Filey School and YCN

Sat 27th Jul, 2019

Here at Yorkshire Coast Nature, what we give back has always been (and always will be) at the centre of what we do. We pride ourselves on paying more than lip service to what we consider to be our responsibilities as an ethical, pro-active wildlife tour company, and we've supported many conservation projects, events and initiatives since our launch back in 2012.

Mark and Kate with some of the 60 Filonian nature detectives!

All of us on the YCN team are committed conservationists who often use our spare time to volunteer for various projects, and our latest voluntary intiative involves a full programme for the pupils of Filey Junior School here on the North Yorkshire coast.

Common Sandpipers were very showy from the new hide - no binoculars needed!

Organised and delivered by Mark in his spare time, an ongoing calendar of nature activities is already underway at the school – and our first off-site activity involved all 60 year three pupils enjoying a specially-designed Nature Detective Trail at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's nearby Filey Dams reserve.

a Little Egret was a great find by one of our young visitors

With the help of site manager Kate (from YWT), we put together a bespoke, interactive five-stop adventure trail through the reserve, with various tasks and challenges along the way – from bug-hunting and pond-dipping, to art, flower-finding and bird-watching.

Emperor dragonflies were a bonus by the pond-dipping platform

It's fair to say a good time was had by all, and we're looking forward to next term - when we'll be installing a bird-feeding station in the school's wildlife area and kicking off a series of fun and inspiring activities, inside and outside the school grounds... more to follow!

Mark Pearson is one of our top birding and wildlife guides. This autumn he is leading our new Bespoke Bird Migration Days to see more about these events Click Here