April 27, 2026

Spring wildlife returns to Wild Ouseburn

Spring has arrived in full force across Wild Ouseburn, with blossom in bloom, birdsong filling the valley and wildlife activity increasing week by week.

Following last year’s award of more than £80,000 from the Reece Foundation’s Ouse Burn Way Fund, which secured the next three years of nature restoration and rewilding in the Lower Ouseburn Valley, the area is continuing to thrive as an important urban nature corridor.

Migratory species have begun to return, with the first Sand Martins arriving on 18 March — a few weeks earlier than last year. Numbers have steadily increased since then, with up to 16 birds now present and already building nests in the original Free Trade wall. It is hoped the birds take up the new artificial Sand Martin bank installed at the mouth of the burn in 2024, by Wild Ouseburn with Northumbrian Water.

Across the valley, Chiffchaffs can now be heard calling, along with Blackcaps, which have returned to their territories. Resident birds are also busy raising young, from Long-tailed Tits near Ouseburn Farm to Blackbirds at City Stadium, and Grey Wagtails can be spotted feeding recently fledged chicks near The Cluny.

Along the burn, broods of Mallard ducklings have been spotted, and there is also exciting news from the resident Mute Swan pair. The Swans, identifiable by their BTO ring numbers ZY9796 and ZY9675, have established a nest on the Cluny slipway for a second year – this time on a floating platform. The female is now incubating at least 6 eggs, and signs installed by Wild Ouseburn tell passers-by about their fascinating ecology.

Butterflies, including Peacock, Comma, Orange Tip and Small Tortoiseshell, have also been seen on the wing, alongside ladybirds, Hairy Shieldbugs and Rosemary Beetles.

Larger wildlife has continued to delight visitors, with Roe Deer regularly seen in Ouseburn Woods, Grey Seals spotted on the Tyne, and a particularly special otter sighting recorded beneath Byker Bridge at dawn on 19 April.

The valley continues to show just how rich and diverse urban wildlife can be. Keep up to date with Wild Ouseburn and find out how to attend one of their upcoming events and surveys.