We are always looking for new ways to show Central Bedfordshire Council just how important our Open Space is and to bring the Community together at the same time. We think we’ve found an exciting and educational way of doing both…a BioBlitz Survey
We know there’s lots of animal, plant and insect species living on Windsor Drive, but to date nothing has been done to record it ....until now.
A BioBlitz Survey will give us a full picture of what’s on our Open Space but we need your help to make it happen.
What is a BioBlitz Survey, how does it work and how can it help to save Windsor Drive?
The Survey uses your mobile phone to take pictures of any wildlife you spot on both the field and the wooded area on Windsor Drive, then using an app like iRecord or iNaturalist (more on that closer to the date), identify the species and location from your phone’s GPS information. This information is uploaded to the Local Environmental Records Centre in Bedford which verifies the species identification and keeps the information on a centralised database. (Don’t worry, it’s not your details they are interested in, only what you have identified.)
The key to success is to take a photo of everything you see which is living, whether it’s blades of grass, insects, or foxes and kites, and send it to the recording centre. We will put more Survey dates in the diary over the next 12 months to monitor any changes in the wildlife population over time. If you can't make 13th August, or any of the future dates we may plan, no problem, you can do the survey on a date and time to suit you.
The bonus with a BioBlitz Survey is any developer wanting to build on the land has to refer to this database to check if there are any endangered/protected species on the land. They’d then have to jump through additional hoops if they wanted to build, if they are allowed to build at all! Fingers crossed we find lots of things which fall into the endangered/protected species category on Windsor Drive Open Space!
What do you need to get started?
All you need is a mobile phone (which has a camera), gloves and a ruler or something to show the size and scale of the item in the photo.
Meeting point is at the entrance to Windsor Drive Open Space opposite Halley’s Way, you can come alone or bring the whole family. There will be tea, coffee and juice available for a small donation.
If you are interested in participating or would like to know more, please comment below or drop us an email at friendsofwindsordrive@outlook.com
See you on the 13th
PS. Great Example of a BioBlitz:
Comments