Birding with Flowers: September 2009

Wednesday, 30 September 2009

Pretty Tame Stuff

Comma

Red Admiral

Speckled Wood

Hawthorn Shield Bug

Sunflower

Chicory

Record shot of Jay

Lighthouse

A return visit to last Thursday's venue without the explicit nudity! The morning started well with a total of 6 Stonechats spotted from the car park. There was no sign of the Snow Bunting, and the number of Linnets were well down, although a few Wheatear were still present. The largest surprise of the morning was a bird which flew out of Welkie Wood & headed towards us standing outside Old Fall plantation - a Jay - quite a surprise! It passed directly overhead & either flew in to Old Fall or may even have kept on going to the cliff edge & beyond! In this same area in the afternoon we had a sole Golden Plover going in the opposite direction. Otherwise nothing special, but what can you expect when the wind is coming from an uninteresting direction! Brian recorded 33 species in the morning, and the Golden Plover made it 34!

Tuesday, 29 September 2009

Large Mammals

Alpha male - apparently nodding off

Youngish stags

Beta males fighting

Hinds

The bird easiest to see today!

Richard Hampshire, the warden at Tophill Low, kindly gave up his morning off to show the Tues am group around his old ‘manor.’ The birds were a little thin on the ground apart from flighty Jays which were very plentiful. In the morning more than one Nuthatch was heard, but these were silent in the afternoon. At least 2 different Buzzards were seen, as well as a male Kestrel in the afternoon. In the morning a flock of c.6 Bullfinches were seen along the south-east corner of the fenced-off area. In contrast to the relative paucity of bird sightings, the views of large mammals were much better than average. The fallow deer were rather quiet, but there were some beautiful dappled examples, a white female & some very attractive fawns. The Red Deer were a different matter. The alpha male was only occasionally noisy; whilst his harem of c30 hinds were relatively docile. 2 younger males had a little scuffle in the morning until the chief male sent them all packing. We had closer views of the stag in the afternoon, but fighting amongst the others was non-existent. The trees and gardens were beautiful, and their fruit plentiful: acorns, beech-mast, guelder rose berries & sweet chestnuts.

Monday, 28 September 2009

Bath Time

C'mon Greenfinch, your time is up!

Goldfinch

Three-at-a-time

Great Tit - waiting its turn

Forgot to include these from the other day. Taken through glass in bright sunshine. Just need to connect with the Long-tailed Tits doing the same thing!

Friday, 25 September 2009

Middle of Nowhere

Grey Plover - Bird of the Afternoon

Pink-footed Geese

Knot

There were swirling flocks of Knot and Golden Plover as we arrived at today's location - we had just missed the high tide. It was a new location for several of the people there. There were plenty of other waders on show, including Grey Plover, Redshank, Curlew, and a briefly stopping Greenshank. Also present were Shelduck and Mallard, and at least 3 Little Egrets, but the Pink-footed Geese in a nearby field were more of a surprise. The top passerine was a Wheatear, followed a long way behind by Linnet, Goldfinch, Meadow Pipit, Reed Bunting and a Yellowhammer (pm only). Barbara had a glimpse of Kingfisher in the afternoon, but quality birds were generally few and far between in the strong westerly winds.

Thursday, 24 September 2009

Ooo, er, Missus!

Snow Bunting - Bird of the Morning

Spotted Flycatcher - Bird of the Afternoon

Meadow Pipit

Well, we've seen it all now! A couple with a champagne bottle at 10.30am in strong sunlight were stripped for action on a bench in a place quite popular with twitchers after an easterly wind. Sorry, no x-rated pictures were taken! Meanwhile, the birds were relatively few and far between. However, a single Snow Bunting (almost a quarter of-a-mile away) in a bare field was the bird of the morning, and at least 4 Wheatears were present in the same field which also contained more than 50 Linnets. The birds of the afternoon were a pair of Spotted Flycatchers which had moved into the area after the nearly copulating human couple had left. The Flycatchers were being chased by 3 juvenile Willow Warblers. On the sea were several Comorants and Shags; which in the afternoon were drying on the rocks, where they were joined by a nervy juvenile Heron. A Curlew & an Oystercatcher were among the nearby rock pools. Never my favourite location, it is even worse in westerly winds - we need some easterlies to pep things up.

Wednesday, 23 September 2009

Home of the Rusks

Stonechat

Dunlin

Meadow Pipit

Black-headed Gull

Pink-footed Geese

We went to a venue which we avoided last year because of the extra distance involved and the soaring petrol prices – guess what, petrol prices are still increasing! In the morning we shared cars to the housing estate where we saw a flock of Dunlin, at least 8 Snipe and a Common Sandpiper. Also present 2 Herons, Teal, and the usual suspects, plus close comparison was possible between Stock Dove and Woodpigeon. We went back to the car park & drove to the headland. There were massive numbers of Meadow Pipits, Pied Wagtails and Goldfinches on the cut grass right alongside the road. Unfortunately, when one of our group stopped for a few seconds to take pictures an impatient road hog nearly caused an accident! Along the headland we saw 2 elusive Wheatear, whilst Shags & Cormorants were hanging their wings out to dry. There were lots of Oystercatchers. In the afternoon we spent the whole time scrambling over rocks where we saw even more Oystercatchers, but also a good flock of Knot, Dunlin, Redshank & a scattering of Turnstones. Unfortunately, we couldn’t track down any Purple Sandpipers. There was a flock of 8 scruffy (eclipse) Eider on the sea. Was a bit worried about Dave S on the steep climb back up to the car park, but he was still breathing when he got in his car. Around the pool near the car park were more Meadow Pipits, Swallows & Martins, and a brief glimpse of a Yellow Wagtail, but the highlight here was a showy pair of Stonechat. Not a classic visit to this location, but slightly more productive than yesterday’s visit to Spurn!

Tuesday, 22 September 2009

A Windy Start

Yellow Wagtail

Kestrel

Buzzard

Sloe Berries

There was a very strong westerly wind at Spurn today - not prefect for the 1st class of the new term; and certainly not the best direction for quality birds. This afternoon's class contained the greatest number of first-timers, so I would have preferred a northerly or easterly wind to have brought some interesting birds down. However, if we had been swamped with quality birds it's possible that the newcomers may have found too many unusual birds rather confusing. The radio buzzed into life just before the morning class was due to start with the call of a "large raptor" - this materialised as a Buzzard - not a common sight at Spurn. The best birds of the afternoon were the 5 Yellow Wagtails prancing about among the feet of the Long-horned cattle - one of which was very bright. Other birds seen included: Whimbrel, Bar-tailed Godwit, Teal, Meadow Pipit, Shelduck, Golden Plover, Turnstone, Linnet, & young House Martins still in the nest. Anyone disappointed by the quantity and quality of birds this week, should find an improvement in future weeks.

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Autumn Course Details

Bookings for the 10-week Autumn term have started. At the time of writing there are most vacancies on Tuesday & Friday mornings with a couple of spaces on most 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 Autumn we'll be paying special attention to finding and identifying birds on migration. Autumn visitors we are hoping to track down include: Redstarts, Flycatchers, Warblers, Rough-legged Buzzards, Hen Harriers, Short-eared Owls & various wading birds. We will be visiting venues in East Yorkshire with a couple of ventures into North Lincolnshire and West 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.