Wild Belfast 

**Please RSVP via the Google Form !!** It's that time of the year again when we all come together to celebrate the achievements of this wonderful community of ours! So we welcome you all to our 2nd annual End of the Year Social to celebrate all the people who have made what we do possible. More information can be found on the google form - simply click the 'Book Now' button to be directed to it!

Come join us for rockpooling at Jordanstown on 21st September! We're heading down to the shoreline to find cool crabs, stunning starfish, weird worms, and if we're lucky some nudibranchs - sea slugs! We'll record what we find through the app iNaturalist, which helps us to identify what we've seen. Our records can also help paint a picture of the biodiversity in the area, so its a very handy app! We'll meet at the bandstand by the Loughshore car park - just a 15 minute walk from Jordanstown train station - at 17.30. Wellies recommended, and gloves recommended to minimise any chance of cuts from barnacles.

Join us on 20th July for a walk up Black Mountain and brush up your botanical know-how! Thanks to the work of the Black Mountain Rewilding Project, the Mountain is a treasure trove of interesting wildflowers, and with the knowledge you'll gain from Jake Dalzell, you'll soon be able to boggle your friend's brains with your botanical brilliance! We'll also be keeping an eye out for and identifying butterflies we identify along the way too, so its due to be a lovely day!

Feeling like you came up the Lagan in a bubble when it comes to knowing your wildflowers? Never fear, Wild Belfast is here! Join us at Sir Thomas and Lady Dixon Park to put yourself to rights and learn all about the plants that share our parks and add a pop of colour to our lives! We'll be meeting at the carpark at 10.30am on Saturday 6th July

Have you ever heard the screeching birds over Queen's Quarter or elsewhere in the city and wondered what they were? Or do you await the return of these avian aerial acrobats each year? Though their screeching is a staple sound of summer evenings, the loss of suitable nesting sites is putting our Swifts in severe decline. Come along to the Crescent Arts Centre on Monday 24th June to learn more about conservation efforts for these amazing aviators!

This isn't Dungeons and Dragons - its Damsels and Dragons! It might not be a fantasy game full of adventure and suspense, but the world of Odonata is just as interesting! Join us on the Lagan Towpath to get to know some of our native dragonflies and damselflies. These ancient insects have existed for over 300 million years, and look suitably prehistoric when you see them soaring by - you can picture them darting through the giant ferns and trees of the Carboniferous period, don't you think? Come along with us along the Lagan and learn all about these beautiful and skilled riparian hunters!

Join Moya Cannon, Lev Parikian, Conor McKinney and Mary Montague for a discussion on Nature writing and creativity. Historically, “nature writing” has been considered a form of escapism, the avoidance of harsher realities that entails withdrawal from human society. Today, in the light of the climate and biodiversity crises, traditional nature writing is challenged by “eco-writing”. This conversation between writers and scientists (and those who are both) will be a vital one to re-energise our sense of connection with the natural world and the importance of writing about it to make sense of the times and give heart to our lives.

You could be forgiven for thinking that Ireland's bees are limited to just bumblebees - but you'd be wrong! A wonderful array of bee species occur throughout Belfast, with a rich variety of looks, hair-dos and life cycles. Bees that mine, bees that build and bees that thieve, come and meet them with expert Brian Murray of @BeesofIreland. Part of the day will be a field trip, so please come prepared! There will also be a seated workshop for part of the day.

As part of Belfast 2024 we're a series of Living Murals. These are murals that bring species to life and bring species to live! Our 2024 slots for walls is currently full but we're hoping to extend the living murals project into 2025. Do you know of a wall at least 3m high in the Belfast City Council area that could become a masterpiece & offer wildlife a home? Send a photo and the location of your wall for consideration to contact@wildbelfast.org and make sure to get the permission of the owner! After that we'll take it from there!

Murals that don't only bring species to life, but bring species to live!

How can we make our urban spaces more biodiverse and resilient? Join Wild Belfast and the QUB Planning Department in this discussion on how to make space for nature in our neighbourhoods, villages, towns and cities. This practice-oriented conference will explore ways we can take action to make our spaces more natureful and resilient.

Moths are misunderstood! Though the name might conjure thoughts of small fluttery grey things that eat your clothes and are more obsessed with lights than teen girls were with Boyzone in the nineties, in reality there’s far more to them than that. With mimicry, colour and varieties aplenty, come along on 18th of May to meet some of the wonderful moths that call Lagan Meadows home!

We are competing in a “Bioblitz” as part of the City Nature Challenge 2024. Meet our experts and help us record wildlife across Belfast and go toe to toe with cities from around the world to record the most species. Feel free to drop in and drop out with the range of events we will be holding on the day!

We are competing in a “Bioblitz” as part of the City Nature Challenge 2024. Meet our experts and help us record wildlife across Belfast and go toe to toe with cities from around the world to record the most species. Feel free to drop in and drop out with the range of events we will be holding on the day!

Join us for a fun and informal marine recording at Loughshore Park in Jordanstown as part of the City Nature Challenge! Whether you are an enthusiastic beginner or a rockpooling expert, you are welcome to join us! We will be recording our findings on the iNaturalist app (although this is not mandatory, but this is a great way to start recording the species you see if you haven't done it before!). We will start at 5:30 pm, meeting at the bandstand next to the carpark, which is a 12 minute walk from Jordanstown train station. Good shoes are recommended (wellies are ideal) and you may wish to wear gloves to reduce the chance of being cut by barnacles. Everything is, of course, weather permitting!

Bend an ear like a Long-eared and natter with a Natterer’s. Join us on a walk and talk of all things “bat-chat”, how to identify bats from their calls and see them in the flesh.

As part of Belfast 24 we are delighted to announce the launch of our Beer Mat Safari Competition!

Take a dander with us on a journey of bird song and how species can be identified from their songs.

Say goodbye to our winter vagrants and hello to our summer arrivals. Learn about migration and tips to identify birds that migrate.

Join us for a fun and informal marine recording at Loughshore Park in Jordanstown! Whether you are an enthusiastic beginner or a rockpooling expert, you are welcome to join us! We will be recording our findings on the iNaturalist app (although this is not mandatory, but this is a great way to start recording the species you see if you haven't done it before!). We will start at 10 am, meeting at the bandstand next to the carpark, which is a 12 minute walk from Jordanstown train station. Good shoes are recommended (wellies are ideal) and you may wish to wear gloves to reduce the chance of being cut by barnacles. Everything is, of course, weather permitting!

It's a battle that's been raging in our night skies for millions of years. Bats, an evolutionary, echolocating conundrum versus moths, who have also weaponised sound, but in defence. This talk will take you on a journey of the evolutionary arms race between bats and their prey.

Come along and find out more about the winter bugs we share our green spaces with from harvestmen to shield bugs there's loads to see!

Join us for a fun and informal marine recording at Loughshore Park in Jordanstown! Whether you are an enthusiastic beginner or a rockpooling expert, you are welcome to join us! We will be recording our findings on the iNaturalist app (although this is not mandatory, but this is a great way to start recording the species you see if you haven't done it before!). We will start at 11.30am, meeting at the bandstand next to the carpark, which is a 12 minute walk from Jordanstown train station. Good shoes are recommended (wellies are ideal) and you may wish to wear gloves to reduce the chance of being cut by barnacles. Everything is, of course, weather permitting!

Our next event is on the return of the murmuration to Albert Bridge. We'll watch the spectacle with Conor McKinney, discuss why / how it happens and the conservation that led to it's return. Ravenhill Rest, east Albert Bridge Sat 13th Jan 3:30pm

Our events series continues on the 28th October as Joshua Clarke hosts a tour of Our Opiliones. This species group have a fascinating array of tricks up their (very long) sleeves - book below to find out more!

Join us for a fun and informal marine recording afternoon at Loughshore Park in Jordanstown! Whether you are an enthusiastic beginner or a rockpooling expert, you are welcome to join us! We will be recording our findings on the iNaturalist app (although this is not mandatory, but this is a great way to start recording the species you see if you haven't done it before!). We will start at 10.30am, meeting at the bandstand next to the carpark, which is a 12 minute walk from Jordanstown train station. Good shoes are recommended (wellies are ideal) and you may wish to wear gloves to reduce the chance of being cut by barnacles. Everything is, of course, weather permitting!

We are excited to be taking part in this year's Open Botanic street closure event where we will be talking all things wildlife with cameos from the wonderful creatures in our mobile rockpool!

We're delighted to invite you to our AGM to reflect on our 1st year achievements and share the updates and projects lined up for 2024.