BTO Birdcamp: Avian Enjoyment Awaits

Next week I shall be setting off up the country towards the Cumbrian wonders of the Lake District, packed and ready to go for a weekend to remember. The BTO Birdcamp, part of a youth programme designed to inspire young people and create a desire to learn more about the avian world. And I’ve been lucky enough too be selected

But before we go any further, what is the BTO Birdcamp? Well, the BTO itself is the British Trust for Ornithology, basically meaning they keep an eye on everything birds in the UK. From conservation to public engagement, they do all the heavy lifting. The Birdcamp is one of the brilliant ideas to come out of their youth programme, and enables 14 young people, who following an application process, travel to a residential base (don’t worry, its not camping!) where they will live, eat and sleep together for the weekend. There’s one for every UK country, so that’s four in total. The Birdcamp is engineered to bring young people with a passion for the avian world together, and engage them even more with the natural world. And so they’ve been doing a very good job of it for the last few years. Here’s hoping it continues!

Nestled alongside the impressive Derwentwater, the home site itself promises large amounts of birding prowess already. By the way, I just want to clear something up; there is only one lake in the Lake District, due to the rest of them being classed as waters or meres (I was shocked too, don’t panic!). Right, let’s get started.

This is the second nature-based camp I will be embarking on this year, following a highly successful Wild New Forest Camp back in April. This one promises to be just as memorable as its predecessor, albeit in a completely different location, one ages away from our usual birding radius. But it will also offer a completely new habitat, with the Lake District’s mountainous hills interspersed with the highest densities of waterbodies in the country, not to mention the previously experienced heathland, wetlands and boggy mires. And with new habitats brings new birds, so fingers crossed!

The itinerary has been released by the BTO, and it seems jam-packed. I guess I’ll be tired when I return! From moths to bats, as well as the expected birds, early mornings and late nights are to be expected! But they give you enough time to relax and to stay inside, even more opportunities to break the ice and enjoy the camp with your peers. However, don’t expect to be on downtime for too long or believe me, you’ll be surprised!

Itinerary-wise, we will be branching out from camp to several brilliantly birdy locations, including Wild Haweswater and Leighton Moss, both of which the RSPB carries out crucial conservation work on. Leighton Moss is northern England’s biggest reedbed system, and is a haven for Bittern, Marsh Harrier and Otters. However, its range of habitats extends into saltmarsh, lagoons, shingle and woodland, as well as the less common but equally crucial habitat of limestone grassland. There’s so much scope for exploration and discovery, with the site being so huge it would take me days to absorb every single little bit!

Haweswater is also an RSPB reserve, and as I mentioned before, we may be in the Lake District but this one’s known as a water. There’s not such a range of habitats here as Leighton Moss, but different ones, and with that brings different species to be watching out for. From the woodlands that are filled with the elusive Red Squirrel, to the Mountain Ringlet butterflies that glide through the alpine wildflower meadows, and the salmon that leap upriver in their effort to reach their spawn grounds. Avian wise, there is no less to look forward to with Ring Ouzel being the star species of these hills. But Haweswater also offers proof that we can find a way around the conflict between modernised farming and nature, with several active farms operating on the reserve. We’ll have to look out for the flocks of sheep and cattle herds!

But, similar to the last camp in the New Forest, I’m cautiously looking forward to being among those who just get what it’s like to be into birds. I know very few around me who can relate to such a love and passion for nature, and even then, they’re often adults who are easily twice as old as me. It’s always good to learn from experience, but it can be just as important to learn from your own peers, those your age who know what it’s like to be a young person in this modernised, rapidly changing world. And that’s what I’m looking forward to on this camp more than anything. Being with those who understand more than anyone.

To help prepare for the camp, the team got in touch via a video call to meet us personally beforehand, and they did that with everybody in the group, hopefully allaying any concerns. It’s a good practise for a camp-running organisation to get into, simply because it breaks the ice early on, and you have somebody that you know, even if slightly, a friendly face to say hello to upon arrival. They fill you in with an amply filled document, and include a full itinerary and accommodation details. Whenever you’re off somewhere away from home, you just have to know where you’re staying!

So, to summarise, the BTO Birdcamp is going to be an incredible new experience, even if I am feeling the nerves a bit. I guess meeting new people is always going to be like that, but a whole weekend of birds? I can’t turn that down. Stay tuned for a complete report following this weekend…

By the way, if you are reading this and looking to apply for an upcoming BTO Birdcamp, do take a look at the blogs that I’ll put out following this incredible weekend, and hopefully you’ll know what to expect.