TWO BIRD WATCHING COURSES FOR 2010

Supported by the Biodiversity Training Project (click on title for details)

1: INTRODUCTION TO BIRD WATCHING AND CONSERVATION 2010

2: MORE BIRD WATCHING AND CONSERVATION 2010

INTRODUCTION TO BIRD WATCHING AND CONSERVATION 2010

The course is aimed at beginners, and people who want to increase their knowledge of birds, and their ability to find and recognise them in the field. It is organised by The National Trust, together with the Church Stretton branch of Shropshire Ornithological Society (SOS), supported by the Biodiversity Training Project.  

It consists of six evening classroom sessions, each followed by a field trip, starting in March 2010.  Each indoor session will cover a group of birds which can be found at that time of year, and cover identification, behaviour, habitats, song and how to go out and look for them.  The following field trip will visit places where these birds are likely to be found, to provide practical experience to reinforce the content of the indoor sessions. The first session will also include advice on acquiring and using binoculars and field guides.  

The indoor sessions are on a Tuesday, at approximately monthly intervals, starting on 13^th April (with a break in July, August and early September).  Sessions will start at 7.30pm , last for two hours, and be held in the tea room in the National Trust Pavilion at Carding Mill Valley (Church Stretton - OS Grid Ref SO443946).  Dates are not evenly spaced, to avoid holiday periods. The field trips will mainly be on Sunday mornings, starting at 9.30 and lasting two and a half hours, although two full day trips are planned towards the end.  Outdoor meetings will be held at places where the birds covered in the previous indoor session are likely to be found. We hope to see 100 species on the field trips.

 The Course Outline is detailed below.

Course Leaders and Tutors

Most of the indoor sessions will be led by Peter Carty , Property Manager for the Long Mynd and other National Trust properties in the South Shropshire Hills. He often leads walks “on the hill”, and gives illustrated talks to local organisations, particularly about birds and other wildlife on his properties. Pete is a member of SOS and previously managed bird reserves for the RSPB. He has ticked off around a quarter of the world’s birds

John Arnfield , co-ordinator of the Shropshire Bird Atlas area centred on Church Stretton, will help lead all the field trips, and help the other course tutors with the final indoor session.  John is the SOS Church Stretton branch Treasurer, and is interested in the impact of climate change on bird distribution.  Although he has been birding since childhood, he has spent most of his adult life in North America and, as a result, can identify a Cerulean Warbler quicker than a Willow Warbler!

Malcolm Loft, an Assistant NT Warden on the Long Mynd, has been birdwatching for over 50 years, and his field identification skills are excellent. Malcolm will help with the course, especially leading field trips.

Leo Smith is the local ornithologist who has been monitoring the bird populations on Long Mynd since 1994, and he was the lead author for Wild Mynd – the Birds and Wildlife of the Long Mynd. Leo will present the upland birds indoor session in June, and lead the subsequent field trip.

As a major aim of the course is to help participants find and identify birds in the field, the course leaders will help lead the field trips, and we will endeavour (but not guarantee) to provide four leaders per field trip so every participant will get as much personal one-to-one assistance as you want.

Booking and Costs

Booking is Essential – 01694 722631

The course has been planned as a whole, and the twelve sessions can be booked for £60. If there are any remaining places, individual sessions can be booked for £6 each. There will be additional costs for the last two field trips, to cover transport and admission to the Reserves (to be discussed with participants).

Suitable footwear and outdoor (water- and windproof) clothing is needed for all outdoor field trips. Participants will need to make their own way to the starting point of the first four, though car sharing can be arranged at the previous indoor session.  Depending on the preferences of participants, car sharing will be arranged for the final two trips (to RSPB Marshside and WWT Martin Mere Reserves, and to Gigrin), or, assuming there is sufficient interest and participants are willing to pay, a coach will be arranged.

More Information

National Trust Shop, 01694 722631, cardingmill@nationaltrust.org.uk

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MORE BIRD WATCHING AND CONSERVATION   2010

The Course

The course is aimed at people who have already done some birdwatching, and want to improve their knowledge, and their ability to find and recognise birds in the field. It has been designed partly for people who want to progress from the Introduction to Birdwatching and Conservation course run in 2009, but anyone else who can already identify most of the common British Birds can join too.  It is organised by The National Trust, together with the Church Stretton branch of Shropshire Ornithological Society (SOS), and supported by the Biodiversity Training Project. In addition to the birds, emphasis will be placed on opportunities to join other local organisations (or local branches of national Organisations), to do more birdwatching, and (for those who are interested) to get involved in some practical conservation work.

The course consists of six evening classroom sessions, each followed by a field trip, starting in late March 2010.  Each indoor session will cover birds which can be found at that time of year, and cover identification, behaviour, habitats, song and how to go out and look for them. Some of the sessions will also deal with conservation action, and what is being done locally to help these birds. The following Outdoor meeting will visit places where they are likely to be found, and perhaps where conservation work is taking place, to provide practical experience to reinforce the content of the indoor sessions. We hope to see 100 species.

The indoor sessions are on a Tuesday, at approximately monthly intervals, starting on 30 March (with a break in July, August and September).  Sessions will start at 7.30pm , last for two hours, and be held in the tea room in the National Trust Pavilion at Carding Mill Valley (Church Stretton - OS Grid Ref SO443946).  Dates are not evenly spaced, to avoid holiday periods. The field trips will mainly be on Sunday mornings, starting at 9.30 and lasting two and a half hours, although two full day trips are planned towards the end.  The first four field trips are at 3-week intervals, so visits coincide with bird activity and breeding timetable.

The Course Outline is detailed below.

Course Leaders and Tutors

Most of the indoor sessions will be led by Leo Smith, the local ornithologist who has been monitoring the bird populations on Long Mynd since 1994, and he was the lead author for Wild Mynd – the Birds and Wildlife of the Long Mynd. Leo also helps organise bird survey and conservation work in other parts of the Shropshire Hills, and often presents illustrated talks about this work to local Bird and Wildlife Groups.

All the local birdwatching and conservation organisations want to involve new people. Each of them will present their own activities at the second session, so participants can join in during the 2010 season.

Peter Carty, National Trust Property Manager for the Long Mynd, will present the October session, as the Ribble Estuary was his first “home patch”. He often leads walks and gives illustrated talks to local organisations, particularly about birds and other wildlife on his properties. Pete is a member of SOS and previously managed reserves for the RSPB. He has ticked off around a quarter of the world’s birds.

John Swift will help lead the May session on nestbox schemes, and the following field trip to the Darnford Valley . John operates Dipper and Woodland Bird Nestbox Schemes for the Upper Onny and Upper Clun Community Wildlife Groups, and has been running his own schemes for many years. He also undertakes Bird survey work for the national and Shropshire Bird Atlas, the BTO, and the Community Wildlife Groups.

A major aim of the course is to help participants find and identify birds in the field, so the course leaders will help lead the field trips, and we will try (but not guarantee) to provide four experienced leaders per field trip so every participant will get as much personal one-to-one assistance as you want.

Booking and Costs

Booking is Essential – 01694 722631

The course has been planned as a whole, and the 12 sessions can be booked for £60. If there are any remaining places, individual sessions can be booked for £6 each. However, there will be additional costs for the last two field trips, to cover transport and admission to the Reserves. Assuming there is sufficient interest and participants are willing to pay, a coach will be arranged.

Suitable footwear and outdoor (water- and windproof) clothing is needed for all outdoor field trips. Participants will need to make their own way to the starting point of the first four, though car sharing can be arranged at the previous indoor session. 

More Information

National Trust Shop, 01694 722631, cardingmill@nationaltrust.org.uk

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