pearl

Tuesday 11 July 2023

2023 Butterfly Special

Silver-Washed Fritillary

Last Thursday outside events conspired to cancel the butterfly special, but I remembered George who hoped to visit for the first time, after several missed chances, so we went ahead despite a less-than-perfect forecast. In the Butterfly Garden was a tatty Gatekeeper, but we didn’t spot any of those during our walk.

Tatty Gatekeeper

It was very sunny at first, so the butterflies were out in abundance, but as the morning continued clouds began to build and sightings of some species became more intermittent.

Comma and Hoverfly

Comma

Small Skipper

We saw several gliding White Admirals on our walk, which appeared to have a hint of blue as they flew, but they were more difficult to see drinking nectar from bramble flowers. The Silver-Washed Fritillaries were even more elusive as they flew with extreme speed usually far above our heads. We reached Fiveways and had been there for some time when Sonia spotted a tiny hairstreak land low down on a blackthorn leaf. It took quite some time for us all to spot it, as it was the same size as the leaves, albeit a different colour. This relatively inconspicuous insect was a “lifer” for almost 100% of attendees.

Sonia's Black Hairstreak

Large White

Large Skipper

Tatty Ringlet

We had a long wait at Fiveways, but didn’t see anything spectacular, so I suggested a walk along a usually rewarding straight path which catches the sun in many open areas. We had gone some way when I noticed a large thistle, which held a nectaring male Silver-Washed Fritillary. We were able to watch him for a decent period. We walked back to Fiveways passing an elderly gentleman on the way. He talked to the latter part of the group, who informed him about our lack of a Purple Emperor. A few minutes later a Purple Emperor plummeted out of the sky and spent some time on the ground. The first he has seen like that for 20 years. He says he tried to call out to the tardiest of the group, but his cries went unheeded. However, some class members drooled over his photos later.

Silver-Washed Fritillary

ditto

The weather was even better on Friday, and was likely to be the final day for some time - as the forecast for the next 2 weeks is highly unsettled. On Friday at 10 am both car parks were almost overflowing. The White Admirals were more obliging on the ground, but not on the bramble flowers.

White Admiral

White Admiral in Flight

ditto

Wasp sp.

We waited for quite a long time at Fiveways, but most of the action came from Commas and Large Skippers with the occasional Silver-Washed Fritillary zipping past. We couldn’t find the Black Hairstreak this time, but one of its cousins was more obliging.

Purple Hairstreak

On the return journey we managed to spot a brief glimpse of a female Purple Emperor in a sunlight glade.

Record Shot of Female Purple Emperor

ditto

Previous sightings of Purple Emperors at the same location.

Meanwhile, the moth trap has been growing in interest…

Dark Arches

Poplar Hawk Moth

ditto

Barred Yellow

Coronet

Eastern Tent Caterpillar Moth?

Tortricid Leafroller Moth

Common Shrew

Spring Course Details

Bookings for the 10-week Spring term have started. At the time of writing there are most vacancies on Tuesday & Friday mornings with a couple of spaces on all other sessions. If you are interested in another session, please ask. For at least 2 hours a week encounter the natural world as a completely new sensual experience. You'll be amazed what you'll find just by listening, and not only by looking! In the Spring we'll be paying special attention to finding and identifying birds by their songs and calls. Summer visitors we are hoping to track down include: Turtle Doves, Redstarts, Cuckoos, Yellow Wagtails and Spotted Flycatchers. We will be visiting venues in East Yorkshire with a couple of ventures into North Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire. So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for less than £12 a week, contact me for more details! We visit a different local hotspot each week and identify all the birds and as much other wildlife as we can. This also includes mammals, and fungi with butterflies, and dragonflies in the warmer months. The course runs twice daily Tuesday to Friday. Please note it is not appropriate to bring your dogs with you. If you are interested in more details of the course, or wish to be placed on a waiting list, please leave a comment next to one of my posts or email me on mflowers81@live.co.uk

Terms and Conditions

Birding with Flowers

Terms and Conditions

1.0 General

1.1. Birding with Flowers organises birdwatching and wildlife walks and events to enable participants to learn bird identification, to gain knowledge of habitats and wildlife in general to enhance their enjoyment and appreciation of the countryside. These terms and conditions must be agreed by anyone joining a 10-week birding course or a special one-off event.

1.2 Birding with Flowers reserves the right to revise these Terms and Conditions at any time by updating these pages. It is your responsibility to review and understand the Terms and Conditions. If you are booking a course or event you will be asked to return a signed slip stating that you agree to these legally binding Terms and Conditions. If you do not agree to the Terms and Conditions please do not ask to participate in Birding with Flowers courses or events.

1.3 The Birding with Flowers blog HYPERLINK "http://www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com" www.eybirdwatching.blogspot.com, the weekly East Yorkshire Birdwatching Walks and one-off special events are managed and operated by Birding with Flowers. The Terms and Conditions set out below constitute the agreement between you (the client) and us (Birding with Flowers or BWF).

1.4 Whilst we make every effort to provide you with up to date details for courses and events, it is ultimately your responsibility to check whether they have been cancelled or rescheduled by checking emails or, where applicable, text messages the evening before a session. We take all reasonable steps to ensure the information on the blog, in the course itineraries and for one-off events is accurate at the time of publishing and continues to be accurate. Liability for any loss or damage arising from inaccuracies, omissions or interpretation of contents is limited to the cost of the session. If you believe any content to be inaccurate please contact us on 07946 625677, or email us at mflowers81@live.co.uk and we will take all reasonable steps to correct it as soon as possible.

2.0 Payments and Bookings

2.1 For the complete 10-week course we require full payment in advance. If payment is not made before the date specified in the course particulars, your place may be given to another client.

2.2 One-off short (2-3 hours) walks may be paid for on the day in cash, but preference will always be made to those who pay in advance.

2.3 Except for payments for short walks (see 2.2 above), payments made by BACS are preferred by us as this is a safe, quick and easy method of payment. You will require the Birding with Flowers account number and bank sorting code. You will need to include your surname and the day you attend as a reference. If you require our bank details this will be sent in two separate emails, please do not reply to those emails for security reasons.

2.4 If you do not want to make a BACS payment you may still pay by cheque. Payment by cheque requires your contact details written on the reverse. If you pay by cheque, you should be aware that your cheque will take a few days to arrive in the post, and your payment will not be recognised as completed until the cheque has cleared, which will take several more working days. Please take this into consideration when sending your cheque. For details on how to pay by cheque please email us at mflowers81@live.co.uk

2.5 No cash payments should be sent to us in the post.

2.6 You are required to ensure, when booking a course or event, that there are sufficient funds to cover the cost of the service. Payment will be taken in advance for the services offered and if payment fails, bookings will not be made until an alternative payment has been made. If there are any changes to your details that may affect your booking it is your responsibility to inform Birding with Flowers by contacting us on 07946 625677, or email us at mflowers81@live.co.uk

2.7 It is important that you print the email of the confirmation of your booking for your own reference.

3.0 Data Protection

3.1 Birding with Flowers takes your contact details as part of the booking process. Your details will not be shared with any third party or organisation. If you request another member’s email or phone number for whatever purpose, your message will be forwarded to that client, but any reply will remain between yourself and that client.

4.0 Intellectual Property

4.1 As a member of the Birding with Flowers course you may be sent detailed itineraries, birdsong calendars, species location spreadsheets, bird identification flowcharts and other original items. Any items marked with copyright should not be shared with any third party, including previous members of the course. Once a person has left the course they are no longer entitled to receive further publications.

5.0 Changes and Cancellation: by Birding with Flowers

5.1 Birding with Flowers begins planning courses and events many months in advance. On occasions we have to make changes to details both before and after bookings have been confirmed. With outdoor classes and events, local weather, transport or a host of other uncontrollable factors can mean a change in the itinerary. Although we always take all reasonable steps to avoid changes, we must reserve the right to do so.

5.2 If we have to make a minor alteration to your itinerary or travel arrangements before departure, we will, if practicable, advise you before departure but we are not obliged to do so or to pay you compensation.

5.3 In the event of poor weather conditions which we consider will seriously affect the quality of a class or one-off event, we reserve the right to postpone or cancel the class or one-off event. In this case you will usually be offered alternative dates for the same or similar event from our programme of events.

5.4 If we have to cancel an individual class, or one-off event, completely due to unforeseen circumstances such as illness of the course leader, extreme weather events or major travel disruption, where possible we will offer an alternative date. If we have no alternative dates to offer, you will receive a full refund of all monies paid for that class or event.

5.5 If a major change is made (e.g. cancellation of all or more than 2 classes of your course or a one-off event e.g. because of the illness of the course leader), we will inform you as soon as possible. In this circumstance we will offer you the choice of the following options:

a) accepting an alternative course, part-course or one-off event arranged by Birding with Flowers and beginning on an arranged day; or

b) transferring your payment to a future course or one-off event run by Birding with Flowers of a similar standard to that originally booked, if available. We will endeavour to offer you at least one alternative course or one-off event of equivalent or higher standard.

In the event of no alternatives being available, or if you are unable to attend a future course or one-off event, a refund for the cancelled proportion of the course or for the one-off event will be offered.

5.6 The decision as to whether a change is minor or major lies with Birding with Flowers, who will act fairly in all circumstances.

5.7 No liability beyond offering the above-mentioned options can be accepted where we are forced to make a change or cancel as a result of unusual and unforeseeable circumstances beyond our control, the consequences of which we could not have avoided even with all due care. No compensation will be payable and the above options will not be available if we cancel as a result of your failure to comply with any requirement of our Terms and Conditions entitling us to cancel (e.g. not paying on time) or if the change made is a minor one.

5.8 In the event that a course or event is cancelled by Birding with Flowers because of insufficient numbers signing up for it, a full refund of monies paid by you will be made. However, no further liability will be accepted by Birding with Flowers. Usually an alternative course will be arranged.

6.0 Changes and cancellation by the client

6.1 You may cancel your booking for a course or one-off event at any stage; however, a full refund will not be issued if cancellation is notified to Birding with Flowers less than 7 days before the course commences or the event is due to take place. In the event of serious illness or a major change in your personal circumstance notified by you, any refund of some or all of the course fee or event fee would be at the discretion of Birding with Flowers.

6.2. You may request a change to a booking by contacting us by email or telephone. If possible, a request to change the day/and or time of a course or an individual class will be permitted, providing there is a vacancy for the replacement day and/or time.

6.3 Please note that failure to attend a course, a single class or one-off event without first informing Birding with Flowers cannot be regarded as a cancellation. Unless otherwise agreed, clients who fail to attend a class or event without prior notice will not receive a refund for the course, missed class or one-off event.

7.0 What is Included on BWF Courses or One-Off events

7.1 See the course itineraries or details of one-off events for what you can expect to be provided by Birding with Flowers.

8.0 What is Not Included on BWF Courses, or One-Off Events

8.1 Birding with Flowers does not organise or pay for clients’ travel expenses to and from events, such as public transport or car hire. We do not pay for telephone calls, snacks or any items of a personal nature.

9.0 Insurance

9.1 Birding with Flowers has taken out full indemnity insurance for events held in the UK.

10.0 Special Requests

10.1 If you have any special requests, you should inform us of such requests at the time of booking. We will try our best to accommodate your requirements but we cannot guarantee that such requests will be met. Furthermore, we have no liability to you if such requests are not met.

10.2 Confirmation that a special request has been noted or the inclusion of the special request on your confirmation or any other documentation is not confirmation that the request will be met.

10.3 If you have any medical problem or disability which may affect your course or one-off event, (e.g. heart condition, asthma, epilepsy, mobility problems, mental condition etc.) please tell us when making your booking so that we can advise as to the suitability of the chosen arrangements. In any event, you must give us full details in writing at the time of booking. If we reasonably feel unable to properly accommodate your particular needs, we must reserve the right to decline your reservation or, if full details are not given at the time of booking, cancel when we become aware of these details.

11.0 Behaviour

11.1 When you book with us, you accept responsibility for any damage or loss caused by your negligence.

11.2 You are respectfully requested to switch off your mobile phone, or switch it to silent mode, for the duration of the birdwatching session. If you are expecting an urgent call during any particular session, please let the course leader know before the commencement of the class. Otherwise if your phone rings without arrangement during a session, do not be offended if you are asked to switch it off.

11.3 You are respectfully requested to wear muted colours for birdwatching sessions. Dark colours allow us to get a little closer to the birds and may prolong our observation of the wildlife. If you arrive wearing bright red, white, yellow or pink you must expect to be asked to cover up.

11.4 Birding with Flowers requests participants to observe the basics of fieldcraft. This means when we are approaching wildlife unnecessary noise should be kept to a minimum. If clients are talking loudly they may be asked to be quiet.

11.5 We expect all clients to have consideration for other people. The majority of Birding with Flowers clients are non-smokers. In order that they can enjoy their course or one-off event in comfort, we insist that smokers refrain from smoking or vaping in the proximity of all other group members, and while watching wildlife, at all times. Smoking indoors in any public space – e.g. bird hide – is illegal, while smoking in any confined space – e.g. at any other group gathering or in a vehicle – cannot be permitted. Additionally, Birding with Flowers implements a policy of eco-tourism and requests that smokers dispose of used cigarette ends, which contain non-biodegradable material, responsibly. In booking a course or one-off event you agree to accept these guidelines, and it is the right of our course leader to dismiss from a class, event or course any participant failing to respect them.

11.6 If, in the reasonable opinion of the course leader, you behave in such a way as to cause or be likely to cause danger, upset or distress to any third party (including the course leader) or damage to property or fauna (including the collecting of any specimen from the natural world, for example any plants or insects), we are entitled, without prior notice, to terminate your attendance on the course or one-off event of the person(s) concerned. In this situation, you will be required to leave the course or event immediately. We will have no further responsibility toward you including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

11.7 If, in the reasonable opinion of the tour leader you are asked to modify your behaviour in any way, that modification, once agreed, must be adhered to. Any failure to modify your behaviour as previously agreed will result in the immediate expulsion of that person(s) from the course. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

11.8 The course leader reserves the right to bar any person that he/she considers is behaving in any manner detrimental to the smooth running of the course from attendance on any future courses or one-off events. In the first instance this will involve the lack of a renewal information for a future course or one-off event to the individual(s) concerned. Renewal emails/renewals will only automatically be sent to those whose behaviour has caused no problems to either the course leader or to other members attending the course or one-off event.

11.9 If any course member has a problem with the behaviour of any other course member this must be brought to the attention of the course leader, preferably in writing. The person(s) concerned will be questioned and the opinion of other course members sought. If the case appears weak the individual will be informed of his/her alleged behaviour, and warned that any future recurrence will result in immediate explusion. If the case against the individual appears strong then that person(s) will be required to leave the course or event immediately. We will have no further responsibility toward such person(s) including any return travel arrangements. No refunds will be made and we will not pay any expenses or costs incurred as a result of the termination.

12.0 The course leader’s decision on any dispute is final.