Wednesday 22 August 2012

Countdown to Autumn Classes

There's less than 2 weeks to go before my East Yorkshire Wildlife classes resume, so there's not a lot of time left to book, if you intend to do so.  The Thursday classes are full, but there are still a couple of vacancies on a few of the other sessions on Tuesday am, Tuesday pm, Wednesday pm & Friday pm.  

We will be looking for birds on migration, so we will be hoping to catch up on migrants on the coast - with visits to Spurn Point & Flamborough.  We will also be visiting some estuary sites at high tide, so we can see waders at close quarters.  Many beginners experience difficulties with distinguishing waders, but hopefully I will be able to assist at identifying these tricky birds.  

The Autumn can also be the best time of year to see such stunning little birds as Bearded Tits, so we will be visiting at least 2 locations where we have a good chance of seeing these absolute crackers.  

Bearded Tit

In the last decade our chances of watching Hobbies has improved immeasurably, so we will also be going to a couple of venues where we have a good chance of watching these dashing little falcons catching & eating dragonflies in mid-air.

Hobby with Dragonfly  Photo (c) 2012 Mike Day
The Kingfisher is a popular bird with almost everyone (apart from some twitchers).  It has suffered badly in the past 3 winters, but I will try & ensure every participant has the best possible views of this stunning bird, which seems too colourful to be British!

Kingfisher
Barn Owls were also badly hit in recent winters, but seem to be doing well along the coast and estuary, so we'll also be catching up with this charismatic giant moth of a bird.  We'll be going on a special Barn Owl Safari in exactly the same spot where this individual was perched, as well as observing them hunt along drainage ditches in the wilds of Holderness.
 Barn Owl
 As the end of the term approaches, we'll also be travelling to an area which has roosting Red Kites, so you can marvel at these masters of aerial manoeuvrability!  
Red Kite near its Roost

Other birds we should catch up with are featured on this blogpost , but we will probably identify over 100 species in the whole 10 weeks.  We will also identify any mammals, butterflies, and dragonflies we encounter, and make a stab at fungi and moths.  You'll find your session an all-round wildlife encounter in both beautiful or bleak locations - certainly places with plenty of character.  The course is extremely competitively priced, so you will find that you have spent a minimum of cash for a very worthwhile experience, and some scenes will be seared on your memory for years to come.  To book a place, just contact me on the email address listed on the top right of this blog.  

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