Our events offer a broad range for everyone to enjoy.
Bird migration is one of the great wonders of the natural world and the Spurn Peninsula on Yorkshire’s East Coast is arguably the best place in Britain to witness this spectacle. This fantastic festival has something for everyone – walks, talks, stalls, food from the amazing Spurn Ladies and hopefully lots of birds for you to see.
The festival kicks off on Friday evening, with the legendery Lars Svensson giving the his talk “A Life in Ornithology '', at the RSPB/BB lecture. Lars will take us through his journey from a passionate birder to one of Europe's most respected field ornithologists and bird identification authors.
A Swedish ornithologist, specialising in the identification of passerines, Lars needs little introduction. He must be known to every single European bird ringer for his iconic Identification Guide to European Passerines. The 5th edition was published in 2023 and is set to be the standard reference for years to come. Furthermore, birders throughout the continent rely on his Collins Bird Guide as the go to field guide. Once back home from a day in the field, his Handbook of Western Palearctic Birds, co-authored by Hadoram Shirihai, is a beautifully produced reference guide to help birders with those tricky identification challenges.
On Saturday, join the vismiggers and seawatchers at the Warren from 6am, take in ringing demo's there and at Church Field, or join one of the many expert led guided walks across the area. Head back to the festival for refreshments and food, explore the exhibitor stands and try out some optics in North Field, before taking in some of the daytime talks or heading out on another of the guided walks.
Saturday evening kicks off with the BBQ (TICKETS MUST BE BOUGHT IN ADVANCE), vegan options are available too, before the Quiz commences and were on to the evening entertainment. The winner of the Martin Garner Spurn Young Birder competition will be announced before the Andy Roadhouse Memorial Lecture. This year, Nigel Marven will be the Saturday night headline speaker! The talk, "Nigel Marven, Tales of my Birdwatching Adventures (while being chased by dinosaurs, filming with Attenborough and finding deadly snakes)" will be based on birding encounters Nigel had while filming some of his best known documentaries.
Nigel is an enthusiastic naturalist and conservationist, while also being a daring wildlife TV presenter, best known for some of his TV series; Chased by Dinosaurs, Sea Monsters and Prehistoric Park. He has spent years exploring the world, and creating documentaries on the natural life that he has encountered all while campaigning for conservation.
He will tell us about his top birding experiences, ranging from Ground Jays to Giant Petrels, Philippines Eagles to Pitta’s on his filming expeditions around the globe over his career of wildlife adventure documentaries. While his talk on deadly snakes will undoubtedly be thrilling, with Nigel being bitten by a venomous Green Pit Viper while filming in 2014, as well as many other close calls with other potentially life threatening snakes.
On Sunday, there is another packed day of walks and talks to catch up on what you missed on Saturday!
Tickets are available on the Spurn Shop. Get your tickets today!
BUY YOUR TICKETS HERE NOW
Want a personal guide to show you all the exciting migrants that might be present or arriving around Spurn? This is the event for you! We’ll take you around the most popular locations within a mile or so of the Bird Observatory, calling into Church Field where you can see some bird ringing if weather permits. Meet at the Observatory car park at the start time and you can pay cash or card on the day. Please allow 3 hours for the walk, and bring suitable footwear!
Coming by public transport? Catch the Spurn Explorer and receive a 20% discount! Simply give your ticket to the guide on the day for your discount.
£10 for Friends of Spurn, £15 for non-members
September dates
TBC
October dates
TBC
Email accommodation.spurnbirdobs@hotmail.com to book your place. Booking essential. - £10 for Friends of Spurn, £15 for non-members
This years Friends of Spurn Barbecue will be Saturday 3rd August, and as usual the SBOT Committee will be holding their AGM followed by a committee meeting.
Any Friend of Spurn is welcome to attend the AGM which will start at 11:00am, and/or the barbecue which will get underway at 17:00.
As with recent years, it will be held in the Observatory garden, with outdoor seating provided. Please bring your own beverages, and any snacks and nibbles, while the Observatory provides the barbecue food, including vegetarian and vegan options, although contributions of salads, cakes etc. are always welcomed!
It is a chance for us to say thank you to our loyal friends and supporters, welcome new friends, and gives us a chance to catch up with you all, discuss the upcoming autumn, enjoy some music and have a bit of fun along the way!
We'll also be accepting raffle and tombola prizes, so any donations for this will be warmly received by Paul Collins at Kew Villa in advance, or any of the committee on the day of the barbecue.
