Children!

[Wild-Woman]

Think all aspects of wildlife are covered then Bob, not just birds which the former name implies.

[RoyW]

Originally Posted by bluecow

I havent found any one book to be the best so if you have reccomendations let me know. I dont have the fancy telescopes I have seen the regulars using, just a pair of reasonable binoculars.

You will probably find that there isn't any single book that is "the best". With wildlife you will generally only find that there is a single book that really stands out if the specific subject that you are interested in has very few books written about it (eg. there are only three English language books that cover European dragonflies, and only one of these has full coverage with all species illustrated). Usually it is best to try and find a small selection of books that will compliment each other.
I would recommend the RSPB Handbook to British Birds, which is useful for identification of the species that you are likely to see in the UK, and which also contains quite a lot of interesting facts about things like longevity.

As for the reactions of other people in bird hides, try not to worry about them. A minority of people always want to have something to be disapproving of, and many people just don't like children. It sounds like you are doing everything that you can to encourage your children to take an interest in wildlife while trying to minimise any impact on others from potential disturbance - so just keep doing what you are already doing!

Originally Posted by Wild-Woman

all aspects of wildlife are covered then Bob, not just birds which the former name implies.

The RSPB are now trying to cover much more than just birds with their 'wildlife explorers club' (although they always covered other wildlife to some degree), and the change of name certainly reflects that. Wildlife explorers is certainly a better name than "Young Ornithologists Club", especially for the younger members, because pre teen children are certainly not "ornithologists"! (Junior Bird Recorders Club seems like an appropriate name, but obviously only works for birds).

[actionfinch]

I have taken my nephews out 2 and 4 yrs , and had great enjoyment with them .Fortunately on these occasions i have not come across any 'rude' birders.I am mid thirtees and ,so far been lucky with the few birders i have come across with to be pleasant and polite.

[Uv moth notingha]

Here's my view , a young person with experience in the bird world .
As a kid I was always a bit of a geek at something , that doesnt mean I wore glasses and was a socieopath but just that I dont like crowds of people , pop music or suffering fools easily .
As an 8 -11 year old I never experienced unfriendlyness by birders on any occasion , but that was probably because I was patient ,quiet and knew my stuff to a point . I can however see some birders frustration with people who use hides as a lunch stop , with 2 yelling kids , a buggy and lots of scrunchy waterproof jackets , and one or two mobiles ringing .
I can also see that hands on experience is the only way to get good naturalists , it certainly worked for me , but If everybody used a bit more common sense we could all get along . Grumpy old men with expensive binoculars wont save our wildlife , even if they do sit in hides for days on end looking clever , but neither will people who use nature reserves as b-m-x bike tracks or kids who wont respect the unwritten law of silence in hides or good birding spots . It was explained to me by friendly people at reserves that I should be quite in hides or if that was boring I could go and run around outside , simple as that .

A hefty dose a common sense from both sides of this argument is what is needed .

UVMOTH

[Billabong Karen]

Originally Posted by Uv moth notingha

A hefty dose of common sense from both sides of this argument is what is needed.

UVMOTH

True - as in so many cases in life! Well said.

[davedotcom]

I'm very new to bird watching/spotting so haven't even had chance to experience anything like this.

However for my part, I agree with most of the sentiments here, the kids are the future, and if their formative experiences are of old people being grumpy or rude, they'll be more inclined to go back to their playstations and not bother about the wildlife. If the children behave themselves, surely we can all get along!!!

I've just joined the family up to the RSPB so hopefully we'll be off to Dearne Valley soon. A WABber recommended a local birding group too so I'll give them a go. I won't be impressed though if I get any of the treatment you copped for bluecow! No place for effing and jeffing at or in front of kids IMO.