Thursday 25 February 2016

Camp Avalon 2016 - Invitation to attend


Friday 15 July 2016 to Sunday 17 July 2016


Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, March 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig


In June 2015, I organised Camp Avalon,  which attracted lots of young teenagers to the Somerset Levels, to spend the weekend birding and getting involved with nature.  It included keen birders and people who had never been to the countryside or camped.  Share the Camp Avalon Blog http://bit.ly/1Q7ktfV

These are the links to my blog posts about last year's camp.

Camp Avalon - Friday Night


Camp Avalon Friday night



Camp Avalon Friday night

Camp Avalon Friday night


Camp Avalon - Saturday



Camp Avalon Saturday










Camp Avalon Saturday

Camp Avalon - Sunday

http://bit.ly/1jueBlC

Camp Avalon Sunday

Camp Avalon Sunday

Camp Avalon Sunday

Camp Avalon Sunday

Camp Avalon Sunday

Camp Avalon Sunday

Camp Avalon Sunday

Camp Avalon Sunday


Friday 15 July 2016 to Sunday 17 July 2016



This is a camp for young birders and is also suitable for those who have no experience of nature at all.  We hope to have a number of teenagers coming from inner city Bristol who have no experience of birds and nature and have never camped.  We have plenty to help to ensure that both groups are catered for and that one can inspire the other.


Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, March 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig 


Come to a camping weekend on the Somerset Levels for young birders between the ages of 12 to 18 and at secondary school or 6th form.   Please contact us if you are a little bit younger and still wish to come.


You may be accompanied by an adult if you wish but you do not need one with you,  CRB checked adults will be with the teenagers at all times.

Based on the ABA Camp Colorado and Camp Avocet in the USA (ABA Young Birder Camps), where 40 young birders each summer experience a week of new birds, people and learning.  The idea that those with experience share it with young birders.  The USA camp is relatively expensive and is for a week compared with what we are trying to do here at Camp Avalon. 


Ham Wall RSPB Reserve, Somerset Levels, March 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig 

Camp Avalon – Programme


This is a sample programme based on the one for 2015 with improvements. The programme will be finalised after feedback from those attending.  At the moment, Mike Dilger from The One Show and Ben Hoare from BBC Wildlife Magazine are hoping to attend. So please get in touch with your ideas for the camp.


Friday 15th July 2016

All activities dependent on weather

6.00 pm – 7.30 pm (CS)
Set up tents & time to socialize

7.30 pm – 8.30 pm (CS)
Dinner cooked on fires at campsite

9.00 pm – 10.30 pm (MD)
Looking for Nightjar on the Mendips
Led by Chris Craig, Avon and Somerset, British and world birder

Saturday 16th July 2016


7.00 am – 7.30 am (CS) Breakfast at campsite

8.00 am - 11.00 am (AMC)
Bird ringing demonstration at Avalon Marshes Centre
Mike Bailey Chair of Chew Valley Ringing Station and BTO ringing trainer (with Chris Craig assisting)

11.00 am – 11.30 am (AMC)
Refreshment break
Avalon Marshes Centre


11.30 am – 12.00 pm (AMC)
An introduction to Bird Ringing, how to get involved and how it benefits conservation
Mike Bailey Chair of Chew Valley Ringing Station and BTO ringing trainer 

12.00 am - 12.30 pm (AMC or SHCP)
How to keep and submit good records and understanding fieldcraft (for the keen young birder)
Brian Gibbs, Somerset County Recorder or
Bio Blitzing at Shapwick Heath (optional for beginners)
Mike Urwin, RoAM

12.30 pm – 1.30 pm (AMC)
Lunch
Avalon Marshes Centre

1.30 am – 3.30 pm (AMC)
Bird Photography
James Packer, Chris Griffin and 
Brian Gibbs, Somerset County Recorder and bird photographer and
James Packer, who writes the blog The Somerset Birder and is a Somerset birder and bird photographer 

3.30 pm – 4.00 pm (AMC)
Refreshment break
Avalon Marshes Centre


4.00 pm – 4.30 pm (AMC)
Born to Bird, a talk focusing on how those with ethnic minority heritage can connect with birds and animals from those places
Mya-Rose Craig (age 14)


5.00 pm – 7.30 pm (CS)
Downtime and dinner cooked on fires at campsite

8.00 pm – 9.30 pm (HW)
Evening Bittern walk at Ham Wall.  Meet at SHCP.
Led by Chris & Helena Craig

Sunday 17th July 2016


7.00 am – 7.30 am (CS) Breakfast at campsite

8.00 am - 10.45 am (SH & HW)
Birding at Shapwick Heath and Ham Wall, searching for Great White Egret, Bittern and lots of other great birds.  Meet at SHCP
Led by Julian Thomas, Somerset birder, British and day lister and world birder (with Chris Griffin assisting)


11.00 am – 11.30 am (AMC)
Refreshment break
Avalon Marshes Centre



11.30 am – 12.00 am (AMC)
An introduction to world birding and volunteering with conservation projects abroad

Andy Mears, World birder, Oriental Bird Club active Member and one of only a few birders to have accomplished the huge feat of seeing all the Pittas of the World 

12.00 pm – 1.00 pm (AMC)
Lunch
Avalon Marshes Centre
1.00 pm – 3.00 pm (AMC)
Sketching for birders
John Gale, acclaimed bird illustrator for ID publications around the world as well as a bird artist

3.00 pm – 3.30 pm (AMC)
Refreshment break
Avalon Marshes Centre

3.30 pm – 4.00 pm (AMC)
Close and looking forward to Camp Avalon 2017 (30 June -2 July 2017)
Mya-Rose Craig, Young Birder

4.00 pm Finish 


Key to locations


AMC – Avalon Marshes Centre, Shapwick Road, Westhay, GlastonburySomersetBA6 9TT, telephone 01458 860556

CS – The Isle of Avalon Touring Caravan Park, Godney Road, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 9AF, telephone 01458 833618

HW - Ham Wall RSPB Reserve, park in the new Ham Wall Car Park if open or Shapwick Heath Car Park opposite, Ashcott Road, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9SX

MP – Stockhill Woods, Priddy, Mendips, Somerset BA5 3BE (drive through Wells and then follow A39 towards Bristol and Bath, turn left onto Priddy Road and at the crossroads (with the Hunters Rest on the corner) turn right, the woods are on your right and park in the pull-in before the car park).

SHCP – Shapwick Heath NNR English Nature Car Park, Ashcott RoadGlastonbury, Somerset BA6 9SX (bio blitzing on the Discovery Trail off the car park)

Bittern, Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, March 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig

Cost

£20.00 per person including carers, excluding camping costs (£16 per night for two people or much less in provided shared tents). 

Grants



There will be a limited number of grants available to those young people (and a parent if they are under 16 years old) from an inner city area who have little or no experience of engaging with nature and whose family are receiving means tested benefits. Camp Avalon recognises that there are almost no young birders from black or ethnic minority backgrounds and so hope that these grants will encourage disadvantaged young people to be able to attend.  All equipment needed will also be loaned for the weekend.

Thank you to Opticron for the load of five pair of compact binoculars to this project.

Transport


Free transport is available to and from Bristol train or coach station. The camp site is a 10 minute drive to Ashcott Corner car park. 


Thank you to Avalon Marshes Centre for their support and to the birders who have offered their time in order to pass on their knowledge to young birders. Please get in touch if you would like to get involved by e-mailing campavalonuk@gmail.com.



Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, March 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig 

How to Book


E-mail campavalonuk@gmail.com with your name, age, if an adult would like to come with you and any dietary requirements or post a comment on the Camp Avalon blog.




Hudsonian Godwit, Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, April 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig


Grass Snake, Shapwick Heath, Somerset Levels, April 2015
Photograph taken by and copyright Mya-Rose Craig


About the writer


Camp Avalon is the idea of Mya-Rose Craig, who also organised the event in 2015.  She is organising the 2016 camp and hopes to attract more young birders and inner city teenagers.


Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent. 

Mya-Rose is a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter
















Camp Avalon - Hamza


Camp Avalon 2015 had 5 ethnic minority boys attend from central Bristol.  This is about one of them.

Hamza was 16 years old and had just finished his GCSE's when he came to Camp Avalon 2015.


He had never camped before and never attended anything that was related to nature or the outdoors.  He is from central Bristol and does not know any ethnic minority people into nature.

He enjoyed the weekend and event said that he might attend again in 2017.  It was challenging for him at times, as it was hard to know how to find nature interesting. However, over the weekend the people helping on the camp did manage to capture his imagination.  


Hamza one from the right


Hamza


Hamza


Hamza on the far left


Hamza on the far right


The weekend was not easy for Hamza, but he did get involved in nature and could see how it could be interesting. He was really interested in the flight speed of a Peregrine, particularly when it was compared to a Formula One racing car.  He particularly enjoyed the ringing (banding), wildlife photography and bird sketching.


About the writer


Camp Avalon is the idea of Mya-Rose Craig, who also organised the event in 2015.  She is organising the 2016 camp and hopes to attract more young birders and inner city teenagers.


Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig

Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, activist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent. 

Mya-Rose is a Bristol European Green Capital Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter










Friday 5 February 2016

Leopard Seal killing penguin in Antarctica


When I was in Antarctica in December 2016,  we witnessed a really rare sight of a Leopard Seal hunting seals, catching one, killing it and then thrashing it from side to side, to skin it. This is my video of the seal skinning the penguin.




Leopard Seal and Adeile Penguin


Leopard Seal

About the Writer


Young Birder Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig on Scilly
Photograph taken by and copyright Chris Craig



Mya-Rose Craig is a 13 year old young birder, naturalist, conservationist, environmentalist, writer and speaker. She is based near Bristol and writes the successful Birdgirl Blog, with posts about birding and conservation from around the world. She loved seeing Mountain Gorillas in East Africa and Penguins in Antarctica over Christmas 2015, her 7th continent.

Mya-Rose is a Bristol European Green Capital 2015 Ambassador along with Kevin McCloud, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Tony Juniper, Simon King, Miranda Krestovnikoff and Shaun the Sheep! See the full list of Bristol 2015 Ambassadors. She has also been listed with the singer songwriter George Ezra and actress Maisie Williams from Game of Thrones as one of Bristol's most influential young people. Please like her Birdgirl Facebook Page and follow her on Birdgirl Twitter