Birding with Flowers: December 2011

Friday, 23 December 2011

Twinkling Scarborough Lights

Yesterday the forecast was too cloudy for the Short-eared owls, so I thought I'd take my nephew to see the Great Northern, Black Throated & Red Throated Divers in Scarborough Harbour. The weather improved during the drive until at Scarborough itself the sunlight was very bright & the wind not too strong. Unfortunately, we could only find a Cormorant & Guillemot in the harbour itself. Not having walked around the harbour, I didn't really know where I was supposed to be looking, but we did find very some very confiding Turnstones & a single Rock Pipit. The Purple Sandpipers were a little more distant, and a Red-throated Diver flew past & came to land far out at sea. An East Yorkshire snapper also seemed unable to find anything worth photographing & a few other birders were also on the lookout. Then my nephew spotted some Jellyfish & when we looked down we found more & more of them. Some contained green flashing lights, whist others had red pulsing lights running along their sides. We also saw more typical semi-circular jellyfish, but my camera wouldn't focus on these individuals.

After lunch Ben & I popped in to Forge Valley Feeding station. The birds had run out of food, and as soon as I put a little seed down on a table, and before I got back in the car, the birds flocked down in large numbers. There were many Marsh, Great & Blue Tits, plus Chaffinches, Blackbirds & Robins. However, the undoubted stars were the Nuthatches (at least 3) who also came to the table when Ben stood next to the car. Ben also spotted a pair of Treecreepers on nearby trees.

After we left the harbour area, a Weds morning stalwart found the distant Great Northern Diver in the harbour & a twitter acquaintance & his colleague saw a Woodcock being chased by a Peregrine - now, that would have been a sight to see, as long as the Woodcock got away & the Peregrine snatched a gull or pigeon instead!

Sea Gooseberry?

dittlo

Turnstone - only 1 toe on its right foot!

Rock Pipit - with best foot forward

Purple Sandpipers

Shag

Nuthatch

Chaffinch

Marsh Tit

Robin - a sop to the season

Friday, 16 December 2011

Feeling Christmassy!

Although we get Fieldfares flying over the cemetery every Autumn, and even get some landing in the cemetery trees some winters, I don't think we've ever had a Fieldfare in the garden before. Redwings do come in after snowfalls now-and-again, but never a Fieldfare until yesterday. There were also plenty of Blackbirds. Our Pyracanthus berries were suddenly ripe, and the birds knew it. I was secretly hoping for a Waxwing, but a Fieldfare isn't a bad start. I drew the line at 4 Woodpigeons, and once I was certain the Fieldfare had gone, I chased off the big fat pigeons.

In the afternoon I drove round our premier local owl location, but even though the afternoon was perfect there weren't any Owls. However, when I checked a flock of 35 drab little birds on telegraph wires, I was gob-smacked to discover that they were all Corn Buntings. I've seen 1 or 2 breeding birds in the area most summers, but never seen anything like approaching that number there before - in fact I don't remember ever seeing any Corn Buntings at that bleak location in the winter! I don't think it was an accident that they were perched directly over some set-aside!

Fieldfare (& Blackbird)

Corn Bunting

Wednesday, 14 December 2011

More Golden Oldies

My 'students' continue to get out and about & here are the results of a few members of the Wednesday am class visiting Blacktoft Sands & on to a North Lincolnshire site; followed by the Thurs am visit to Far Ings the other week, where they managed to spot a Bittern - if you zoom in you should be able to see some blue coloration near the base of the bill, which indicates that this is probably a male bird.

ditto

Short-eared Owl

ditto

Tuesday, 13 December 2011

Killing Time with a Passerine

Yesterday afternoon looked as if would be the most promising for Tophill's Short-eared Owls, but what to do in the meantime? I decided to go up to RSPB Bempton to look for the Desert Wheatear now the hordes of twitchers had died down. Unfortunately, no one had seen it that morning & I wasn't very hopeful. I made my way to where it had last been seen, but although there were a few scattered observers around no one had seen it.

I was a few yards from the site of the Gannet colony when I noticed a flicker of wings along the cliff edge & then a small passerine emerged and landed on a fence only a few feet away - it was the Desert Wheatear. My camera was on the wrong setting & after I'd rattled off several over exposed shots it flew further away & pulled out a couple of worms. It then flew across the field & was too far for any more photos to be taken.

On to Tophill & walking towards the favoured owl site I was delayed by a Fox up at the back of D reservoir. I caught him on the grass & knowing I'd seen him he shame-facedly returned to the path & made his way to the interpretation board & continued going, keeping to the path at all times!

I hadn't been at Hempholme long when at 1.20 I spotted a Short-eared Owl flying in high from the east towards the spot where I was standing. It just glided down until it reached the green grassy area south of the shooting estate. It then hunted on and off for the next 40 minutes before a second bird emerged from the trees behind it. 5 photographers were in various positions about the site, but when the light disappeared behind thick cloud at 14.25 I decided to call it a day. Other birds heard or seen round here included a large flock of Fieldfare, and a Great Spotted Woodpecker missing most of its tail feathers & the sound of a couple of Bullfinches flying over and a single Redpoll.

I'm not sure I'll get another chance for photography for a while, as the forecast if pretty dire for the remainder of the week.

Desert Wheatear

Short-eared Owl arriving after flying in high from the East

Dropping in to Hempholme

You can just make out those amazing yellow eyes

ditto

Stooping down for a non-existent kill

Kestrel

Fox

Intent on getting to the interpretation board

Fieldfare

Tree Sparrow at Bempton

Sunday, 11 December 2011

Owling at the Moon

The weather has been hit-and-miss recently, but when the weather has been OK, I've gone looking for Barn Owls at our once premier location. I've seen the occasional Barn Owl, but they definitely aren't as numerous even here as they used to be until last December. However, there have been compensations. I've seen a Little Owl in a new location & one afternoon I was lucky enough to see 2 different peregrines. The first, a female, was dragging a partially plucked pigeon in its talons, struggling to get into flight in contrary winds. Only 10 minutes later a young Peregrine flew directly over our heads towards the estuary.

The other day I had my best ever views of a Short-eared Owl, but my camera was on the wrong setting & then a car coming the other way prevented me from taking any decent pictures. It flew right over my car nearly brushing its wings over my roof. There was another one the same day in a different area. And this is where my nephew and I had another close encounter yesterday. This one landed on the bank of a ditch within 6 feet of the car, but a thick hawthorn hedge made photographs difficult. A few minutes later it flew off & perched in a much more open location, but it was a lot further away. It was nearly dark by this time & I had to crank the ISO up to 3200 - something I've nearly had to do before - the results were surprisingly satisfying, even though more than 20 pictures had to be discarded!

Moon over Thorngumbald

Short-eared owl

This was less than 6 feet away, but was the other side of a thick hawthorn hedge

Not a flying cowpat

The Little Owl before it launched itself

Record shot of a Peregrine

Redshank

Back at Home - Great Spotted Woodpecker on the font

Kestrel

Roe Deer

Thursday, 8 December 2011

Tall Tales out of Skool

Although all official classes have finished this year, some 'students' just can't get enough of their encounters with nature, and are even looking for birds on their own! Below is Chris Cox's Short-eared Owl taken at the same location we visited recently. Underneath that are 3 shots of a bird Tony Robinson managed to take at Bempton yesterday. He's trying to string it as a Desert Wheatear, and the only fly in the ointment is that everyone in the birding community would agree with him. Finally, another group claim to have enjoyed great views of a Bittern, but no photos of this have been forthcoming, so we will have to take their word for it!

The weather is too wild for me to venture out today, but I hope to include some exciting pictures of my own soon...

ditto

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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.