Cuthbert’s Moor is a significant location for Durham Wildlife Trust, as our 50^th acquisition completed in time to celebrate the culmination of our 50^th anniversary year in 2022. An upland moor, it is located in Teesdale on the edge of the north Pennines. Thanks to funding from ScottishPower Foundation, the Trust has been able to launch a one-year project focused on the study and restoration of the land. The first step in that process is to understand the wildlife that currently exists on the land. And that process is what brought BBC Countryfile along to hear about our plans to use technology in the place of traditional methods for conservation surveying in a remote location.

Bird surveying during nesting season has its drawbacks. Disturbing nesting birds, and other spring wildlife, is not in the best interests of those creatures. So earlier this year Durham University installed a number of listening posts across Cuthbert’s Moor. The posts are equipped with microphones and recording systems, which operate (listen) during specified time periods each day. The recordings are downloaded periodically and the results analysed to identify bird species present and their differing calls (for instance alarm calls). The long-term plan for those recordings is that they feed into developing technology, which will ultimately support artificial intelligence systems for bird surveying. It’s very clever stuff that saves time, money and minimises wildlife disturbance but delivers vital data to conservationists.

The BBC Countryfile crew spent an entire morning learning all about the habitat on the reserve and the survey equipment and aspirations. Our very own Mark Dinning, Head of Conservation, was interviewed by Matt Baker, as was Durham University’s Steve Willis. During the filming we were able to enjoy the sounds and flight of nearby curlew and we also stumbled (not literally, thankfully) across an adder – which unfortunately we did not manage to catch on camera. The show airs tonight. We hope you enjoy it! 

Thanks to funding from ScottishPower Foundation and Linder Foundation, the Trust has been able to recruit a member of staff to manage the work that is taking place over the coming year at Cuthbert’s Moor Nature Reserve. Rebecca Clark, Cuthbert’s Managing Moors Officer, is leading the one-year project at Cuthbert’s Moor Nature Reserve and is hoping to recruit a group of citizen scientists to help inform our conservation plans for this wild space. Find out more here.