Home Adult Outdoor Education and Events

Early November can produce some of the most spectacular overhead movements of birds but only early in the morning. Given the right conditions thousands of birds could be on the move in huge flocks, Redwings and Fieldfare freshly arriving back from their breeding grounds of Scandinavia are joined by loose flocks of and Wood Pigeons. There should be a supporting cast of finches including Brambling, pipits and you just never know what else might turn up, perhaps a passing Ring Ouzel, Short-eared Owl, Merlin or a Woodcock. Local bird expert Mike Langman will guide you through what is going on and help identify these birds by shape and calls. The early start optimises our chances of witnessing migration at its best. At about 9.15am after a good morning’s birdwatching we’ll warm ourselves up at the Guardhouse Café with a hearty full breakfast and tea/coffee

Meet: Berry Head National Nature Reserve main car park

Brush up on your Gull, Diver and Grebes identification skills at Broadsands with local expert Mike Langman. Torbay provides some great opportunities to study gulls and wintering seabirds often at close range. Mike will take you through the identification of several gull species of various ages and any grebes and divers that should be present. The marsh is a great place for wintering chiffchaffs often of two subspecies; being sure of a positive identification is not easy but with help you’ll have a much clearer idea! The winter cirl bunting feeding station which Mike started 20 years ago will be visited for some great views of this ‘Devon Bunting’. Mike is a renowned wildlife artist and bird watcher - see www.mikelangman.co.uk . No two years are the same, so even if you have been before the chances are something different will appear!

Learn how to make expressive digital photographs of Berry Head's landscapes and nature with outdoor photography tutor Phil Hemsley. This is a fantastic opportunity to learn from a true expert, with a mixture of classroom and field-based activities - also discovering how to get close to your subject using field craft techniques. The use of Video on most cameras is often neglected but with the inclusion of 4K and 8K video options on many cameras, you will be shown how it can be put to great use in capturing wildlife in action as well as the opportunity for extracting individual stills from it. Berry Head provides a great diversity of wildlife to photograph including flying birds, butterflies, coastal flowers and possibly marine mammals – in an area of fascinating geology and history.

10am-4pm

Ages: 18yrs +

Seabird and Wildlife Master class

October 13th Saturday 9.30-4.00pm

 Berry Head National Nature Reserve

Berry Head is well known for its seabirds and cetaceans but how confident do you feel to be able to identify them? With over 45 years of experience in watching the birds and other creatures passing Berry Head, Mike Langman will lead the day through a mixture of indoor and outdoor sessions. You’ll learn what to look for and the equipment you should have to make the most of your time watching. We’ll look at the best weather conditions & times of year to optimise your chances of seeing something really quite special. There will be time to go into the field and practice some of the information and techniques learnt during the day.  October is also the perfect time to see a good variety of birds if the conditions are rough or some of the smaller cetaceans if it’s calm.

Meet: Berry Head National Nature Reserve main car park

Time: 09.30am – 4pm

Cost: £30                                                          

Booking essential - Please bring a packed lunch and a hot flask