Wild Ouseburn
Community rewilding in Newcastle-upon-Tyne
From its iconic industrial heritage, Newcastle-upon-Tyne’s Lower Ouseburn Valley has developed a dynamic and rich parallel history of urban nature in the heart of the city.
Today, Ouseburn is a vibrant cultural landscape, framed by the architecture of its past, layered with a diverse range of dynamic habitats where inner-city Kestrels soar, Kingfishers compliment colourful art and the famous Ouseburn Mute Swans raise their families.
The Wild Ouseburn project has been established to explore, document and celebrate the species present within the valley, to help inform future management of Ouseburn’s wild spaces, and provide an inspiring platform for our local community to engage with the urban wilds that surround us.
Join the Wild Ouseburn community
Whether you live, work or play in Ouseburn, there are lots of opportunities to get involved in the Wild Ouseburn project to explore, document and celebrate urban wildlife. More events, workshops and volunteering opportunities will come as the project develops, but in the meantime keep up to date by joining our online communities below.
Interested in discovering more about Ouseburn’s wildlife, come out with project leaders Wild Intrigue on a free community wildlife event. This collection will grow and change as the seasons change.
Newsletter
Sign up to our newsletter below for regular updates on the project, including upcoming events, volunteering opportunities and wildlife sightings.
Facebook Group
Join our new Facebook group to share wildlife sightings and photos, ask for tips on identification and be part of a friendly community of local wildlife enthusiasts.
Events & Workshops
Keen to learn more about Ouseburn’s wild plants, animals and everything in between? Explore our event programme and come along to our seasonal wildlife events.
Record your wildlife sightings
Wild Ouseburn needs your wildlife sightings! We have some understanding of the species that can be found across Ouseburn, St Ann’s, Byker and Shieldfield but not nearly enough.
Did you know there are no recorded sightings of mice across the project area? Or that there are only 7 species of moths recorded (out of 2500!). Recording wildlife sightings means that we can develop a better understanding of wildlife, including the habitats which species rely on, and the abundance and diversity of wildlife across the project area. This is essential information to help conserve, enhance and celebrate Wild Ouseburn now, and into the future. And YOU can help!
There are various ways you can record your wildlife sightings for the Wild Ouseburn project:
Join our iNaturalist Project
iNaturalist is a free app to upload, share and view wildlife sightings – it can also ID species for you! We have created a Wild Ouseburn project on iNaturalist to bundle data in the project area.
We’ve put together a handy blog to help set up, which you can read here.
Download a Recording Form
Download a Wildlife Recording Form to keep note of your sightings. We’re planning to have these based in ‘Hubs’ around the project area for collection and return very soon, but for now you can return your forms to Wild Intrigue via email, in person at the Ouseburn Trust office, or at one of our Events.
Get in touch
You can also get in touch with us via email. Want to share something you’ve seen? Have an idea for the Wild Ouseburn project? Or would you like us to come along and survey your wild space?
Send us an email via the link below.
Events & Workshops
Throughout the year Wild Ouseburn will be hosting an exciting collection free wildlife events, workshops and courses to explore, document and celebrate the wildlife of the Lower Ouseburn Valley. Ranging from wildlife wanders, to family and creative events, identification courses and surveys, there will be plenty to get stuck into!
We’re looking forward to teaming up with the wonderful communities, businesses and individuals who are already doing inspiring, progressive things in the area. If you have an idea for an event or workshop, please feel welcome to get in touch!
Explore our collection of Wild Ouseburn community events below:
Wild Ouseburn Journal
Ouseburn Wildlife Corridor
The Lower Ouseburn Valley is a keystone in Newcastle’s most significant, urban green network from the River Tyne – the Ouseburn Wildlife Corridor.
Stretching the length of the Ouse Burn itself, the corridor flows through historic city parks to outer countryside edges of the city.
The ‘green’ Ouseburn Wildlife Corridor is a space of urban tranquility for wildlife and people, but so too is the tidal nature of the burn. It’s ebbs and flows bring dynamism to the inner-city, with wildlife coming and going as it changes.
Throughout the year, standardised wildlife surveys will be undertaken within the Wild Ouseburn project area to identify and record the wildlife present. Seasonal events and volunteering opportunities will be launched alongside these.
Join Newsletter
Wild Ouseburn is a Wild Intrigue CIC project which has received support from:
