Camp Avalon 2017 - A camp for young birders, naturalists and Minority Ethnic Teens

BLACK2NATURE

Friday 30 June 2017 to Sunday 02 July 2017

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

Book onto this amazing nature camp for young people aged 12-18 years. Into it's third year, Camp Avalon has attracted a number of teenagers to the Somerset Levels near Glastonbury, to spend the weekend birding and getting involved with nature.  It is aimed at keen birders as well as those who have now experience of nature and have never been to the countryside or camped.  These are the links to Birdgirl's blog posts about the 2015 weekend.

This year we hope to again have a number of teenagers who are Black Asian Minority Ethnic (BAME) and or live in the city's areas of deprivation. We have plenty to help to ensure that both groups are catered for. 

We will be filming for a BBC programme over the weekend with film crews coming on Saturday and Sunday.

BAME or inner city teenagers may be accompanied by an adult if they wish but do not need one to attend. 

Girls and boys in be in separate tents with adults. CRB checked adults will be with the teenagers at all times. All food with will be halal.

Camp Avalon - Friday Night

http://bit.ly/1PpG6tC

Camp Avalon Mothing Workshop
Copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Mothing Workshop
Copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Mothing Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon - Saturday

http://bit.ly/21m0TVD

Camp Avalon Sketching Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon bird sketching workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Photography workshopPhotograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon photography workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon - Sunday

http://bit.ly/1jueBlC

Camp Avalon Bird Ringing Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Bird Ringing Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Bird Ringing Workshop
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Sunday

Camp Avalon Birding Walk
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Camp Avalon Birding Walk
Photograph taken by and copyright Birdgirl Mya-Rose Craig

Friday 30 June 2017 to Sunday 02 July 2017

Camp Avalon – Programme

The programme will be finalised shortly depending on final numbers. 

Friday 30th June 2017

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

8.30 pm – 9.30 pm (HW)

Evening bittern walk at Ham Wall.  Meet at HWCP.
Led by Chris & Helena Craig

9.30 pm – 10.30 pm (AMC)

Looking at moths (dependent on weather)

Led by Adrian Spalding, British Entomological Society 

Saturday 1st July 2017

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 – 1.30 pm (AMC)

Bio Blitzing Helena Craig

1.30 pm – 2.30 pm (AMC)

Lunch

Avalon Marshes Centre

2.30 am - 3.30 pm (AMC)

Wildlife film-making Workshop

Paul Collins and Alice Owens, young film-makers

3.30 pm – 4.00 pm (AMC)

Refreshment break

Avalon Marshes Centre

4.00 am - 5.00 pm (AMC)

Wildlife film-making Workshop

Paul Collins and Alice Owens, young film-makers

5.30 pm – 8.30 pm (CS)

Downtime and dinner cooked on fires at campsite

9.00 pm – 10.30 pm (MD)

Looking for Nightjar on the Mendips (dependent on weather)

Led by Chris Craig, Avon and Somerset, British and world birder

Sunday 2nd July 2017

7.00 am – 7.30 am (CS) Breakfast at campsite

8.00 am - 10.30 am (HW)

Birding at Ham Wall, searching for Great White Egret, Bittern and lots of other great birds.  Meet at HWCP. 

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 pm – 1.00 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

1.00 pm – 2.00 pm (AMC)

Lunch

Avalon Marshes Centre

2.00 am – 3.30 pm (AMC)

Sketching for birders

John Gale, acclaimed bird illustrator for ID publications around the world as well as a bird artist

3.30 pm – 4.00 pm (AMC)

Refreshment break

Avalon Marshes Centre

4.00 pm Finish 

Key to locations

AMC – Avalon Marshes Centre, Shapwick Road, Westhay, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 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).

HWCP – Ham Wall RSPB Reserve Car Park, Ashcott Road, Glastonbury, Somerset BA6 9SX 

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

Cost

£30.00 per person including carers, including food and camping costs

Grants

Free places are available to those young people (and parents/family if they wish to come) from an area of deprivation or who are BAME. Camp Avalon recognises that there are almost no young birders from black or minority ethnic 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 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. 

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

Thank you also to the Royal Bath & West Show Environmental Youth Award who have awarded £500 towards this project, as winners of the 2017 Bristol region and overall winners. 

Transport

Free transport is available to and from Bristol. The camp site is a 10 minute drive to Ham Wall Car Park. 

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. Please also get in touch if you would like to get involved.

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 events in 2015 and 2016. She is organising the 2017 camp with the organisation she has formed Black2Nature and hopes to attract more young birders and inner city teenagers.

Mya-Rose Craig is a 15 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 2016 - A camp for young birders and inner city teenagers

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, Camp Avalon attracted a number 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.  These are the links to Birdgirl's blog posts about the weekend.

Camp Avalon - Friday Night

http://bit.ly/1PpG6tC

Camp Avalon Friday night

Camp Avalon Friday night

Camp Avalon Friday night

Camp Avalon Friday night

Camp Avalon - Saturday

http://bit.ly/21m0TVD

Camp Avalon Saturday

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. 

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 is you wish but do not need one to attend. 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 (dependent on weather)

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, Glastonbury, Somerset, BA6 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 Road, Glastonbury, 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 use the document posted 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