Tag Archives: nature

What’s on today at BioBlitz 2013

If you fancy a foray into the world of BioBlitzing, take a look at what’s on today. You can hunt down creepy crawlies and, if you’re feeling brave, get up close and personal with spiders! Or play it safe and enjoy one of our guided mammal and woodland walks. We’ve also got naturalists on hand to answer your questions.

And if you feel like exploring under your own steam, come and borrow some equipment from our field lab and see what you can find!

What's on today at BioBlitz 2013

Welcome to BioBlitz 2013

The Wildscreen Media Team are at Kings Weston House on this fantastically sunny Bristol day to capture action as it happens. We’ll be photographing plants, filming anything that flies and blogging about mini-beasts! So stay tuned as we tally the species throughout the day.

Pond dipping at BioBlitz

First off, Wildscreen pond dippers extraordinaire Becky, Claire and Helen jumped at the chance to join the pond-dipping expedition this morning. Accompanying naturalist Trudi, the intrepid trio joined the children of Christ Church CE Primary School to delve into the murky waters of the nearby pond.

Pond dipping at BioBlitz

The resulting net-fulls of green pond weed soon revealed a fantastic ecosystem of critters galore! Freshwater hoglice scrambled around elegantly stretching leeches, whilst a diving beetle made a bid for freedom past some enormous pond snails. And there was even the bonus find of some tadpoles!

Pond dipping at BioBlitz
Back at BioBlitz headquarters, the Media Team are now awaiting the return of the first wave of foragers and for the tally of species to begin!

Bristol BioBlitz launches Bristol99 this weekend at Kings Weston. Get ready for a 30 hour wildlife extravaganza!

3 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE BRISTOL BIOBLITZ AT KINGS WESTON – HURRAH!  This year, it marks a particularly special occasion – the launch event of Bristol99, a pilot project to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Bristol Festival of Nature.  For 6 weeks, starting with the Bristol BioBlitz, Bristol Natural History Consortium will be working with partners to deliver a huge variety of FREE activities (currently, about 40 and counting!) on some of Bristol’s best wildlife sites – the 99 Sites of Nature Conservation Interest.  From the 30 hour wildlife recording extravaganza that is the main Bristol BioBlitz, to a gentle cycle ride along the Malago Valley looking at wildflowers, an evening bat walk, or a glimpse into the world of the water vole, there truly is something to tickle everyone’s taste buds.

Bristol99 concludes it’s journey around Bristol at Bristol Harbourside, for the big finale – Bristol Festival of Nature, on the weekend of 15th/16th June.  Bringing together over 150 organisations for an exciting and interactive programme, it is the UK’s largest FREE natural history event and a truly great day out, whether or not you are a wildlife aficionado!

So why not make Bristol BioBlitz the start of a summer exploring the wildlife hot spots of our wonderful city? Come along to a few of the Bristol99 events in the weeks to follow, and then join us at the Festival of Nature!  I can’t think of a better, or cheaper way to have fun in the (hopefully) sun!

By Lucy Gaze