Birding with Flowers

Wednesday, 8 July 2009

Coney Rise

Small Copper

Small Skippers

Meadow Brown

Grasshopper

Comma

Small Tortoiseshell

Green-veined White

Not William Morris Wallpaper!

Marbled White

This was our first visit to a new venue, which is quite difficult to access. It is an area which is supposed to be "Open Access", but parking is over a mile away, so we had to do a lot of walking to get there, and more walking once we arrived! The afternoon was overcast the whole time, with a little bit of light drizzle at times, but we had more than 10 species of butterflies, including: Marbled White (5), Comma (2), Painted Lady (1), Gatekeeper (1), Small Copper (4), Small Heath, Small Skipper (5), Small Tortoiseshell (3), Small White, Green-veined White, Meadow Brown & Ringlet. Most of the birds were fairly distant, bu the cream of them were: Buzzard, Green Woodpecker, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Yellowhammer, Red-legged Partridge, Kestrel - we also heard Grey Partridge. It will interesting to revisit this location in sunny weather to see if the butterflies are even better!

Tuesday, 7 July 2009

Attractive Flower & Hawk Update

Sainfoin

Sparrowhawk Chick

We were very lucky with the weather today, as just after we'd finished we endured a 15-minute torrential downpour and were stuck in a layby, as the adjacent road became a temporary river. Most of the birds were distant, but those which came closer included: Common Tern, Whitethroat, Swallow, Treecreeper and Pied Wagtails. We also saw a really attractive member of the pea family, which I'd never previously identified. After checking my field guide it seems to be Sainfoin. According to Richard Mabey's Flora Britannica "it was named from the French 'St Foyn' and known as 'Holy-Hay', and a more erect pale-flowered form was introduced as a fodder plant from the continent in the middle of the C17th. This strain is widely naturalised and has in recent years been sown on new road embankments. The show on the banks of the M25 shortly after it was opened was one of the ringway's few uplifting features."

Monday, 6 July 2009

Bog Standard

Whinchat - one of mine - water damage?

ditto

Burnet Moth - one of mine

ditto

Sundew's victims

Sundew

Curlew

Heath Spotted Orchid

Wild Strawberry

Bilberry

Cotton-Grass

Having been stuck in the flatlands of Holderness for what seems like half-a-lifetime headed towards Whitby to try & connect with a different landscape & its associated diverse wildlife. Apart from the Curlew & Burnet moth - all the stuff was new. However, as we all now know, I could probably have got a better Whinchat picture on Beverley Westwood! It was overcast when I visited so virtually no interesting insect life, but Maurice's pics from 2 days ago, show what's on offer there in decent weather at the moment.

Sunday, 5 July 2009

Resurrection

Sparrowhawk Chick

ditto

Pied Wagtails

ditto

Following almost identical advice from Marcus & Vince my camera was placed in the airing cupboard for nearly 48 hours after its soaking on Friday morning. Yesterday, Ben, my 9-year-old nephew, found a Sparrowhawk chick sitting on the edge of its nest in our extended garden,which was very frustrating with the camera out of action. So, today I checked the camera first, which seemed to be working again & went to see if the chick was still there. Luckily, for me everything seemed to be back to normal, and the chick was still there. However, a couple of hours later, when Vince came to see it there was nothing to be seen. A parent flew out of the next-door tree, but presumably the chick was asleep in the centre of the rather sprawling nest after an early morning feed.

Friday, 3 July 2009

The Day My Camera Died

Pied Wagtail

Avocet

Reed Warbler

Unfortunately, all images today are from last year. The venue was changed to North Cave from Flamborough because thunderstorms were forecast. I expect to hear that it hasn't rained in Flamboro' at all! The morning started well with a Pied Wagtail feeding two youngsters on the "Kingfisher" perches outside the South Hide. Things went downhill from this moment on. We were at the point of no return at North Cave - the furthest point from any hide - when the Heavens opened. Apart from having a bath or a shower, I have never been so wet in my life, and that includes a downpour on the Humber bank at Brough about 3 years ago, and another at Flamborough 2 years ago. Although I took evasive action by shoving my camera under my kagoule, the power of the rain was just too strong. I realised things were bad when the kagoule which pinches tightly at the wrists began to balloon at this point as it filled with water. Most of the water was kept off the camera, but just enough to put it out of action. It is now in the airing cupboard for a couple of days, to see if it can be salvaged. I had to return home after aborting the morning class because every item of clothing was drenched. After getting changed and having lunch I returned to North Cave for the afternoon session. This time we saw 4 young Wagtails being fed, but we had no camera to catch the action. Apparently, there have been 9 Avocets chicks at this location this year, and 4 were still visible this afternoon. One was quite well grown, but the other 3 still looked quite vulnerable. The only other young birds of note were the many Reed Warblers (including immatures) flying back & forth under the Turret hide and 3 Common Tern chicks on the raft opposite East hide. On a positive note my mobile phone escaped the downpour, but I'd rather have lost that than the camera!

2 Lifers for Thurs pm Class

Bar-tailed Godwits

Knot

Whimbrel

Yesterday was the final visit to Beacon Ponds this year. There were lots of butterflies on Beacon Lane with the 1st Gatekeeper of the year added to the list of species mentioned on Tuesday. 2 days ago we saw a dead porpoise on the beach with a chunk bitten out of it just behind the head. Yesterday it had been virtually stripped of flesh. The Litte Tern warden, Michael McNaghten, disturbed a fox eating the porpoise at 1pm the previous afternoon. The most unusual bird seen was a Curlew Sandpiper, which was generously pointed out for both groups by Michael. In the afternoon 4 Whimbrel landed close to the hide, later joined by a Curlew & a Bar-tailed Godwit. At high tide there were over 1000 Knot, a couple of hundred Dunlin, and a dozen or so Bar-tailed Godwits, some of them in breeding plumage. The camera was left at home, so all the above pics were taken from Chalk Bank hide last summer.

Wednesday, 1 July 2009

Shelves Still Groaning

Puffin

Guillemot

The supermarket shelves were still fully stocked today with plenty of Puffins, Guillemots, Razorbills, Kittiwakes, Herring Gulls, Rock/Feral Doves, Meadow Pipits, Skylarks and Jackdaws. There were nearly 30 Linnets in the grassy areas near North Marsh. A Dunlin flew past in the morning clearly disorientated by the mist; whilst in the afternoon a couple of Sand Martins joined the Swallows and plenty of House Martins. Meanwhile Swifts kept heading south in twos and threes. Both groups managed to glimpse a Rock Pipit, looking distinctly darker and larger than the more abundant Meadow Pipits. The mist stayed most of the morning only thinning around 11.30, but by 1pm it was coming in again. In the brief respite in the morning we had the best views of Shags in any of the visits so far, and Gannets could be glimpsed - most of them heading south. There were several Painted Ladies, Meadow Browns, Ringlets, Burnet moths & one Cinnabar. The car park crawled with vintage motor bikers & schoolkids, but at this location you can manage to get away from them & still enjoy the birds.

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Autumn Term Details

Bookings for the 10-week Autumn term have started. At the time of writing there are most vacancies on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday afternoons & Thursday afternoons with a single space on Wednesday mornings. 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. In the Autumn we’ll be hoping to encounter Short-eared Owls, Hen Harriers, and plenty of waders on the coast & at our estuarine venues. We will be visiting venues in East Yorkshire with a couple of ventures into North Lincolnshire and possibly one just in West Yorkshire So, if you are interested in learning more about your local wildlife in beautiful and secluded venues for £13 a week, please 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. If you use iCloud your email will need to be sent to michaeljflowers@yahoo.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.