Birdwatching in Hull & East Yorkshire

or

Birding with Michael Flowers

Gannet at Bempton Cliffs - ©Chris Cox 2006

Ten weekly visits to 10 different East Yorkshire nature reserves to primarily identify birds, but also mammals, butterflies, flowers and other wildlife.

Learn about one of the UK's most popular hobbies in a safe and friendly environment.

Courses start at three times: the second week of the New Year, after Easter, and the 3rd week of September.

Beginners will be given advice on suitable pairs of binoculars and the most convenient field guides to purchase. You will learn different aspects of fieldcraft, giving you a better chance to find birds when on your own. Many different aspects of birdwatching will be covered, so that you will discover what an interesting and rewarding hobby it is. You can expect to see about 100 species during every 10-week course.

Some walking will be necessary most weeks, but this will be a maximum of two miles taken at a gentle pace, and each class will last between 2 and 2½ hours.

You will need your own transport to get to the locations, and your own pair of binoculars, but you will be given the opportunity to use a telescope to observe birds at some sites.

During the winter months we should be able to see such iconic birds as Waxwings, Kingfishers, Barn Owls, and Red Kites as well as learning to identify waders and wildfowl along the Humber estuary and at inland wetland locations.

In spring we will begin to concentrate on areas of woodland and hedgerow to identify birds by their songs and calls. However, we will still find time to visit East Yorkshire's famous nesting colonies of seabirds.

In the autumn we will travel to Spurn, Filey and Flamborough Head in an attempt to identify migrating species. Later we will visit relatively new sites, such as Paull Holme Strays on the Humber to identify waders and wildfowl.

You will need warm and waterproof clothing, especially during the winter months, and stout shoes or Wellingtons are recommended at many locations.  Always bring more clothing than you think you will need, as it is always easier to leave excess clothing in your car than watch birds without enough insulation!

You will be given the opportunity of having a snack and hot drink during the middle of each session.

Venues visited so far include: Allerthorpe Common, Barmston, Beacon Ponds, Bempton, Blacktoft Sands, Brough Haven, Burton Bushes, Burton Riggs, Cherry Cobb Sands, Danes' Dyke, East Park (Hull), Far Ings, Filey Dams, Fraisthorpe, Haverfield Quarries, Hornsea Mere, Houghton Woods, Hudson Way Linear Nature Reserve, Humber Bridge Country Park, Kiplingcotes Chalk Pit, Leven Canal, McCann Nature Reserve, Millington Wood, North Cave Wetlands, North Cliffe Wood, North Duffield Carrs, Nutwood (Raywell), Paull Holme Strays, Pocklington Canal, Pulfin Bog & High Eske, Skipwith Common, South Cave, South Dalton Park, Spurn Point, Stone Creek,Thorne Moors, Tophill Low, Wassand Hall Woodland, Welton Water, Welwick Saltings & Wheldrake Ings.

Spurn Point - one of the best places in the UK to observe migration
© Chris Cox 2006

Future excursions may include return visits to some of the above, plus: Denaby Ings, Fairburn Ings, Potteric Carr, Whitton Sands and some newly-created wildlife-friendly sites.

Please note it is not appropriate to bring your dogs with you to these locations!

Classes run currently twice-daily Tuesday to Friday with an afternoon class only on Mondays. The morning classes begin at 10am, and the afternoon ones at 1.30pm. The sessions are currently restricted to a maximum of 12, so we do not overcrowd the hides!

At the time of writing (October 2006) we have identified a total of 176 species at the above locations. The most recent interesting sightings have included a female Merlin taking a Dunlin in front of our eyes at Paull Holme Strays and a Shore Lark feeding quietly & unconcerned adjacent to our cars at Spurn Point!

This course began as a single session on Wednesday mornings in January 2004 with 10 students, and has now grown to 9 sessions a week, with just over 100 participants. The course was previously administered by the East Riding College @ Beverley, where it received an assessment of "outstanding" for the quality of its teaching. However, as with most non-vocational courses the funding subsidy has recently been withdrawn. If you are interested in more information regarding the course, or if you wish to put yourself on a waiting list, please contact the tutor.

I always recommend that anyone interested in wildlife in East Yorkshire should become a member of the
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and the RSPB.

Interesting Links

Course News  http://www.holderness.karoo.net/birdnews.htm

Course Photos  http://www.holderness.karoo.net:80/birdphotos.htm

 Local Wildlife Websites

East Yorkshire RSPB Group  http://www.eymg.freeserve.co.uk/links.htm

Hull Valley Wildlife Group  http://www.hullvalleywildlifegroup.org.uk/ 

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust  http://www.yorkshire-wildlife-trust.org.uk/

Butterfly Conservation (Yorkshire Branch)  http://www.yorkshirebutterflies.org.uk/

East Riding Dragonflies  http://www.erdragonflies.co.uk/index.htm

Local Walking Group  http://www.minsterwalkers.co.uk/index.html
 

Link to my East Yorkshire 2007 Birdwatching Calendar

Pictures by Chris Cox  a participant on the course

Images of Yorkshire by Chris Cox

Links to my other sites of  Victorian Novelists:
Mrs. Henry Wood             Charlotte Riddell

Site created October 2006

Updated January 2007 New links
Webb site Editor

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