Teenage Birdwatching Holiday (2 Viewers)

[simmojunior]

I would love there to be a birdwatching holiday exclusively for teenagers (age 16-18.
It would have to take place in the Summer holidays or October half term and not too expensive.
It could be run by either the RSPB or similar organisation or (and probably better) one of the bird tour companies.
Has anyone had a similar idea or indeed encountered an advert for one?

 

[Farnboro John]

Club 180-400?

John

 

[ColonelBlimp]

I believe the RSPB (specifically the YOC, when it existed) ran trips exactly like that in the past.

 

[jogresh]

When i was 14ish i went on a YOC holiday with Fred Fearn to Suffolk. It completely blew my mind! Fantasy birds like Bittern, Nightjar, Turtle Dove, Marsh Harrier, Nightingale. Incredible habbos like the vast reedbeds at Walberswick etc. Legendary reserves i'd drooled over, like Minsmere where we had (i think my memory's correct), 112 spp in a full day! And the biggest laugh, we all got on brilliantly. The leaders - Paul and Zero - (where are they now?) took us to a country pub in the evening where we had crisps n nuts n strong shandy.
You're right it's a brilliant idea.
Can i suggest you contact my very good friends Alan Davies and Ruth Miller via their website, The Biggest Twitch? They've established a bird tour company and will organise a tailor made trip anywhere you want. Alan's got a great track record from when at Conwy RSPB, and has enthused and encouraged many young birders like Robert Hughes, Alex Jones and Henry Cook (sorry guys! lol).
I reckon a group of young birders from the SE would love to see Black Grouse, Puffin, Black Gilly, Wood Warbler, Redstart, Pied Fly, Chough etc etc.
Or Donana...get a bit of culture too?
Cheers.

 

[simmojunior]

Thank You for your responses,
The RSPB are now completely useless in this regard.
What I actually meant was I would like to see a tour advertised particularly for teenagers. I would like to meet some other teenage birdwatchers on it rather than have birdwatching friends that are all looking to go on a tour together.

 

[Winterdune]

The joint YOC YHA holiday I went on as a boy to Exmoor was my first holiday without my parents and a great experience. Very sad that the RSPB no longer run them. What does the RSPB have for kids these days? IS there an equivalent of the YOC?
Sean

 

[Hotspur]

i believe wild younger life explorers is the new YOC aimed at a younger audience. Have the RSPB already decided that the lost years 12-21 are not worth going for?

 

[simmojunior]

There is an RSPB Phoenix for 12-18s.
However, the magazine is patronising rubbish and his clearly not aimed at birdwatchers.
They run few events and the groups which do occur never go birdwatching but do things like make posters and build nest boxes. My nearest Phoenix group is in Hemel Hempstead ( a 40 minute drive away) so I don't go.
The adverts for holidays all involve parents going or have nothing to do with birdwatching.
Here is their website (as can be seen there is nothing relating to birdwatching http://www.rspb.org.uk/phoenix/.
I get no benefit from my membership of the rspb except saving about a fiver a year on entrance fees (it costs £18)

 

[dantheman]

I was a bit surprised that the YOC has effectively folded ... guess a sign of modern society like with parents worrying about their kids being supervised by other adults/ lack of interest by teenagers??

I guess you'll have to set something up on Facebook (lol ) or such new-fangled thing like the youth of today are into ..

Alternatively, there is a 'young birdwatchers' thread here on BF; it would probably be a nightmare to organize but there may be some interest there ...

 

[birdboybowley]

Yeah, the YOC was great but as Dan says, in today's society where anyone that wants to spend time with kids is an auto-paedo and the insurance cover needed to sustain our compensation culture basically put the finishers on this kind of thing. A real loss

 

[halftwo]

Yeah, the YOC was great but as Dan says, in today's society where anyone that wants to spend time with kids is an auto-paedo and the insurance cover needed to sustain our compensation culture basically put the finishers on this kind of thing. A real loss

Yeah, I went on two YOC/YHA holidays & thoroughly enjoyed them - but I guess Dan & Ads are right - no-one will do this sort of thing now.

I guess it's down to you to organise yourself - which is infinitely easier than when I was a yoof. So not all bad. T'internet etc would make it a doddle in comparison.

 

[scary-canary]

Couldn't you offer to do volunteer wardening for a week for the RSPB, or don't they do that now? That used to be a good way of meeting other young birders.

 

[louisfh]

I reckon it sounds like a great idea, it is a shame (especially on reading those who went on their trips accounts) that the YOC has turned into a group which like you said, doesn't really have any appeal to birdwatchers. In fact I no longer receive the phoenix magazine as I'm slightly bizarrely registered as an adult, it was a load of boring tosh anyway.

 

[simmojunior]

Couldn't you offer to do volunteer wardening for a week for the RSPB, or don't they do that now? That used to be a good way of meeting other young birders.

I did, I spent a week at Titchwell last Summer. It was good and during the week I saw Montagu's Harrier, Great Skua, Black Tern, Osprey, Bearded Tit and several Curlew Sandpipers among other things. However, there was nothing to do once it got dark so I ended up going to sleep at 8 pm and the accomodation was not great.

 

[scary-canary]

I did, I spent a week at Titchwell last Summer. It was good and during the week I saw Montagu's Harrier, Great Skua, Black Tern, Osprey, Bearded Tit and several Curlew Sandpipers among other things. However, there was nothing to do once it got dark so I ended up going to sleep at 8 pm and the accomodation was not great.

That's the problem with reserves being in the midddle of nowhere! Imagine a fortnight at the Ouse Washes, miles from even the nearest house. The caravan was pretty grim 20 years ago! I bet Bempton would be good.

 

[Farnboro John]

i believe wild younger life explorers is the new YOC aimed at a younger audience. Have the RSPB already decided that the lost years 12-21 are not worth going for?

Fools if they have: was it the Jesuits that said "give me the child and I will give you the man"?

Indoctrination is easier younger.

John

 

[jogresh]

There's certainly an opportunity for a young birder to get a forum going. And then take it from there, see if similar folk are interested in linking up for birding trips, hols etc.
Volunteering is great, i've had some mega times at Haweswater, Abernethy, Leighton, Titch etc. but yes if too young to go down the pub it can be a bit quiet! Mind you, most i've volled at are in the middle of nowhere so we made our own amusements, like drinking flagons of scrumpy, practising rugby mauls, and playing cards til our knuckles bled. Choose one where there will be a large team of vols. Anyway, if you're asleep by 8pm, you can be up at 4am to work Thornham Point before all the migrants filter inland!

 

[simmojunior]

There were two long term volunteers but they liked watching films that did not interest me so I was effectively on my own. I was up at 5 to work the reserve and rewarded with some great birds, but by the Wednesday or Thursday it got a bit boring especially with the wind going the wrong way for migrants (strong South Westerly in August).

 

[Jacana]

However, there was nothing to do once it got dark so I ended up going to sleep at 8 pm and the accomodation was not great.

That was the big drawback to my birding expeditions in Thailand when I was on my gap year. Once it got dark in the Parks, there was nothing to do. That's why it is much better to get a small group of people on these trips than doing it solo. You also can share costs which is always handy!

 

[halftwo]

That was the big drawback to my birding expeditions in Thailand when I was on my gap year. Once it got dark in the Parks, there was nothing to do.

What about owling/nightjarring?

Yes, the nights are long in Thailand, J - but then you can get up pre-dawn after a good kip to begin again! Can't wait.