Manx BirdLife and the Manx Ornithological Society have organised this introduction to bird identification on Saturday 13th May especially for families and young people.
Aimed at beginners, the day comprises a morning of indoor classroom-based instruction in Castletown, followed by an afternoon field trip to Langness where you can put what you have learned into practice under the guiding eye of local expert, Tim Earl.
The basic skills of how to observe birds, hints and tips on how to recognize the main groups of birds, recommendations on which equipment and books to use and where to birdwatch around the island will all be revealed.
Throughout the day, there’ll be the opportunity to share your interest in birds and the outdoors with others and to develop your knowledge further. And after participating, you’ll have a greater appreciation of the many different species of wild bird to be seen on the island and how to go about finding and identifying them.
This is the first time Manx BirdLife and the Manx Ornithological Society have run this family event. It is based on the highly popular Bird ID courses run for adults over the last couple of years and is part of the Education Programme provided by Manx BirdLife through the kind support of the Scheinberg Family.
The day’s activities will be led by Tim Earl and supported by staff and supporters of Manx BirdLife and the Manx Ornithological Society. It is aimed at families with children aged c.8-14 years and costs £10 per family group (for 2 adults, 3 children; thereafter £3 per child) with all proceeds going to Manx BirdLife’s conservation work. The event starts 10.00am at Morton Hall, Castletown with a 2-hour classroom session, followed by a lunch break then a 2-hour field session (weather dependent) at Langness or Derbyhaven. Booking is essential. (Please bring a packed lunch.)
For more information and to book your places please contact Michelle Storton on 01624 861130 or email michelle | at | manxbirdlife | dot | im.
(The bird pictured above is a male Wheatear. This long-distance migrant winters in southern Africa, then makes a remarkable journey of thousands of miles to breed in the Isle of Man in summer. And in the autumn ... this male and his family will undertake the journey back to southern Africa. The species is one of the world's longest distance migratory birds. This is just one of many wonderful birds we aim to show you on the family bird ID day!)
