A bit about me 

Hello, my name is Jessica Halpin, and I am the trainee Nature Reserves Assistant on the Our People Our Places project based at Bog Meadows Nature Reserve, in west Belfast.

I started the traineeship in April 2023 so I have been at Bog Meadows for almost 18 months. Before this, I was a Nature Reserves Assistant as part of the JobStart Scheme, and before that, I undertook a student placement with Ulster Wildlife while studying at Belfast Met, so it’s safe to say I enjoy what I do!

The traineeship has allowed me to develop my own way of engaging groups in nature, as I am usually the type of person who just gets stuck into the practical hands-on side of things. It has been brilliant to help facilitate people connecting with the natural world and all the wonderful creatures we share it with.

No two days are the same at Bog Meadows, from working on our community wilding garden to practical habitat management around the nature reserve to leading wellness sessions for local community groups, there are many tasks to keep me busy.

Community Wilding Garden

A lot has been happening in our community wilding garden. Since my last blog, we have planted up our pond with native pond plants that oxygenate and clear the water, providing ideal conditions for freshwater invertebrates. Following this work being carried out, we have had some very exciting visitors: common darter dragonflies! We are hoping that the pond plants will provide the perfect place for these amazing creatures to lay their eggs.

Wellbeing in Nature Sessions

Here at Bog Meadows Nature Reserve, we host a range of wellbeing in nature sessions for various groups. These sessions are some of my favourites as I get to show people the amazing nature right on their doorstep. During a recent session, we were treated to butterflies, including speckled wood, green-veined white, and meadow brown, birds such as swallow, house martin and sparrowhawk, and dragonflies, like the impressive emperor. Delivering sessions like these is a really special part of my job as I feel like I make an impact on people’s wellbeing by talking about things I am passionate about.

Summer Events

Over the summer we have been busy delivering community and youth engagement events and summer schemes. In June, we held an event to celebrate the summer solstice and the arrival of the summer migrant birds. We had activities such as pond dipping, bird watching, storytelling, and of course a campfire to toast some marshmallows!

At the beginning of July, we held our summer scheme, a week of nature-based activities for children aged between 8 and 11. This year, each day was focused on a different group of animals that call Bog Meadows home with activities like hedgehog surveying, building the best pygmy shrew home, and bushcraft. We also had wonderful visits to St. James’ Community Farm and Jubilee Farm, where the children learned about seed planting, various animals, and environmentally friendly farming.

In August, we have held family fun days based around the different habitats and animals found at Bog Meadows. This included a pond day, where activities included pond dipping and paper boat making, a bird ringing demonstration, and a nature art session in the community wildling garden as part of Féile an Phobail.

Wildlife

I know a lot of birders would say they love winter for bird watching but I’d have to disagree – I love bird watching in the summer months.  From seeing our resident birds with their new chicks to spotting the first swallow of the season, summer is a super exciting time for me.

At Bog Meadows Nature Reserve, we have had some adorable coot and moorhen chicks on the pond, as well as everyone’s favourite, the fluffy mallard ducklings. These birds can be seen year-round on our pond, and it is brilliant to see them doing well and raising the next generation.

Some of our summer visitors can be seen swooping over the pond to get a drink, including the swallow pictured below. Knowing that these birds travel incredible distances to come here to raise their young in safety is so special, and I will never tire of watching them darting around our skies.