This year, we launched a new For Everyday Mountains content series to shine a light on inspiring people who connect with nature in their own way, using the outdoors to conquer their everyday mountains and reconnect on their own terms.
We’re proud to introduce our first featured nature advocate: Şeniz Mustafa, Urban Beaver Officer and bird-watching guide.
For Şeniz, the outdoors isn’t something you escape to; it’s something to protect, share, and experience every day, even in the heart of the city. Through her work and her walks, she reminds us that nature isn’t defined by distance or dramatic landscapes, but by connection. By bringing people together, she helps others reconnect with the natural world in ways that are accessible, inclusive, and rooted in real life.
At Mountain Warehouse, we believe the outdoors is for everyone, no matter how or where you connect with nature.
We caught up with Şeniz to find out even more about her interests and love for the outdoors.
Şeniz: The title Urban Beaver Officer is unique, and I am told I am the first of its kind. I essentially lead on the engagement and education on-site as one of the only paid members of staff. When it comes to a typical day, honestly, no day is the same.
My role includes anything from leading volunteer days with the public to guiding morning bird walks, to giving talks at local schools and hosting guests for our summer safari tours and more. I do anything that involves people, but I’m also a key person when it comes to checking what the beavers have been up to and working with our brilliant team to manage the site in a way that is best for both humans and beavers to thrive together.
The Redpoll, when I was hosting a morning bird walk for families. There is a certain area called the Beaver Workshop, and we could hear a flock of birds coming from that direction. At the same time, I had a bird-watching app open called Merlin, and it flagged the noise as a Redpoll. I had never even heard of a Redpoll before, and I love birds, but I obviously don’t know all of them. My manager was around on that day and confirmed that it was indeed a Redpoll, and that it was the first ever recorded sighting of one of these on site. Funnily enough, that is the only time we have ever seen them, so that was pretty awesome.
A forbidden question because how could you pick one? There are so many fantastic animals out there. To pick a favourite is impossible because they all have something to offer. When I think of generalised groups, I love birds and insects a lot, but that doesn’t mean that I don’t like the others. I really like animal behaviour, and with birds, they are very strange creatures. I quite like Cormorants as they are just so awkward, and as they are not waterproof, they just stand there like clothing hangers waiting for their wings to dry. I also have a favourite moth, which is the muslin moth. I think because they look like little superheroes, with orange, fluffy chests, and they are always very polite.
One of the major things I do is always wear two layers of trench trousers because I am impeccably skilled at getting mud everywhere. I usually wear my walking boots, but sometimes I might need wellies or waders, depending on what I am doing on site, as where I work is a freshwater habitat. There is lots of water, so I need footwear to protect my feet from it. Obviously, waterproofs are essential too because let’s be honest, you never know when it is going to start chucking it down. Warm layers are also key, so layer up!
I think sometimes when you want to connect to nature, you need to relinquish control and let nature be nature in front of you. For me, there is nothing I love more than being in nature and watching to see what wildlife gets up to. Like I said, I love animal behaviour, so there’s beauty in seeing what they do, without them knowing that I’m there. Trying to understand wildlife really connects you with nature because you realise, we are not the only animals on this planet. We share it with all these others, and they all have their own stories to tell, which can really connect you to them.
I think it would be hard to say one kind of person that inspires me because I feel like it’s natural to have a different relationship with everybody around you. What I find most inspiring and important in terms of the people, whether that’s friends or other people in the sector, is just authenticity. When I see things like The People’s Ark, which my friend Samia Dumbuya started, it’s really inspiring to see and attend workshops because she has a company that is teaching green skills. Essentially, community building around nature and like-minded people in a shared space, being really passionate about beavers or whatever else it may be, is what inspires me the most because we cannot do anything if we don’t do it together.
Other than spending time in nature, I love socialising and spending time with my great gang of friends in London. I am also super into history; I am a history nerd, and I love it. I will even listen to history documentaries whilst getting ready or when doing my makeup. I like to watch the occasional TV show, and I’m also trying to get back into crocheting.
It wasn’t really a straightforward journey for me. When I was younger, we did outdoorsy stuff like walking the dog, camping and firepit fun, but there was not a passion for nature. I did a placement year halfway through Uni, living in Essex for a little while, before moving to Shropshire. This is when I finally had the right opportunity, the right mindset, and the right access to nature. I feel like at that point, different things had aligned for me to explore the outdoors. I always like to say, everybody has a little match, and everyone just needs the right spark to light it, in terms of their love for nature. However, I want to say I was about 21 or 22 when the cog started to really turn and I started to go outdoors more and stopped being a teenager hiding in my bedroom. Not to generalise, but it does happen, doesn’t it?
I had never gone on holiday with friends before, until last year, when I went away with three of my mates on a nerdy bird holiday down to Dorset. We went to Poole Harbour, where we went on a boat, and we saw sea eagles, although from a distance, so they were like tiny dots – and sea eagles are huge. I have never seen one close up, but that was a lovely moment. We also went to Brownsea Island, and we saw red squirrels and avocets, which was cool as I have never seen them before. My favourite bit was when we went to a place called RSPB Arne, and there was a Dartford Warbler, although after patiently waiting, I never saw more than its tail. It was so nice to be with my friends, who I absolutely adore, in such a pretty setting. I can never forget that.
It focused on the importance of women in nature and how we’re connected to it, which resonated with me. Being a woman in nature can be a difficult thing, as there are lots of different challenges, and it’s not necessarily a conversation that’s had very often. It sounded like a fun opportunity, and sharing these experiences with people is important.
I was able to bring my friends to be filmed with me, which instantly brought enjoyment, but also meant lots of diverse backgrounds were authentically represented in the video. Additionally, I was able to talk a little bit about my role as Urban Beaver Officer, and I also do a lot of work in inclusion, which I think is important to share. I think any chance to share a story and to collaborate with organisations like Mountain Warehouse is a brilliant opportunity, and I feel incredibly privileged to have done it.