Mini bio-blitz
Good morning Everyone, not so good weather today.
Thank you all for coming out to the mini bio-blitz yesterday. It was lovely to meet some of our new contributors rather than just seeing a name on the APP!
It is becoming increasingly difficult to find new species as we've all spent so much time walking in the fields over the lockdown and during this strange era of our history. Nonetheless, yesterday's bio-blitz has taken our total number of observed species to 400. Well done everyone.
Please don't stop as the weather turns autumnal. The different seasons will bring forth different species, although we most likely won't record as many during autumn and winter. As Paul Richards from the Sheffield and Rotherham Wildlife Trust indicated it is within the insects/invertebrates/molluscs groups that we are most likely to find rare species on Owlthorpe Fields. Unfortunately, these are also going to be the most difficult for us to positively identify. Paul Richards has very kindly agreed to help us identify some as best he can but we must bare in mind that identifying insects/invertebrates and molluscs is a broad field and Paul cannot be an expert in all of them.
Another point to bear in mind is that the ID's given by iNaturalist can be slightly dodgy, with some identifiers suggesting North American species that certainly will not be found in the UK. If a strange species is identified have a good look down the list then research on the internet whether it is likely to be one of the suggested species. If you cannot identify it at all send it to the project email owlaction500@gmail.com and we will try and get it professionally identified for you.
I'd like to thank you all for taking the time to record your observations. This is a big help in preserving our local environment for future generations to enjoy, and help restore the balance to the natural world that the human race has wreaked havoc on with devastating consequences.
Keep the observations coming everyone.
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Great stuff, yep, as of this morning we have 406 species, and over a thousand observations. Obviously, many of us are seeing the same species, but please carry on recording and uploading what you see, even if you’ve recorded it before. The number of observations and their locations indicate just how widespread or numerous a species is - and, for example, they can also indicate the timing of breeding of butterflies and other insects, and the length of flowering time of plants.
I echo the report on the mini bio-blitz in welcoming new contributors, and also want to thank Paul Richards, Pete Tomlin and everyone else in Sheffield & Rotherham Wildlife Trust for their help, advice and experience.
Please keep going everyone. I’m off for a walk on the Fields this morning.
Best wishes, Magic Oak!
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