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 Colin Straker 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 programme.
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2010 |
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September 16, 2010 Thursday |
Filey Brigg and ** Filey Dams (North Yorkshire) |
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Filey Brigg points out into the North Sea like a finger and, being positioned in a direct line between Scarborough and Flamborough Head, it is well placed for sea watching. Periods of strong to medium onshore winds, especially with rain or overcast conditions can bring falls of migrant birds. At this time of year Shearwaters and Skuas can regularly be seen and occasionally divers and grebes also occur. High tide at 11:33 is just right for our visit. Carr Naze often has Snow Buntings and Shore Larks and waders feeding on the grass in the Country Park can be watched from the car. Filey Dams has two hides overlooking the pools with much rush and surrounded by a Hawthorn and Alder hedge which holds a wide variety of bird species. The muddy edges to the pools attract many waders in autumn. |
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October 30, 2010 Saturday |
Whitburn and Marsden Quarry LNR (Tyne & Wear) |
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We first visited this location on the North East coast in October, 2005 and had a very good day. It is roughly the coastal area between South Shields and Sunderland. The Leas, just north of Whitburn, is short cropped grass which often has feeding waders. Whitburn Bird Observatory about 1 km south of Lizard Point is best for sea watching and the surrounding area (sometimes referred to as Whitburn Coastal Park) can be good for migrants. Whitburn Steel (Steels are large flat topped rocks just out into the sea) is a stony foreshore area good for waders and can be watched at low tide. Marsden Quarry is an old limestone quarry, now a local Nature Reserve, which at this time of year can attract large falls of common migrants as well as the occasional rarity. |
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November 25, 2010 Thursday |
Warton Bank and Marton Mere LNR, Blackpool (Lancashire) |
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We were due to do this trip in November last year, but made a last minute change due to the atrocious weather. Warton Bank, situated on the north bank of the river Ribble just east of Lytham, is a little known site where we will look for waders brought up by the tide. A high tide of 8.7 meters at 12:48 is just right. There are often wintering raptors such as Marsh and Hen Harriers but it also has a habit of turning up rarities. Marton Mere is near Blackpool Zoo. The large lake with its 6 hides is good for waterfowl with Water Rail in the surrounding reed beds. The scrub woodland on the north side has a wintering roost of Long-eared Owls and the berry laden trees often have wintering thrushes. We shall be staying late to watch the Starlings gather at the fantastic roost with an estimated 65,000 birds. |
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December 11, 2010 Saturday |
Washburn Valley (North Yorkshire) |
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The Washburn Valley can be very productive at any time of year and is excellent for a short December day. This is a large area with lots of options and where we go could depend on up to date local knowledge. The reservoirs could have many waterfowl and the woodlands full of Siskins etc. Wintering thrushes could be present in good numbers. We will try to choose an area which gives us the best chance of all of these. Our November talk is the continuation of "The Birds of the Washburn Valley" by Peter Riley, the local expert, and we will be picking his brains as to the best places to go. |
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2011 |
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January 20, 2011 Thursday |
**** Caerlaverock Nature Reserve (Dumfries & Galloway) |
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If you were assembling a where to watch birds calendar of the very best of the best, Caerlaverock in January would be the first site you would pencil in. We have already visited this Wildfowl & Wetlands reserve on the north shore of the Solway five times and it still holds the record for the most number of species we have seen in one day. With large herds of Whooper Swans and some 30,000 Barnacle Geese, plus the possibility of other scarce wildfowl and good numbers of Tree Sparrow and Yellowhammer and other small birds, and the possibility of birds of prey it is no wonder it is so popular. With its many hides and viewing screens and a good visitor centre and restaurant it provides winter birdwatching at its best. |
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February 19, 2011 Saturday |
* Blacktoft Sands (East Yorkshire) |
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Blacktoft Sands is an RSPB reserve of national importance having the second largest area of intertidal reedbed in Britain. There is a hide overlooking each of the six shallow lagoons and it is a place which has something to offer all year round. It is especially noted for its spring and autumn wader passage. At this time of year there will still be wintering wildfowl possibly including Bittern and it is also a good time to see resident Water Rails and Bearded Tits. The site is also good for raptors with more breeding pairs of Marsh Harrier than anywhere in the north east and there is a winter roost of Hen Harrier which can occasionally number into double figures, so it is worth staying until dusk to watch them return to roost. |
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March 18-20, 2011 Friday to Sunday |
* North Norfolk Coast Weekend (Lincolnshire & Norfolk) |
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This weekend will possibly start with a visit on the Friday to the relatively new RSPB reserve at Frampton Marsh on the north shore of the Wash near Boston in Lincolnshire. The extension work here includes a reedbed, large freshwater scrapes and wet grassland. The new facilities include a visitor centre with toilets and snack type refreshments. There should still be plenty of geese on the North Norfolk coast and we may spend some time searching for them. Undoubtedly we will visit the RSPB’s flagship reserve at Titchwell Marsh to look at the major works being undertaken to save this reserve from the sea. There will of course still be plenty of birds for us to watch and enjoy. Further details re accommodation etc. to follow. |
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April 21, 2011 Thursday |
Pugneys Country Park (West Yorkshire) |
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This country park, just off the M1 near Wakefield, has a large lake which hopefully will be much quieter midweek and thereby holding more birds than it does at weekends when there is much sailing and other recreational activities. There is also a smaller, quieter lake, designated as a reserve, with a reedbed and surrounded by trees overlooked by a hide. Pugneys turns up good birds occasionally, especially duck species such as Ferruginous Duck and Red Crested Pochard. April is a good month for migrants and the site has a good record for terns, mostly Common and Arctic, but occasionally Black. There is a large car park and the visitor centre has a restaurant. |
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May 19, 2011 Thursday |
** Brockholes Quarry (Lancashire) |
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Brockholes, situated just off Junction 31 of the M6, was a major gravel extraction site actively quarried until recently. It has been known as a good birdwatching site for many years but access had always been difficult and only outside working hours. The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has been working for 10 years to secure this site and work started on the "new" reserve in 2007. The making of new scrapes in the grassland areas, incorporated into the surrounding ancient woodland, adjacent to the river Ribble just outside Preston, has created a reserve that could become one of the most important in the county. There has already been 53 species of bird recorded breeding at the site and the species list will surely increase when the new habitats develop. The iconic visitor centre which floats on the water should be complete and open by the time of our visit. |
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June 18, 2011 Saturday |
* RSPB Bempton Cliffs (East Yorkshire) |
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These spectacular chalk cliffs just north of Flamborough headland are famous for their large colonies of seabirds, including thousands of Guillemots, Razorbills, Puffins and Kittiwakes, all of them close enough for good photographic opportunities. Add to this England’s only mainland Gannet colony, plus Fulmar and Shag. A walk along the cliff top path either side of the visitor centre will give good views of all these whilst Corn Buntings can often be found in the cliff top fields and the surrounding hedgerows have Whitethroat, Yellowhammer and possibly a few Tree Sparrow. There can surely be no better location to finish our outdoor season. |
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Non-members are welcome at all our events.
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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 charity registered in England and Wales no 207076, in Scotland no SC037654
Last updated August 15, 2010
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