Well what a changeable season we have had so far! The theme of low temperatures and torrential rain has continued into summer with only the occasional few days of sunshine. As we await the news of how this record breaking spring and summer has affected the breeding success of British birds, I’ve
Continue readingTo say that May has been a bit mad would be a bit of an understatement. June has also kept me on my toes with more weekends away, walks, surveys and reconnaissance trips for my next programme of events. Since my last post, my birdwatching walks have included evenings at Timble Ings and Folly Hall
Continue readingMay is usually a very busy month for Start Birding and this year is no exception. Not only are the spring weekend and evening birdwatching classes in full swing, but also the Breeding Bird Surveys (BBS) for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) are now underway. Despite the wet and cold start
Continue readingOver the coming weeks, Start Birding will gradually be re-branding with a new website and new business materials. I hope that you like the new colours and the new logo. The logo I’m using (shown on this page) is a design by the artist Natasha Newton called Magic Forest. If you click on
Continue readingHello everyone Just to let you know that Start Birding has organised a new “Birdwatching for Beginners” class at Rodley Nature Reserve in Leeds. The class will commence on Monday 3rd September, 7-9 p.m. and will initially run for 8 weeks. Places are limited so please book early to avoid
Continue readingI’m writing this post on the first sunny, spring day since the April “showers” began. What a relief it has been to be warm and dry for a change. This week, I led another trip to Fairburn on Tuesday evening. The weather wasn’t too bad but it was very cold and it had
Continue readingAfter the Environment Agency announced that half of the UK is now under drought conditions, finding swollen rivers and flooded nature reserves around Leeds and York just goes to show how much rain has fallen over the last couple of weeks. I hope that water levels are now improving at nearby
Continue readingWell, what a changeable start we’ve had to April with snow, chilly winds, hail storms and rain interspersed with warm sunshine. I hope that you’ve all managed to get out and enjoy the arrival of our early spring migrants without getting caught out by the weather. Over the last couple
Continue readingOver the last few days Start Birding has been leading spring walks around the Harewood estate and surrounding farmland. On Tuesday evening, a group of birdwatchers joined me, armed with binoculars and torches, to look for woodcock, tawny owl and bats. The sun was already quite low as we made
Continue readingSometimes there just aren’t enough hours left in the day to blog when there are so many demands on your time. January, February and March have been very busy months filled with an intensive period of work; birthday celebrations with family and friends and looking after a very sick, and much loved, pet. I’m
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