We’re still looking for people to join the Bristol BioBlitz survey teams on May 14th in the grounds of Wild Place Project and help us on our 24-hour mission to record as much wildlife as possible. If you’re wondering whether to sign up, here’s regular BioBlitz mammal survey team leader Gill Brown telling us why joining a team is a great experience:
Gill Brown with a sleepy dormouse
“Joining a BioBlitz survey team is fun, most of all – an opportunity to meet new people, learn from the experts and each other. It’s a very relaxed and informal way of working.
“Mammals are actually the creatures you’re least likely to see, compared to the insects, so I show people how to recognise feeding signs and other clues. Poo can tell you a lot! You might find a badgers sett, or some hazelnuts that have been nibbled by dormice.
“I often say it’s like being a detective – even sometimes like CSI if you come across something that’s been eaten. There are ways of telling whether it’s been killed by a sparrowhawk or a fox, for example. It’s all about being alert and spotting things people might not usually be looking out for.
“This year I’m leading a public walk rather than a survey team. We’ll be looking out for badgers and deer. I’ll also bring some big footprint tubes which we use to look for hedgehogs – we’ll put hot-dogs in to attract them, and the tubes capture their footprints as they go through.
“I learnt nearly everything I know by going out on trips with nature experts, and when I’m not busy with mammals at BioBlitz I’ll go out with the bug survey teams as I’m always hoping to learn some more. That’s the best bit about BioBlitz – it’s very much a peer-to-peer learning experience.”
Follow the link to read Gill’s blog: https://gillyotter.wordpress.com/
Ready to register for BioBlitz ? Click here to sign up. There are plenty of spaces on our minibus shuttle from Bristol if you’re in need of a lift to Wild Place Project. We’re most in need of volunteers for Team Fly and Team Slug – and if you’re not sure you’re a slug or fly person, let David Attenborough show you how amazing they are with these clips of leopard slugs mating and hoverflies on a pollinating mission:
