FIELD TRIPS
Field trips will start from Gargrave Road (Coach Street) Car Park in Skipton at 0800 unless otherwise stated. Car sharing (with a small contribution towards costs if you are in another's car) will be arranged on the day. Bring lunch, warm clothing, waterproofs and stout shoes as necessary.
Booking and last minute details will be available at the indoor meeting immediately prior to the field trip. If you cannot make that particular indoor meeting and wish to go on the next field trip please contact either Ewart Dawson or Ian Cresswell as early as possible before the field trip. Likewise if you are unable to make a field trip on which you are booked, please let us know as soon as possible.
No car? No problem! Turn up and we'll sort it.
Trips have been planned and organised by Ewart Dawson who, with others, will usually be on hand to guide and assist you with bird recognition if necessary. Even if you're a beginner we'll do our best to help you.
Below is a list of our meetings in the current progamme. A full programme is avalable for download here.
|
2007 |
|||
|
September 27th 2007 Thursday |
Hest Bank, Heysham Harbour and Power Station (Lancashire) |
||
|
With a high tide of 9.7 metres at 1223 we start with a wader and wildfowl watch at RSPB Hest Bank, 2 miles north of Morecambe. Moving after lunch to the Heysham area to the Nature Reserve and Bird Observatory near the power station which is run by the Lancashire Wildlife Trust in conjunction with British Energy Estates. The varied habitat here of wetlands and both acid and alkaline grassland can attract many passerine migrants. The warm water of the power station outflow often attracts gulls and terns and we will continue via the old wooden jetty to the harbour where at this time of year there can be Leach's Storm Petrels if there is a strong onshore wind. Possibly finishing the day at the heliport which also attracts many gulls. |
|||
|
October 20th 2007 Saturday |
** Spurn Point (East Yorkshire) |
||
|
Spurn Point acts as a funnel for birds heading south on their autumn migration and has a reputation as one of Britain's most outstanding sites for autumn "falls". It is difficult and often futile to try and give an exact itinerary for a day here because you have to be flexible enough to react to situations as they develop. We will probably start at the Blue Bell car park to do the classic Blue Bell / Crown and Anchor I Canal Scrape triangle. Possibly walking down Beacon Lane to the Lagoons, or perhaps paying to enter the YNT Reserve to go down the "Narrows" to the Point Dunes. High tide is at 1513 so in the afternoon we could spend some time watching waders and wildfowl on the Humber shore. |
|||
|
November 24th 2007 Saturday |
Rivelin Valley, Redmires Reservoir and Wyming Brook (South Yorkshire) |
||
|
This is a new venue for our group, to a complex situated at the northern edge of the Peak District National Park, some 6 miles west of Sheffield. Conifer plantations which abut the northern and western edges of the reservoir have breeding Siskins and Crossbills, so hopefully some may still be present plus wintering Bramblings. The open heather and bracken moorland below the impressive escarpment of Stanage Edge often has Short-eared Owl as well as wintering Redwings and Fieldfares. Twite, Snow Bunting and Lapland Bunting are possible and the area is good for birds of prey. The reservoirs and Rivelin Dams attract wintering wildfowl. |
|||
|
December 13th 2007 Thursday |
* Leighton Moss (Lancashire) |
||
|
Although at its liveliest in spring and summer, this reserve can provide good birding at any time of year. Winter duck numbers should be approaching their peak and both Bittern and Water Rail can often be easier to see in winter, especially if forced out into the open by frosty weather and frozen pools. At this season Bearded Tits often feed on fallen seed on pathways or in open areas in front of the reedbeds. The twists and turns of the large Starling roost which starts to gather in late afternoon, and which often attracts Sparrowhawks, is one of the most magnificent sites of a winter's day birding. |
|||
|
2008 |
|||
|
January 24th 2008 Thursday |
River Douglas, Hesketh and Banks Marsh and * Marshside (Lancashire) |
||
|
The River Douglas near Tarleton, which is a tributary of the Ribble, is one of the most important sites in Britain for wintering Bewick's Swans. These, together with Whooper Swans and large flocks of Lapwing and Golden Plover, should be a good start to a day's birding. The Environment Agency in conjunction with Natural England and the RSPB are currently undertaking a massive reclamation project at Hesketh Outmarsh. This area together with Banks Marsh is a wintering haven for wildfowl, especially Pink-footed Geese. Duck such as Wigeon and Teal winter here in large numbers and waders such as Knot can be seen in swirling flocks numbering thousands. Skylarks and other small passerines can often be put up by hunting Peregrine and Short-eared Owl. Barn Owl are possible. The day will finish with a visit to the RSPB reserve at Marshside on the very edge of Southport, where Black- tailed Godwit and other waders can be watched from the comfort of the hides. |
|||
|
February 23rd 2008 Saturday |
Wigan Flash (or Pennington Flash) (Lancashire) |
||
|
This is another new venue for our group. The Wigan Flashes (there are about 8 of them) are very similar to the nearby and much larger Pennington Flash and are the result of coal-mining subsidence. The site is run by a partnership of Wigan Council and the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside. Grebes and duck, the latter in large numbers are on the open water and Water Rail are always present as are scrubland birds such as Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer. There are resident Kingfishers and Long-eared Owl often winter in the area. The rubbish tip to the south of Pearson's Flash attracts large numbers of gulls, including occasional Glaucous and Iceland Gull, There are no hides or other facilities at Wigan Flashes so if the day is wet, we shall go to Pennington Flash instead. |
|||
|
March 20th 2008 Thursday |
Marbury Country Park (Cheshire) |
||
|
This 200 acre country park near Comberbach, adjacent to Budworth Mere is run by Cheshire County Council. Country parks can often be difficult for birding because they try to be all things to all men and consequently have too much disturbance, but Marbury, because dogs are excluded from all but one special area, is quieter and has more special facilities for bird watching than most. This is a good time to visit because Lesser Spotted Woodpeckers are vocal and active at this time of year. On our previous visit to Marbury we had all 3 woodpeckers in the day. There is a bird feeding station in the woodland and 2 hides overlooking the mere. |
|||
|
April 19th 2008 Saturday |
Banks Road, Heswall and * Inner Marsh Farm (Cheshire) |
||
|
The morning will be spent with a wader watch on the Dee Estuary at Banks Road at Heswall on the Wirral which is one of the best places on the estuary to see the spectacle of several thousand-strong flocks of ducks and waders as they amass at the mouth and an the banks of the Heswall Gutter. Highlights include Black-tailed Godwits and Golden Plovers. High tide is at 1120 which should just give us a nice time to get there. The meet point is at Banks Road car park, Lower Heswall, near Sheldrake's restaurant. After lunch we will move to the little known RSPB reserve at Inner Marsh Farm, kept "secret" with only booked visits permitted because of limited parking space and difficulty of access along a private road. For this reason we need to use as few cars as possible and may leave some at Burton or Neston to return to later. This pleasant reserve has 2 hides overlooking the pools from which at this time of year we may see passage waders or possibly newly-arrived summer visitors in the hedgerow along the railway embankment. |
|||
|
May 4th 2008 Sunday |
Strid Wood (Part of our 21st celebration) (North Yorkshire) |
||
|
As part of the group's 21st birthday celebration we intend running a mini Bird Fair, possibly in the Bolton Abbey area. As part of this event we will offer guided bird watching for members of the general public, probably in Strid Wood. Help with leading and supervising these walks is needed. Further details about this event will follow. |
|||
|
May 29th 2008 Thursday |
** Potteric Carr (South Yorkshire) |
||
|
Our visit to this Yorkshire Wildlife Trust reserve near Doncaster in November, 2006 was ruined by the gale force winds. We saw enough, however, to realise that the site also had potential as a summer bird watching venue. This 500 acre reserve (one of the largest urban nature reserves in the country) has recently undergone improvements including the building of a new visitor centre and café and now has a means of crossing the railway lines which opens up new areas to visitors. A day permit costs £2.50. There are four colour marked routes and we will probably devise one which concentrates on the woodlands, but which arrives at the visitor centre for lunchtime. This will allow us to visit the nearby feeding station which Willow Tits regularly visit, The reserve is at the northern limits of birds such as Nightingale and the now sadly scarce Turtle Dove, but Cuckoo is still relatively common here. |
|||
|
June 20th-22nd 2008 Friday to Sunday Early booking essential |
* Minsmere Weekend (Suffolk) |
||
|
The details for this week-end have not yet been finalised. The plan is to travel to Suffolk on the Friday and return on Sunday. Undoubtedly we will spend Saturday at Minsmere. This is one of the RSPB's flagship reserves and the large visitor centre has a shop and tea room. There are 7 hides overlooking the lagoons and reedbeds where Avocets, Marsh Harriers, Bittern and Bearded Tits are the main attraction. Several pairs of Mediterranean Gull now breed and Cetti's Warbler are said to be increasing. There is one tower hide in the woodland which puts you up in the canopy with the birds and on the beach there is a special area cordoned off to protect nesting Little Terns. Hopefully at sometime over the week-end we will visit one of the heathlands (possibly Dunwich Heath). Dartford Warbler is flourishing in Suffolk and Nightingale is common, and if we go one evening at dusk we should see Nightjar. Sunday morning will be spent in the area where we are staying, be it Southwold in the north or Leiston or Aldeburgh in the south. |
|||
Non-members are welcome at all our events.
|
Sites belonging to * RSPB Please bring membership card(s) if you have them. |
The RSPB is the UK charity working to secure a healthy environment for birds and wildlife, helping to create a better world for all of us. We belong to BirdLife International, the global partnership of bird conservation organisations.
The RSPB is a registered charity number 207076
Last updated November 3, 2007
All pages are © Katiane/Craven and Pendle RSPB 2007