Over 20 families ventured north in the sunshine on Sunday (2nd August) to attend a collaborative event hosted by Manx BirdLife (MBL) and Manx Wildlife Trust (MWT) – ‘Wild in the North’!
The event, based on the Manx BirdLife Point of Ayre National Reserve (MBLPOANR) and at the Manx Wildlife Trust Discovery Centre at The Ayres National Nature Reserve, was put on to encourage more people, particularly young families, to explore and enjoy these special sites in the far north of the Isle of Man.
MWT Volunteer and coordinator of the event Kim Etherton said, “The landscape of the north of the Island is very different and special but not everyone has discovered it. Working with Manx BirdLife, we both offered activities so that families could have fun whilst discovering our amazing wildlife – it was great to see families enjoying nature and experiencing this special part of the Island!”
Families were invited to take part in guided walks, bug hunting, bird drawing, MWT’s ‘Let’s Get Wild’ initiative, and to find out more about the technology used to monitor and record bird and other species on the nature reserves.
The warm and unusually calm weather, combined with freshwater pools, brought out the birds and bugs, which gave the young naturalists much to marvel at and learn about. Swallows nesting in the MBL workshop were out swooping for insects to feed their chicks; juvenile Cormorants were loafing about in the lagoon; Common Blue, Meadow Brown and Painted Lady butterflies were feeding on Common Knapweed and Buddleia; Cinnabar Moth caterpillars were munching on Ragwort; rare Bee flies were buzzing around soil banks; a ‘Loveliness of Ladybirds’ was discovered feeding on aphids; Woodlouse Spiders were hiding in the wood-chip floor of the MBL education shelter; grasshoppers were bouncing about in their camouflage gear; and Emperor and Common Hawker dragonflies were zooming around, alighting on stems and rocks.
The two nature reserves can sometimes be overlooked because of their remote locations, but their beauty and biodiversity are well worth the effort to make the journey.
The Manx BirdLife Point of Ayre National Reserve is open Wednesday through to Sunday, 9am to sunset – Manx BirdLife Nature Reserves
The Manx Wildlife Trust Discovery Centre is open 2nd May 2026 to 13th September 2026 – Manx Wildlife Trust Ayres Nature Discovery Centre
The Ayres National Nature Reserve is open all year and all the time – Ayres National Nature Reserve
Manx BirdLife is the conservation charity based in the Isle of Man working to protect the Island’s wild birds and the habitats on which they depend.
By Anna Graham, Education Manager, Manx BirdLife
