In a new series of articles, we’ll be taking a look at the best places to watch wildlife in North East England. By no means comprehensive but hopefully informative, these posts are intended to provide inspiration on where to visit in the North East to observe and enjoy nature, as well as detailing some of…
Tag: North-East
On the hunt for urban bees
For me, one of the few positive aspects of our current lockdown has been the opportunity to look closer at the wildlife that persists close to home. Doing so has been eyeopening, to say the least, and while of course, I would rather have been venturing into the wider countryside, the diversity of life here…
A Tale of Two Plant Hunts
The Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland’s (BSBI) New Year Plant Hunt is an annual event in which botanists, expert and amateur alike, head out to record the plant species bucking the time-honoured trend and blooming in the depths of winter. Now in its ninth year, the four-day survey is both great fun and an…
Northumberland launches strategy to protect white-clawed crayfish
It has been a long time since I last stumbled across a White-clawed Crayfish during a lazy riverside walk in Northumberland, and longer still since I dared hope that their population here, in one of their last strongholds, could be considered anything other than ephemeral. It was a great pleasure, therefore, to hear that a…
Take a Stand for Gosforth Park Nature Reserve
We have seen the same story play out time and time again in the North East, as developers buy up our scant remaining green space and build, build, build absent consideration for the environmental impact of their actions. Normally, such developments are difficult to dispute: the benefits of housing overruling the needs of any particular…
A rare record in Newcastle
European Hornets really are fearsome looking beasts: significantly larger than their more abundant cousin, the wasp, and boasting both a menacing set of mandibles – used to great effect to shred insect prey – and a particularly large stinger. They are also rather striking, clad in alternating shades of warm red, yellow and black. A…
Staying sane in the heart of the city
Growing up in semi-rural Northumberland, I have long been accustomed to residing in scenic and ecologically diverse areas. I am used to the presence of bustling nature reserves a mere stones throw from my front door and green-fringed streets ringing with the chirrup of Tree Sparrows; I am accustomed to having a garden, complete with…
Northumberland’s Wild Interior
Uncharacteristically, I haven’t managed many far-flung ventures of late – the combined result of some drastic life changes, a busy schedule and the build-up of myriad more menial tasks. This, of course, has frustrated me to no end, boiling over with a snap decision this past Saturday to drop everything and travel outwards: inland to…
The jewel in the crown
The ‘Newcastle Diaries’ are intended as a new series of blog posts brought to life by a recent move to the city; inspired by a growing frustration at not being able to visit my regular, rural haunts half as often as I would like. While I assumed a move here would greatly decrease the time…
Living North Awards 2016
Okay, I confess, I have been a little vocal with my excitement over attending the Living North Awards this week, and over my shortlisting in the ‘promise and potential’ category. I have mentioned the awards quite a few times on this blog and now, having attended the ceremony on Saturday, I am going to mention…
