Outdoor events

Join me on one of my outdoor classes in and around Leeds or to other parts of the UK

Call or email to receive my latest newsletter with details of all my outdoor events that run throughout the year. Below are some examples.  On most occasions I provide transport from the Moor Allerton Centre on the Leeds outer ring road.

I never take more than 8 people in a class. This is to ensure that everyone gets a quality experience. Please contact me for more information on individual classes by calling 07778 768719 or by emailing linda.startbirding@gmail.com

You can also find more information on my website www.startbirding.co.uk or keep up to date on a daily basis by following me on Twitter@StartBirding and Facebook/StartBirding

2 hour group classes 
These are held in parks, reserves and nature areas in Leeds such as Rodley Nature Reserve, Kirkstall Valley Nature Reserve, Swillington Ings, Roundhay Park etc. The sessions take place at weekends all year round or in the evenings from April to July. The aims of the sessions are to:-

• introduce people to natural areas in Leeds that are not widely known
• get to know which birds can be found in these local areas
• practise identification 
• focus on bird song at particular times of the year

The price for these sessions starts at £15 per person and includes two hours of tuition and refreshments at the end of the walk. Where appropriate, you'll have the opportunity to see birds through a high powered telescope (not possible during woodland walks). You'll also receive a bird list after the walk so that you can look up the birds you have seen and learn more about them.

4 hour group classes: 
These sessions take place all year round. They are held in parks, reserves and nature areas around Leeds and often we go further afield to look at birds in different habitats. You'll learn how to identify species via plumage, their characteristics and their songs and calls and you'll also learn what attracts a bird to a particular habitat. Places include reserves such as RSPB Fairburn Ings, RSPB St Aidan's, LUCT Nosterfield, YWT Staveley, YWT North Cave, RSPB Old Moor and the Washburn Valley. Prices start at £25 per person but this is dependent on distance and admission fees. Refreshments are included and you'll also have the opportunity to see birds through a high powered telescope. I'll provide a bird list after the walk so that you can look up the birds you have seen and learn more about them. If possible I may even be able to provide photos of the birds you've seen.

Full day classes: 
These events allow you to spend more time watching birds at some of the UK's best birdwatching sites and will allow you to focus on individual species or groups of birds. Venues include RSPB Bempton Cliffs, YWT Filey Dams and YWT Spurn NNR on the Yorkshire coast, RSPB Blacktoft Sands and Alkborough Flats on the Humber, RSPB Saltholme on Teesside, Upper Teesdale, WWT Martin Mere on the west coast and Druridge Bay in Northumberland. You can also take a boat trip with me during the spring and autumn to learn about different species of seabirds. Price per trip starts at £45 per person but is dependent on distance, admission fees or boat fees. Prices are published with details of each trip and includes tuition, refreshments and a list of birds seen on the day. You'll see many species of birds through a high powered telescope to help you with your identification and photos of the birds you've seen are provide where possible.

Ringing events: 
This is a 4 hour session with a bird ringer who has a lifetime of experience. He will tell you about how bird ringing contributes to conservation; show you how it is done and you may even get a chance to hold a bird and put a ring on it yourself. Price for this session is £25 per person which includes tuition and photos of the day. This trip is dependent on weather conditions. When conditions prevent the session from taking place, we will look for birds in the Lower Derwent Valley such as waders, little owl, barn owl and wildfowl such as pintail duck and whooper swan during the winter months.

Bespoke classes:
These can be booked for 2 hours or for a full weekend and are designed with you in mind. This can be to:-

• spend your gift voucher (see my gift voucher page)
• fast track your learning
• visit a reserve you've always wanted to go to
• spend some time birdwatching in the Leeds area while you are visiting relatives or dropping your kids off at University
• form part of a holiday to the UK from abroad
• spend a weekend birdwatching in the beautiful countryside of Yorkshire 

Prices vary depending on where you want to go, the birds you want to see, whether you need picking up and whether you need binoculars. To give you some idea, these are roughly the costs plus fuel. A 2 hour bespoke session is normally £40, 4 hours is £60 and a full day is £95.

3 day weekends:
There are some amazing places to visit in the UK, many of which are too far away to explore in one day. I'm currently running the following weekend birdwatching trips which are open to customers who have booked before on indoor and outdoor events. This is to enable me to be able to assess individual needs and abilities. See some amazing birds, visit the best reserves that the UK has to offer and stay in a fabulous B&B:

• A Wild Goose Chase on the Solway: Visit Dumfries and Galloway in south-west Scotland to see thousands of barnacle, pink-footed and white-fronted geese flocking in the Solway in winter from Iceland, Greenland and Svalbard. You'll also see whooper swan, scaup and thousands of waders. If the weather conditions are favourable, we also visit sites to witness amazing starling murmurrations. This is truly a wonderful experience. 
• Tommy Noddys and Cuddy Ducks: Spend 3 days watching puffins (Tommy Noddys), eider ducks (Cuddy Ducks), Arctic terns and grey seals to name but a few species seen in Northumberland and the Borders in spring. We'll visit a variety of sites including Duridge Bay, Lindisfarne and St Abb's Head and we'll also take a boat trip to either Inner Farne, Staple Island or Coquet Island. You'll never be closer to a puffin than you are on this trip. 
• Wader and Wildfowl Spectacular on the Wash: This 3 day weekend takes us to North Norfolk and Cambridgeshire to watch the thousands of waders and wildfowl that can be found from Snettisham to Cley in early winter. We'll visit well known reserves such as RSPB Titchwell, watch an enormous flock of pink-footed geese lift off the Wash at RSPB Snettisham and spend a day at the Norfolk Wildlife Trust's flagship reserve at Cley. Depending on what's around each year, we'll also visit WWT Welney and the Ouse Washes to look for whooper and Bewick swans.

Contact me on linda.startbirding@gmail.com or call 07778 768719 to plan your trip

Pink-footed geese taking off from the Wash