Hundreds of miles will be covered this month as Lancastrians go in search of bats.
And many will join nature lovers from all over the continent during European Bat Night on Saturday August 28.
It is all part of European Bat Weekend, a celebration of the mammals held by the Bat Conservation Trust every year.
Walks are being held around the county and in Greater Manchester and Merseyside throughout August, but bat groups are flocking for the big night at the end of the month.
Alan Wright, of the Lancashire Environment Record Network, said: “Getting people out recording bats is obviously useful for our records when they are reported back by the various groups.
“Events likes European Bat Night will help to identify where our bats are, making it possible for us to study and protect them.
“It will give people an opportunity to spend an evening in good company, learning more about these fascinating creatures which live all around us.”
LERN is encouraging anyone with an interest in bats to get involved with their local bat group.
Bat walks organised over the next month include:
Thursday, August 19
• Wyre Countryside Officer Charlie Pass at the VisitGarstang Centre, 8pm - 10pm. 01995 602125.
Friday, August 27
• Prospects Bat Walk in Baxenden. 7.30pm. Details at info@prospectsfoundation.org.uk.
Saturday, August 28
• South Lancashire Bat Group walks -
Yarrow Country Park, Birkacre Road Chorley
Burrs Country Park, Woodhill Road, Bury
Rivington, Bolton
Platt Fields, Didsbury
Victoria Park, Stretford
All walks begin at 8pm, details from SLBG at enquiry@slbg.org.uk or 0161 7648850.
• Borsdane Wood Local Nature Reserve, Aspull end of Reserve, Aspull, Wigan. 8pm. 01942 233976
• Seven Acres Local Nature Reserve, Breightmet, Bolton. 8pm. 01204 663754 or Bolton@lancswt.org.uk
Thursday, September 2
• North Lancashire Bat Group Secretary Gail Armstrong at Middleton Woods Nature Reserve 7-9pm. gail@batlady.co.uk
Friday, September 3
• Lancashire Wildlife Truts East Lancashire Reserves Officer Phil Dykes at Brungerley Park Entrance, Clitheroe, 7.30pm. 07841 996722 or pdykes@lancswt.org.uk
Visit the LERN website at www.lanspartners.org/lern for more details of their work and for details of wildlife in your area.
Friday, 13 August 2010
Sunday, 8 August 2010
The final total is....
809!!!!!!!!!!!!
Time for bed
Just minutes to go
Just minutes to go now and our experts are reaching for the 800 mark. Just seven to go!
Saturday, 7 August 2010
Sainsbury's food
Food, kindly donated by Trudi at Sainsbury's (and she was here for hours today), is keeping us going in the wee small hours. the moth trap is working and we are preparing for a dawn raid on the park to see if we can suprass the superb 725 species we have so far counted.
Time to thank our tireless volunteers today who made the whole thing work. The hall of fame includes our guests and everyone who got involved:-
Bill Oddie
The Mayors and Mayoresses of Chorley, South Ribble and Preston.
Lindsay Hoyle MP
Cuerden Valley Park Rangers and volunteers
The Lancashire Wildlife Trust
Lancashire BAP
Natural England
The Environment Agency
GeoLancashire
OPAL
Chorley Nats
Arocha UK
Lancashire Badger Group
North West Fungus Group
St John Ambulance
The RSPB
Lancashire Moth Group
Butterfly Conservation
The Earthworm Research Group
The Cheshire Mammal Group
South Lancashire Bat Group
West Lancashire Bat Group
James Ellaby
And all our other volunteers who may not be affiliated to the above
Particular thanks must go to the 24-hour BioBlitz team - Chris, Maddie, Sam, Nik and me.
Public session ends
The public session has ended to gasps of relief from the organisers. Many smiling faces and people getting interested in wildlife, fantastic.
All volunteers and experts worked tirelessly through the day and kept families and children involved in some excellent activities. Bill Oddie charmed everyone with his friendly, outgoing attitude and his willingness to get involved AND stay longer than originally planned. The Mayors and Mayoresses of Chorley, South Ribble and Preston graciously said they had enjoyed themselves, after a shaky start by the organisers.
The weather was generally OK, with some rain showers. But all in all the day proved to be a success, enjoyed by the majority of people involved.
A huge thanks, as we now get down to some overnight recording.
All volunteers and experts worked tirelessly through the day and kept families and children involved in some excellent activities. Bill Oddie charmed everyone with his friendly, outgoing attitude and his willingness to get involved AND stay longer than originally planned. The Mayors and Mayoresses of Chorley, South Ribble and Preston graciously said they had enjoyed themselves, after a shaky start by the organisers.
The weather was generally OK, with some rain showers. But all in all the day proved to be a success, enjoyed by the majority of people involved.
A huge thanks, as we now get down to some overnight recording.
Walks And Talks
There have been lots of great walks and talks today, with experts sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge with the public, so thanks to everyone who came along! Here's County Butterfly Recorder Laura Sivell hosting a Butterfly Walk...
Species Surveying - Sometimes It Sucks
It's not all glamour at the BioBlitz, you know. Sometimes you've just got to suck it up and get on with it.
The BioBlitz So Far - In Photos!
Here's the best photos so far of the Lancashire BioBlitz 2010, featuring Bill Oddie's opening ceremony, the action at the BioVillage and some of the surveyors getting busy...
Feeling Peckish?
If you've not eaten yet, there's plenty of options down at the BioVillage, with Bill Oddie checking out the wares from Sainsburys in Bamber Bridge below.
CHAAAAARGE!
This was the scene earlier, after Bill officially started the BioBlitz. The photographer has only just picked himself up from being knocked to the floor by the rampaging hordes of surveyors.
The Count - Update!
We've had more than 145 species recorded so far, but we're not likely to be counting this one...
Bill And The Moths
Bill Oddie has been getting stuck in down at the BioVillage this morning, meeting people and talking about the wildlife we're all surveying. Here he is talking moths...
The BioVillage Comes To Life!
The weather is holding out for us so far and it's all go down at the BioVillage here at Cuerden Valley Park!
Warming Up (Apart From The Weather)!
Our special guest Bill Oddie has arrived and the BioBlitz is starting to warm up nicely. If only the weather would too...
Friday, 6 August 2010
Morning All
5.30am start after a late night adding finishing touches to BioBlitz HQ. This morning we will built the BioVillage with a deadlineof before 10am.
It's all getting pretty exciting but will we still feel this way at the same time tomorrow????
Lancshire BioBlitz Timetable
10am - BioBlitz begins – Experts and volunteers will begin to survey the site
11am – Opening Ceremony with special guest Bill Oddie – TV Naturalist Bill Oddie will open the event to the public at the Barn and start children’s activities at the BioVillage
11.30am – Walk – The Creation of Cuerden Valley with Keith Williams – GeoLancashire’s Keith Williams will tell the dramatic story of how Cuerden Valley was formed and why it looks like it does. Booking necessary
12pm – Walk – Butterflies with Laura Sivell – County Butterfly Recorder Laura Sivell will host a walk about butterflies with the help of other experts. Booking necessary
12.30pm – Talk – Bugs – Friend or Foe? With Jennifer Newton – Bug expert Jennifer Newton will discuss how we perceive bugs and the truth about our creepy-crawly friends. Booking necessary
12.30pm – Walk – The Flora of Cuerden Park with County experts – Lancashire’s top botanists and experts from Cuerden Park will take part in this ramble to discover common and not-so-common plants. Booking necessary
1pm – Talk - The Lancashire Environment Record Network with Alan Wright and Nik Bruce – The LERN roadshow comes to Cuerden Park. Alan and Nik will explain how recording wildlife is vital to its survival and for everyone in the county Booking necessary
2pm – Walk – The Denham Hill Experience, including trip to Denham Quarry with Keith Williams – Keith Williams will take a minibus of interested people to Denham Quarry to look at the bigger picture of how Lancashire was created Booking necessary
2pm – Talk – Invasive Species with EA/LERN – Top experts from LERN and the Environment Agency will discuss alien invaders in Lancashire and how we should deal with them Booking necessary
2pm – Walk – Butterflies with Laura Sivell – County Butterfly Recorder Laura Sivell will host a walk about butterflies with the help of other experts. Booking necessary
3pm – Talk – Recording Flowers with Lancashire botanists – Lancashire’s top botanists with stories about their work and how it has impacted on the county’s environment Booking necessary
4pm - Talk – Recording Bats with bat experts from West, South and East Lancs – Lancashire experts with stories about their work and how they are protecting these exciting and interesting animals Booking necessary
6pm – BioBlitz Closes to Public – The public’s excellent work and children’s activities close and it’s now down to the experts to continue recording
6pm-10.30pm – Mammal Course 1 –Introduction to UK Mammals 1: Small mammals and how to find them: trapping for small mammals and a bat walk. Booking necessary
9pm – Bat Walks – The perfect end to a fascinating day, as bat experts spot and listen out for the furry fliers. Bat detectors ready! Booking necessary
9pm-10am – Biodiversity team – Night-time surveying continues
8.30am-11am – Mammal Course 2 – The Barn Introduction to UK Mammals 2: Larger mammals, and mammal signs. Including checking small mammal traps and a field trip looking for signs in park Booking necessary
9am-10am – Final count of species – We are aiming to top 600 species in the 24 hours, but there is a target of 800 or more which is the record UK BioBlitz total.
Contact Alan Wright at awright@lancswt.org.uk
11am – Opening Ceremony with special guest Bill Oddie – TV Naturalist Bill Oddie will open the event to the public at the Barn and start children’s activities at the BioVillage
11.30am – Walk – The Creation of Cuerden Valley with Keith Williams – GeoLancashire’s Keith Williams will tell the dramatic story of how Cuerden Valley was formed and why it looks like it does. Booking necessary
12pm – Walk – Butterflies with Laura Sivell – County Butterfly Recorder Laura Sivell will host a walk about butterflies with the help of other experts. Booking necessary
12.30pm – Talk – Bugs – Friend or Foe? With Jennifer Newton – Bug expert Jennifer Newton will discuss how we perceive bugs and the truth about our creepy-crawly friends. Booking necessary
12.30pm – Walk – The Flora of Cuerden Park with County experts – Lancashire’s top botanists and experts from Cuerden Park will take part in this ramble to discover common and not-so-common plants. Booking necessary
1pm – Talk - The Lancashire Environment Record Network with Alan Wright and Nik Bruce – The LERN roadshow comes to Cuerden Park. Alan and Nik will explain how recording wildlife is vital to its survival and for everyone in the county Booking necessary
2pm – Walk – The Denham Hill Experience, including trip to Denham Quarry with Keith Williams – Keith Williams will take a minibus of interested people to Denham Quarry to look at the bigger picture of how Lancashire was created Booking necessary
2pm – Talk – Invasive Species with EA/LERN – Top experts from LERN and the Environment Agency will discuss alien invaders in Lancashire and how we should deal with them Booking necessary
2pm – Walk – Butterflies with Laura Sivell – County Butterfly Recorder Laura Sivell will host a walk about butterflies with the help of other experts. Booking necessary
3pm – Talk – Recording Flowers with Lancashire botanists – Lancashire’s top botanists with stories about their work and how it has impacted on the county’s environment Booking necessary
4pm - Talk – Recording Bats with bat experts from West, South and East Lancs – Lancashire experts with stories about their work and how they are protecting these exciting and interesting animals Booking necessary
6pm – BioBlitz Closes to Public – The public’s excellent work and children’s activities close and it’s now down to the experts to continue recording
6pm-10.30pm – Mammal Course 1 –Introduction to UK Mammals 1: Small mammals and how to find them: trapping for small mammals and a bat walk. Booking necessary
9pm – Bat Walks – The perfect end to a fascinating day, as bat experts spot and listen out for the furry fliers. Bat detectors ready! Booking necessary
9pm-10am – Biodiversity team – Night-time surveying continues
8.30am-11am – Mammal Course 2 – The Barn Introduction to UK Mammals 2: Larger mammals, and mammal signs. Including checking small mammal traps and a field trip looking for signs in park Booking necessary
9am-10am – Final count of species – We are aiming to top 600 species in the 24 hours, but there is a target of 800 or more which is the record UK BioBlitz total.
Contact Alan Wright at awright@lancswt.org.uk
Thursday, 5 August 2010
Countdown to the BioBlitz!
Naturalists and nature lovers will be racing against time at the Lancashire BioBlitz on August 7 and 8.
They will have 24 hours to find as many species of plantlife and wildlife as possible.
The Lancashire BioBlitz takes place at Cuerden Valley Park beginning at 10am on Saturday and ending at 10am on Sunday.
It will be opened by TV naturalist Bill Oddie, who was born in Rochdale, a true Lancastrian.
Activities include:
- Hedgerow surveys
- Water surveys
- Trapping – moths, small mammals, bats
- Pond dipping
- Leaf litter sampling
- Fungal forays
- Earthworm sampling
- Mini-beast hunts
- An aquarium of pondlife
- Guided walks
- Talks on wildlife and wildlife recording
There will be lots of activities for children as well as adults who will get the opportunity to get involved with recording nature and learning more about the environment.
Groups involved include:
- The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside
- Cuerden Valley Park Rangers
- Lancashire BAP
- The Environment Agency
- Natural England
- GeoLancashire
- rECOrd
- The Natural History Museum
- OPAL
- London and Bristol BioBlitzes
- The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
- South, West and East Lancs bat groups
- Lancashire Badger Group
- The Preston Society
- North West Fungal Group
- Top local botanists
- Local Naturalists Groups
The BioBlitz also sees the launch of the Lancashire Environment Record Network and its associated website.
LERN collects, maintains and distributes records of wildlife, plantlife and landscapes within Lancashire. Information is available to anyone and is used to protect wildlife through district plans and planning advice.
LERN Communication Officer Alan Wright said: “The Lancashire BioBlitz will give people an idea of how our records protect the environment in the county.
“Hopefully it will encourage families and young people to get involved in recording because we can never have enough people providing records. The idea is to create a comprehensive picture of Lancashire’s environment and protect it for future generations.
“The BioBlitz will give naturalists a chance to get together as well as being fun for everyone who come along on the day."
They will have 24 hours to find as many species of plantlife and wildlife as possible.
The Lancashire BioBlitz takes place at Cuerden Valley Park beginning at 10am on Saturday and ending at 10am on Sunday.
It will be opened by TV naturalist Bill Oddie, who was born in Rochdale, a true Lancastrian.
Activities include:
- Hedgerow surveys
- Water surveys
- Trapping – moths, small mammals, bats
- Pond dipping
- Leaf litter sampling
- Fungal forays
- Earthworm sampling
- Mini-beast hunts
- An aquarium of pondlife
- Guided walks
- Talks on wildlife and wildlife recording
There will be lots of activities for children as well as adults who will get the opportunity to get involved with recording nature and learning more about the environment.
Groups involved include:
- The Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside
- Cuerden Valley Park Rangers
- Lancashire BAP
- The Environment Agency
- Natural England
- GeoLancashire
- rECOrd
- The Natural History Museum
- OPAL
- London and Bristol BioBlitzes
- The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology
- South, West and East Lancs bat groups
- Lancashire Badger Group
- The Preston Society
- North West Fungal Group
- Top local botanists
- Local Naturalists Groups
The BioBlitz also sees the launch of the Lancashire Environment Record Network and its associated website.
LERN collects, maintains and distributes records of wildlife, plantlife and landscapes within Lancashire. Information is available to anyone and is used to protect wildlife through district plans and planning advice.
LERN Communication Officer Alan Wright said: “The Lancashire BioBlitz will give people an idea of how our records protect the environment in the county.
“Hopefully it will encourage families and young people to get involved in recording because we can never have enough people providing records. The idea is to create a comprehensive picture of Lancashire’s environment and protect it for future generations.
“The BioBlitz will give naturalists a chance to get together as well as being fun for everyone who come along on the day."
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