Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve set to celebrate first ever Shorebird Awareness Week with a week of activities

A range of free expert-led sessions will be held, between April 10 and April 14, with a chance of experiencing the wildlife in the area first hand.

Shorebird safaris, nature trails, games, crafts, hands-on family activities and fact-filled workshops, all led by Lindisfarne’s expert wildlife team, will take place across the nature reserve.

Adults and children of all ages will have the opportunity to learn about breeding, their incredible journey to get to the reserve and what to expect in the coming months. Visitors can get stuck in with binoculars and take a deep dive into local nature on a wild Shorebird Safari.

Andrew Craggs, senior reserve manager, said: “This is a wonderful time to explore the National Nature Reserve as the coast bursts into life – dunelands come alive with flowers, and birds start feeding, displaying, becoming territorial and pairing up to breed.

“We also welcome back birds from their long migration, some having travelled thousands of miles to get here.

“Shorebird Week offers lots of fun hands-on activities full of nature encounters to fascinate young and old alike! We can’t wait to welcome visitors and show them the reserve in all its springtime glory.”

This is the first year that Shorebird Awareness Week will take place in the North East, putting the spotlight on the incredible diversity of wildlife in the region and the vital work of the reserve team.

Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve, together with a number of other sites along the Northumberland Coast, is home to some of the rarest shorebirds in the UK.

Shorebirds are birds that use the beaches, saltmarshes and rocky shores to nest, rest and feed, but are often overlooked and have suffered steep declines in the last 30 years. In the North East alone, habitat loss, increased coastal recreation and climate change have all taken a significant toll.

The wildlife team on the reserve work hard throughout the year to support and raise awareness of these fascinating but highly endangered birds – creating refuges, supporting nesting, monitoring numbers and managing disturbance.

For more information, go to the Lindisfarne National Nature Reserve Facebook page.