City Nature Challenge 2026: North East England
24–27 April 2026
Join us for the world's largest bioblitz!
The City Nature Challenge is an annual global event to see how many wild species people can spot over four days.
From 24–27 April 2026, every wildlife sighting you record in the free iNaturalist app helps build vital ecological data that supports conservation across the Durham Wildlife Trust patch and beyond.
Environmental Records Information Centre (ERIC) North East is running the City Nature Challenge across the whole of the North East. To participate, you can take part in some of the free events that are being organised by Durham Wildlife Trust and other participating partners, as well as logging your own sightings across the weekend.
Group taking part in a coastal plant identification course at Crimdon. Photo: Amanda Bell
How to log your sightings
You can log your sightings anywhere – gardens, parks, nature reserves – even in the sea! All you need to do is:
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Download the free iNaturalist app
You'll need to download the iNaturalist app to take part. Records of wildlife spotted across the North East during the challenge and recorded in the app count towards our total and move us up the live global leader board.
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Sign up for an account on iNaturalist by following the link below:
Whether spotting nature from your window or discovering our spineless friends in the garden – there’s plenty we can record without leaving home.
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Click 'Projects' in the menu, and join the City Nature Challenge 2026: North East England project - this bit is important
This is our local “city” so make sure you upload your records to this project so they are counted for our “city”!
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Find wildlife and photograph or make a sound recording of what you find.
Over the weekend from Friday 24th April – Monday 27th April, go out and use iNaturalist to see what you can find! Any wildlife, plants, animals or fungi and even evidence of wildlife, like tracks and feathers, counts.
Watch the video below to find out more about how to use iNaturalist.
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Upload your observations
Make sure you upload your observations to the iNaturalist app by 9am on Monday 5th May.
More details about the City Nature Challenge and how you can get involved
What is the City Nature Challenge?
The City Nature Challenge takes place every year all over the world to see how many wild species people can spot over the space of four days. This year, it takes place between 24-27 April.
The results will announced on 13 May. The records are collated in the iNaturalist Recording System and the leader board is updated in real time!
How does it benefit the wildlife across the Durham Wildlife Trust patch?
As well as an activity that gets us out seeing the wonderful wildlife in our towns, cities, coast and countryside, it also provides organisations like Durham Wildlife Trust vital information that can help protect wildlife across the area. Species observations generated during the City Nature Challenge will help us map changes in the distribution and population of our wildlife.
Who can join in and what wildlife can I record?
You don't need to be a wildlife expert or professional birdwatcher. Anybody can take part! No specialist equipment is needed, you just need to be able to download the iNaturalist app onto your phone. You can record any wild animals or plants you encounter - trees, fungi, and flowers all count!
How do I get involved and log sightings
Attend an event
You can attend an event organised organised by Durham Wildlife Trust or one of the other North East partners taking part.
Durham Wildlife Trust events Other partner events
Log a sighting
Follow the simple steps above to log your sightings over the course of the weekend.
Public events
Over the City Nature Challenge weekend, all North East partners involved in the challenge will be running a series of nature-spotting events across the region. These are FREE, family-friendly events where you can meet us in person, learn about the wonderful wildlife of the North East, and help us to find out more about it!
Where is the City Nature Challenge happening in our area?
The “city” region covered by City Nature Challenge North East England extends from the Scottish border, along the Cumbrian border to the border with North Yorkshire in the South and 10km into the North Sea.
