Birding with Flowers: January 2019

Saturday, 26 January 2019

Plenty, Despite the Weather

On Tuesday we were able to go to the wolds as planned, and we left well before the snow which was forecast. There was hardly any wind, so we found several Red Kites "marooned" in various trees. A female Pheasant had recently been hit on the side of the road halfway up the hill, so this carrion became the focus of the raptors. We had various good views of Kites throughout the morning, and just the occasional Buzzard.

Red Kites

No.7 your time isn't up!

ditto

The bird above is over 15 years old and hadn't been spotted for a while until we saw it on Tuesday. A female Pheasant had been knocked over by the side of the road. When we returned an hour earlier considerable chunks of the Pheasant were missing. This bird was sat in the nearest tree, and plunged into the air as we began to climb the hill.

Red Kite

In the village we went to the small nature reserve, and once again a grey/brown bundle was sat in a tree near a large growth of ivy - it was a Tawny Owl. Steve brought his telescope, and after a lot of staring everyone was able to make out the owl. We headed for the stream and a few trees, and we saw a great deal of wildlife there. The first thing was a pair of unmentionables, but they swam towards a lovely Grey Wagtail on a branch caught in the stream. We had been watching the wildlife here for well over 5 minutes when suddenly there was an explosion at the base of the tree we were standing adjacent to - it was a Woodcock. It flew low and disappeared between two trees on the perimeter of the copse. Unfortunately, we weren't able to catch a glimpse of it again. We were serenaded by a Treecreeper, and again it was Steve who spotted it.

Grey Wagtail

A very yellow back view

Marsh Tit

Bullfinches [far left & right]

Treecreeper

Claws

Ditto

The Tuesday morning group saw 11 species, bringing the total for 2019 to a pretty respectable 64 so far.

Tree Sparrow

Tree [left] & House [right] Sparrows

Snow had fallen on Tuesday night at home, but we went ahead with the LDV anyway. There was no snow around North Cave, Howden or all the way to York. However, there was a very severe frost, which got worst the further we journeyed inland.

Vast areas of floodwater had frozen over, so the reduced, but still plentiful wildfowl was confined to a relatively restricted area. The Cormorants had departed, but they were still seen flying over from time to time. The light from the first hide was quite difficult, as we were looking into the sun. Flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover flew over us, and then directly out from the hide I spotted a raptor on the ice. It proved to be a female Peregrine falcon. After a few minutes she took off alarming the Lapwings and some of the wildfowl. She only made a desultory attempt to take a prey item.

Bullfinch - eating Bramble remains

ditto

Male Stonechat

ditto

We carried on to the other hides where the light was better for us. Pintails were seen through Eric's scope, and a pair of Stonechats caught insects outside the hide. On the return journey Brian spotted the Siberian (?) Chiffchaff, which was eventually seen by all the morning group. The passerines had all gone by the afternoon, except the charms of Goldfinches. However, the afternoon session saw at least 2 Marsh Harriers and two Buzzards. From the middle hide we saw Tufted Duck, Wigeon & Teal. There were a lot of Shelducks on the main area of water, and if you checked carefully there were a good number of Pintail. Scanning into another area on the way back it was just possible to make out some Whooper Swans.

Feeding in undergrowth

damn twigs!

Lapwings

Record shot of Peregrine on the ice

taking off

ditto

Whooper Swans

Mixed Duck flock - flushed by Marsh Harrier

Buzzard

The Wednesday afternoon group encountered 37 species, taking the 2019 tally to 59.

One that got away, seen in between classes!

Collared Dove - back at the centre

On Thursday we were able to visit East Park as planned. However, the car parking area was surrounded with black ice, so leaving the cars was extremely hazardous. There was no sign of the Jays again, but on reaching the first island with a little free water there was a male Kingfisher hidden in thick vegetation. It was a lot closer than normal, but remained in place despite 10 peering faces, because elsewhere most of the lakes were iced up. In the afternoon the Kingfisher had gone, but a Little Grebe was seen in its place.

Record Shot of Kingfisher

We carried on and the next area free from ice resulted in a few Goosanders. The drakes remained behind the island, but a few females were visible in front. A couple of Tufted Ducks showed well too. In the afternoon a bright yellow Grey Wagtail flew overhead. Two Pochard were visible either side of a young swan, but they were quite distant. Then we climbed a grassy bank covered in snow and were having a good look under the willows when Jan spotted a Sparrowhawk fly into the trees. There was another less colourful, slightly larger bird in the same tree. Rather surprisingly, two Woodpigeons remained unmoved by the near presence of the hawks.

Drake Goosander

ditto

Ditto

Drake Goosander

Immature Male Goosander?

Tufted Duck

Male Sparrowhawk

ditto

There was nothing to see near the splashboat, as this area was completely covered in ice. After a toilet stop we circumnavigated the final two islands. A sunbathing male Sparrowhawk was seen, but it wasn’t clear if this was the same bird which we saw earlier. New in this area were a pair of Greenfinches, and a little later a Mistle Thrush.

Stock Dove

On the return journey our search for a Goldcrest was successful. The afternoon class ventured into a new area and were rewarded with a probable Treecreeper roosting site, which also had a pair of Goldcrests in the same tree.

Goldcrest

ditto

Treecreeper

Ditto

Dabchick

Little Grebe [right]

Mistle Thrush

Coots

Black-headed Gulls

Common Gull

Herring Gull

ditto

Unmentionables

Unmentionable

ditto

Canada Geese

On Friday we were able to go to Ness End as planned. We started in the little copse across the road where a Great Spotted Woodpecker was drumming with another answering in the distance. There were Bullfinches along the hedgerow and Reed Buntings eatings seeds among the Willowherb. However, the rudest man we've ever encountered previously was there before us, so we went anti-clockwise round the reserve to avoid him as much as possible. We saw Little Grebe, Shoveler, a female Pochard and could hear the squealing Water Rails, although we didn't catch a glimpse of them. When we eventually arrived at Ness Hide we were lucky enough to get the most prolonged view of a Bittern in flight it was possible to get. At one point it was joined in the air by a Heron, so a direct size comparison was possible.

Bittern

Croaking

ditto

Heron [left & Bittern]

Heron

In the afternoon we were able to resume our normal clockwise route. Unfortunately, we didn't see a Bittern, but a Fieldfare tried to compensate for the deficiency. In the morning at least three skeins of Pink-footed Geese, but these dried up completely by the afternoon. Luckily, the male Great Spotted Woodpecker started drumming especially for the afternoon class.

Fieldfare

ditto

Pink-footed Geese

ditto

Both Friday groups encountered 37 species.

Male Reed Bunting

Female Reed Bunting

Wigeon

One morning participant tried out a new reserve quite close to home and had an intimate encounter with a male Kestrel. If you are of a nervous disposition you may want to look away!

ditto

Meanwhile, another morning participant spent some time near Jervaulx Abbey over the past week, and she was lucky enough to encounter a pair of courting Dippers.

Meanwhile, back in Ossett a male Sparrowhawk has been keeping an eye on the small birds visiting a certain garden...

ditto

Hiding away

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.