I think my life would be a lot simpler if I wasn’t interested in nature. I’d certainly have a lot more spare time, probably a little more money in my bank account, and definitely a tidier house. Alas, I can’t help but be interested, and I therefore have my weekends booked up with plant surveys, a pair of binoculars which I probably spent too much on, and I keep finding shark eggs all over my flat which I’ve stashed away and forgotten about. It can’t be helped - there are just so many wonderful and exciting species and habitats to learn about. The problem is – with all of these wonderful things – the more you learn, the more there is to learn. But everyone has to start somewhere, and here lies the ethos behind our Nature Training Days programme.

Launched at the start of 2024, the Nature Training Days programme aims to introduce our volunteers to new species, habitats, projects and skills, all through beginner-friendly workshops and training sessions led by Durham Wildlife Trust staff and specialists. These bite-size sessions encourage our volunteers to dip their toes in ecological fields they may otherwise never get to explore, or haven’t ever considered. So, what have we been up to so far?

Harvest Mouse Survey Training

We kicked off the Nature Training Days programme with a brilliant session on harvest mice led by small mammal expert and Durham Wildlife Trust Trustee, Vivien Kent. Vivien delivered a short talk on harvest mice ecology and survey techniques before we headed onto our Rainton Meadows Nature Reserve to look for signs of their activity. Despite being excellently camouflaged, it wasn’t long before the first harvest mouse nest was found, nestled amongst the reeds. In total we found five harvest mouse nests across two sessions, one of which was found in a spot where none had ever been found before!

“Thoroughly enjoyed this session, gained a greater understanding of the species, and skills required to support Harvest Mice habitat. I had no knowledge prior to this, this session pushed me to expand my reading.”- Brian, volunteer and Reserve Ranger

Importance of Peatlands Talk

Our next session focused on one of the UK’s most valuable and important habitats. And who better to deliver a presentation about peatland than our Managing Moors Officer, Rebecca Clark. Using our Cuthbert’s Moor Nature Reserve as an example, Rebecca talked of the economic and environmental benefits to preserving and protecting peatland, explaining which habitat management practices have historically harmed the habitat and which can help to restore it. Whilst the presentation contained some scary statistics, it was encouraging to hear of the monitoring Rebecca and her team of volunteers are doing on the moor so that we are better informed about how to continue management. The moss Rebecca brought in for us to poke was an added benefit.

“Great session, intriguing and informative. Learned a lot which inspired and highlighted issues facing these precious environments. Discussion with other students with wide knowledge and background were very helpful.” – Brian, volunteer and Reserve Ranger

Winter Tree ID Workshop

Julia Quiñonez, an expert local botanist, joined us for our third session of the Nature Training Days programme to teach us some useful tips and tricks to identify trees in the winter. Julia led the group around our Low Barns Nature Reserve, stopping every few metres to cut off a twig or pick up a cone and show us the tiny hints that would reveal the tree’s species in the absence of any leaves. I think we would have all happily stayed out for hours, but with a bag full to the brim of twigs, we headed back to the visitor’s centre to test our new ID skills and match the specimens to their Latin names. Thankfully, we were allowed to work as one big group for that part.

“Amazing, taught me so much about what features to look for to identify trees in the winter. Everyone was really friendly and welcoming.” –Jess, volunteer

Otter Survey Training

We were very lucky to have Vivien join us again at Rainton Meadows, this time to introduce us to the wonderful world of otters. We started the session by learning about otter ecology and how to survey for otter activity, before putting our new skills into practice on the reserve. Within minutes, we found our first otter clue; spraint, or otter poo. You can tell spraint apart from other mammal droppings in a few ways; it will often have fish bones or scales in it, it will often be on rocks or under bridges, and – and you’ll have to just take my word for this one – it smells like jasmine tea. We ended up finding several sites of fresh spraint around the reserve, which is a sure sign of recent otter activity. Never before have I seen so many people get excited about finding excrement!

"Very informative session, both the discussion re ecology and the practical trail hunting. Have been able to put the information into practice already with a successful otter poo find!!!" – Naomi, volunteer, Reserve Ranger and Pony Warden

Beginner Birdsong Workshops

The next two events of the programme were held by our Bluespaces Delivery Officer and birdsong expert (although she won’t admit it), Ruby. Ruby led two groups around our Rainton Meadows and Low Barns Nature Reserves as we listened out for something that often goes heard but unregistered – birdsong. Armed with a series of useful mnemonics and rhymes, Ruby taught us how to identify common songbirds from their calls and songs. A fan favourite was the ‘squeaky bike pump’, otherwise known as a great tit. Helpfully, I’ve found birdsong ID is one of the skills I can always practise when outdoors doing other hobbies – if only Ruby was by my side at all times to tell me if I’m right or not!

“Very interesting workshop with great delivery. It was a new way for me to remember bird songs and I've been able to go out and put what I learned into practice.” - Volunteer

Water Vole Survey Training

Our eighth Nature Training Days session, set against the backdrop of our Naturally Native project, focused on water vole ecology and survey techniques. Naturally Native Project Officer, Paul Rodgers, delivered a brilliant summary of his and his team’s work to save the water vole from extinction in the North East before teaching the group how to spot the signs of water vole activity on our local watercourses. We then took a trip to Ormesby Beck, where we found a hub of water vole activity on an unsuspecting watercourse nestled within an urban environment. With the abundance of signs we found at the beck, it was nice to think of all the little water voles that must have been safely in their bankside burrows beneath our feet.

“The water vole session was really interesting. The talk before was very helpful in explaining all about water voles, their habitats and threats. The on-site session was great for putting that information into action and being able to see really clearly the signs that show the presence of the water voles. I feel confident that I could go out and know what to look for; I'm looking forward to getting out and looking once the water-levels have gone down a bit after all of this rain!” – Sally, volunteer

Cetacean Watch

For our first marine-themed Nature Training Days session, our Conservation Project Officer, Mandy Bell, delivered a fascinating presentation on what cetaceans can be found off of the North East coast. I was amazed to learn of the variety of marine mammals that have been spotted from the likes of Roker Pier and Seaham cliffs, both through binoculars and even with the naked eye. Mandy told us that a lot of these sightings are so regular they can just about be predicted, with many of the dolphins now being individually recognised and even appointed names.

“I thought that the course was excellent - well thought out and well presented. It left me feeling confident to conduct a cetacean watch either by myself or with a group.” – Ian, volunteer

Intertidal Shore Surveys

The last of our Nature Training Days to date took place last week at Whitburn Bents beach, again delivered by the brilliant Mandy. This time we were learning how to ID common rockpool species of crustacean, fish, mollusc and seaweed as part of an intertidal survey. It was fascinating to see just how much life an individual rockpool no bigger than 30cm wide can hold, and comfortingly reminiscent of my childhood to sit and silently encourage a hermit crab to rock itself back and forth to flip itself off of its back.

“I really enjoyed yesterday. It’s wonderful what you can spot if you just take the time to stop and look.” – Fiona, volunteer

We may only be four months into the programme, but we have already enjoyed 10 brilliant events, with an amazing 72 volunteers engaging with the sessions. It would be great to see both of these numbers grow throughout the year, and we are all excited to work with our volunteers to develop the programme. After all, the Nature Training Days programme is ultimately a big ‘thank you’ to all of our volunteers for all of their commitment, time, enthusiasm and hard work in supporting Durham Wildlife Trust and nature’s recovery in the North East. It has always been our intention that the programme is not only designed for volunteers, but by them, and as such if you have any suggestions about what you would like to see from the programme in months to come, please email me at marielly@durhamwt.co.uk.

To find out more about the programme, including details of upcoming sessions, please visit the Nature Training Days profile on our volunteering system.

“This is a great series of events for increasing your own knowledge and understanding of local wildlife. It also enhances your experience of other practical conservation activities because you then have a better understanding of what you are seeing on site.” - Volunteer

“Keep them coming!!!” - Volunteer