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Stepping into the wild: a series of events brought the City Nature Challenge to life

The City Nature Challenge burst into life across the North East as volunteers joined a series of events to spot, record and celebrate local wildlife. From misty dawn birdsong at Elemore Park to riverfly sampling at Biddick Burn, our community helped capture an incredible snapshot of spring nature.

To kick-off the 2026 City Nature Challenge weekend, we hosted an online introduction to the iNaturalist app, giving beginners a friendly introduction to recording wildlife observations, with tips on using iNaturalist to identify and share local species records.

We then took the app outdoors for a hands-on rockpooling event at Roker beach in Sunderland, where participants joined us and the teams from COAST Sunderland and the University of Sunderland, to explore the shoreline and record a variety of fascinating coastal wildlife as part of the City Nature Challenge North East England. From crabs and sea snails to seaweed and other marine life, every observation contributed valuable biodiversity records for the North East.

It was fantastic to see so many people getting involved, discovering wildlife up close, and helping put local nature on the map through citizen science.

A group of people stand along a riverside walkway on a sunny day, looking out over the water. Some use binoculars or cameras, while others shade their eyes with their hands. A large blue cargo ship is docked across the river, and tall buildings rise in the background under a clear blue sky. The scene includes greenery, a brick wall, and a paved path beside the river, capturing a peaceful moment of observation and community outdoors.

City Nature Challenge walk in Sunderland

Three people stand behind an outdoor information table covered with a blue cloth displaying coastal wildlife awareness messages and illustrations. The table features model seabirds, leaflets, and a small sign with a QR code. Behind them is a wall with a colorful umbrella graphic and the words “Love your coast.” The scene is bright and sunny, with a clear sky and industrial buildings visible in the background, suggesting a community outreach event promoting coastal conservation.

COAST information stand at City Nature Challenge event.

A close-up of red seaweed submerged in shallow coastal water, attached to a rock among small pebbles and sand. The seaweed has smooth, translucent reddish-brown blades that glisten in the sunlight. Green algae and textured rocks surround it, with ripples of clear water highlighting the natural details of the intertidal environment.

Dulse spotted during rockpooling. Photo: Dorinda Kealoha

A close-up of a small marine snail resting on a wet, beige rock surface. The snail’s shell has a spiral pattern with alternating light and dark brown bands, forming a geometric design that radiates from the center. The rock is textured and glistening with moisture, surrounded by tiny bits of seaweed and organic debris, suggesting a coastal or intertidal habitat.

Topshell snail spotted during rockpooling. Photo: Dorinda Kealoha

A small flat fish lies camouflaged on wet sand among tiny pebbles and shell fragments in a shallow tide pool. Its mottled brown body blends almost perfectly with the surrounding sediment, with only its eyes and faint outline visible. Nearby are dark and light stones, highlighting the fish’s impressive natural disguise in its coastal habitat.

A juvenile flat fish spotted during rockpooling in Sunderland. Photo: Dorinda Kealoha

On Saturday, April 25, as part of the City Nature Challenge, Connecting Through Nature visited Elemore Park, joining with Links with Nature Greenspaces Officer Hayley to deliver a Dawn Chorus event.  A true dawn chorus is for the very early birds at 4am, however on this occasion the group started at 6am. The slightly later start allowed the youngest attendee, aged 8, to come along and get involved! 

We were joined by North East-based ornithologist, Michael Turner, who helped verify the sightings and sounds of 32 birds in the park, including willow warbler, white-throat, linnet and reed bunting, to name a few. Some of our attendees then recorded audio via the Merlin app, which can be shared directly to iNaturalist helping us log our observations as part of the challenge. Two other bonus species spotted at the park included a roe deer near the once ornamental ponds and common frog tadpoles in the wetland scrapes. Michael helped the group to learn more about our feathered friends, showing the group feathers, a kestrel wing and long-tailed tit nest along with catchphrases to remember calls by. If a bird sounds like it’s asking for a little bit of bread with cheese, that’s a yellow hammer!

Read the full list of species spotted here.

Four people stand on a misty grassy path at dawn, each holding binoculars and looking out into the fog as they take part in a guided nature walk. A wooden fence runs along the left side and the background fades into thick mist.

City Nature Challenge dawn chorus walk

Four people in outdoor clothing stand closely beside a woven wooden fence made of interlaced branches, peering through the gaps. The scene is misty, with fog softening the background and giving the woodland setting a quiet, atmospheric feel.

Dawn Chorus walk

A person in a brown jacket, scarf and hat stands in a grassy woodland area holding a small object up for others to see, as if explaining or demonstrating something during a nature walk. Another person in a blue jacket stands nearby, with trees and soft greenery in the background.

Dawn chorus walk

A children’s feedback sheet titled “Links with Nature” filled with hand‑drawn animals — a bird, a baby deer, a bunny, and a tadpole — alongside excited handwritten notes like “EVERYTHING!!!”. The page also shows tick‑box questions and a row of faces for rating how the session felt.

Event feedback form from a young attendee.

We were delighted to see feedback on the event from our youngest attendee!

On Monday, 27 April, Connecting Through Nature joined Wear Rivers Trust for a guided walk around Biddick Burn in Washington, near Princess Anne Park. The group logged various findings from plants, insects and birds, including plenty of wild garlic - an ancient woodland indicator species - filling the air with its signature aroma for the time of year. The highlight was carrying out a riverfly sample with many olive mayfly spotted. At the end of the session we had a pair of grey wagtail fly down the stream, although too quickly to get a good picture! 

Four people in outdoor gear stand and crouch beside a shallow woodland stream, using long‑handled nets and a white bucket to examine what they’ve collected. Mossy rocks, fallen branches, and trees surround the group as they carry out a hands‑on river sampling activity.

Guided walk at Biddick Burn.

Six people kneel and stand beside a small stream, closely examining a tray of water samples. They use tweezers and an ID chart showing aquatic insects, surrounded by green vegetation and a dirt path.

Guided walk at Biddick Burn

We would like to thank everyone who came along to our events and helped to record the spectacular wildlife in the North East. 

You can help build a picture of wildlife across the Durham Wildlife Trust patch by getting involved in some citizen science and recording your sightings.

Visit iNaturalist

On iRecord: 1) Create an account for yourself 2) Search for ‘Durham Wildlife Trust’ under ‘all activities’.

Visit iRecord

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