More than 850 people joined the Bristol BioBlitz for 24 hours of wildlife recording, pond dipping, bat walks, spider hunts and moth trapping at Wild Place Project on May 13 and 14.
The event produced a final tally of 671 individual wildlife records spanning 372 species, including six species new to South Gloucestershire.
The sun shone, deer and badgers came out to play and we even spotted a cheetah or two (sadly not to be counted in the species tally as they are part of the Wild Place exotic exhibits). Wildlife was recorded by survey teams led by naturalists and by the groups and families who joined the walks and talks.
Bristol Regional Environmental Records Centre (BRERC) worked hard from 5pm on Friday 13 to 5pm on Saturday 14 entering wildlife data as we recorded it and keeping a live tally going. Click here to see the full data map.
The six species new to South Gloucestershire were Caloplaca citrina (lichen),Verrucaria baldensis (lichen), Valenzuela flavidus (book / barklouse), Bruchus rufipes (seedbeetle), Sasa palmata (broad-leaved bamboo) and Diplotomma alboatrum (lichen).
The full 671 wildlife recordings made will count towards our Connect with Nature campaign, which encourages people to support nature in their area through five key actions including observing and recording wildlife. Click here to fInd out how you can take part, and let us know any action you take for nature by tweeting us @FestofNature using the hashtag #connectwithnature.
All of the species we found were documented as biological records and are now being entered into local databases where they will be verified and stored for posterity. This snapshot of the wildlife found here can be used to influence the management and conservation work that takes place on the site
The BioBlitz is supported by The British Ecological Society and South Gloucestershire Council with special thanks to Bristol Environmental Records Centre, Bristol Naturalists Society and Bristol Nature Network.
