Bobby's blog
Our nature events are a fantastic way to discover the wonderful wildlife and wild places on your doorstep. But don't take our word for it - here's budding ornithologist Bobby, aged 10, to share his experiences on the Tyne Derwent Way this summer and tell you why he loves discovering nature.
I owe many thanks to the Tyne Derwent Way for their marvellous events. This is a great way to explore and learn about nature around the Tyne and Derwent rivers.
Many birds can be spotted around these areas, including the red kite, a magnificent bird of prey with a wingspan of around two metres.
The first event I went on was a bird walk with Michael Turner (a wonderful ornithologist with great knowledge of birds), and we spotted many of these fantastic creatures, such as the grey heron, the common buzzard, the goldfinch and the chiffchaff.
Next I went to the Wildlife Discovery Day with Wild Intrigue where I learnt all about minibeasts (and a bit more about birds), did a worm charming championship, and saw a great spotted woodpecker (which isn't actually very commonly spotted).
After that, I went to the Marvellous Meadows event where I learnt all about plants such as hogweed, weedwort, and horsetails.
The Tyne Derwent Way have put lots of effort into encouraging people to have an interest in nature, and it has worked on me like magic! I love getting involved with everything they do and I hope you do too.
Come to our next bird walk!
Join Michael Turner for bird walk along the Tyne on Wednesday 13 November and learn how to spot them yourself. As Bobby says, Michael is a local ornithologist with a keen eye and ear for all sorts of birds, from the tiny (wrens and goldcrests) to the huge (red kites and herons).
The event runs from 2-4pm, starting at St Mary's Heritage Centre with a chance to see the Tyne Rivers Trust's interactive model of the Tyne catchment in action.