Author: rosjones1979

Dog rose (Rosa canina). Image (c) Ros Jones As a June baby, I am perhaps a little biased that this is the best month of the year. This isn’t without merit, however, as I hope you will see from what I have gathered below. This is based on observations and questions from the Summer Nights walk READ MORE

Up close and personal with Visions of Landscapes On Saturday 15th April, artist Anita Burrows part of Higherford Mill Artists and I introduced some immersive walks in the beautiful Storey Gardens. This was in conjunction with the fantastic art exhibition, Visions of Landscapes, being held in The Storey.  Half-hour walks were given throughout the day offering READ MORE

The aim of this session was to introduce and learn some different bird songs, of both resident and summer migratory species. This can be quite tricky to do in practice, attempting to distinguish one ‘voice’ amongst the many. Even more so as some of the songs are complex and varied. To make it easier, we READ MORE

Saturday 4th February 2023 How to ID trees in winter This may sound obvious, but for me the starting point is always observation: Once you have an idea of some of these features, you can then start to identify your species. If you already have some knowledge, this observation alone might be enough for you READ MORE

Wonders of Winter Wet but wonderful Our walk started out in the beautiful Fenham Carr Nature Reserve at Williamson Park. Despite a persistent drizzle (which soon had us all pretty damp), our spirits remained high. There was wildlife everywhere we looked: Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits, Robins, Dunnocks and Blackbirds at the feeders. There READ MORE

Rainbows and Reed Buntings This was the first event in a new series of talk-walks was organised to boost wellbeing. We started with a discussion about kingfishers – their biology and habits, with questions from the group. This was followed by two short mindfulness exercises. The event culminated with a walk along the canal and READ MORE

Serene start to 2023 A small group gathered in the gloom of 1st January 2023 to see the sun rise on a new year. From St George’s Quay at 8am on New Year’s Day, there wasn’t much light, but within minutes the start of a new day in a new year was evident. A clattering READ MORE

27th December 2022 General updates Thanks to some lovely friends, I have now managed to set up secure payment on the website. All future events can now be paid for by card on event pages. I will continue to use Google Forms for alternative booking (and collecting health questionnaires), which contain information for bank transfer READ MORE

Saturday 12th November Our walk started near Aldi on Aldcliffe Road, following the canal along to Pony Wood. We took the newer path through the wood, then headed down into Fairfield. We then went via Flora and Fauna back out to Cromwell Road where we finished. Unseasonably warm weather It was a beautiful day, blue READ MORE

Sunday 30th October The walk started from outside the café in Williamson Park, then around Fenham Carr Nature Reserve and finishing back in the park looking around at the autumn spectacles. Nuthatch, anyone? Before we’d even got into Fenham Carr Nature Reserve a couple of nuthatches made themselves known. If you’ve never (knowingly) heard their READ MORE