Unfortunately, due to the current situation with COVID-19 the BioBlitz events have been cancelled. We hope to rearrange in the future.
Working with the Peel Park Ranger and UoS Wildlife Society, we are holding a BioBlitz. Various events will be running on Friday 27 and Saturday 28 March, including mammal trapping, a bat walk and bird walk.
A BioBlitz is 24 hours of ecological surveying where we aim to record all the wildlife in a designated area. We will cover Peel Park, Crescent Meadows, River Irwell as well as areas of the campus including David Lewis Playing Fields.
It’s a great opportunity to get out and explore our local area and learn about our local biodiversity. It’s open to all so bring along your family and friends if you can and remember to wear suitable clothing and footwear for the weather!
For all events meet at the Park Keeper’s Base at the back of Maxwell building (at the bottom of the ramp).
We also encourage those with any knowledge of species identification to record any flora or fauna they see during the BioBlitz period on campus (including David Lewis Playing Fields), Peel Park and Crescent Meadows. If you would like to do this please get in touch with Neva, who will provide you with a recording sheet and map.
Friday 27 March
Mammal Trapping – 5:15pm- 6:15pm
We will be setting up/adding bedding and bait to several humane mammal traps which we will then leave overnight in a number of selected places. Join us again on the 28th to see the results!
Book your free ticket here.
Bat Walk – 6:15pm – 7:15pm
During this event we will be doing a walkaround of the local area with bat detectors- we will be able to establish which species of bats we can see/hear by the frequencies of their calls!
This event is now sold out, but you can join the waiting list in case of any cancellations!
Join the waiting list here.
Moth Trapping – 6:30pm- 8:30pm
Meet the Peel Park Keeper’s Base for your opportunity to see the some of the different species of moth that we have in our local area.
No Booking Required.
Saturday 28 March
Mammal Trapping – 8:00am-9:00am
We will be checking the humane traps that we placed on the Friday evening to see if we have managed to catch any mammals, before identifying them and then releasing them back into the wild. A great chance to see some small mammals up-close!
Book your free ticket here.
Bird Walk – 10:00am – 11:00am
See what types of birds that we can see and hear, bring binoculars if you have them but we have some that we can lend out too.
Book your free ticket here.
Spring Wildlife Identification and recording – 11:00am- 1:00pm
Join wildlife expert David Winnard on this Spring wildlife identification walk. Whether mineral, medicinal, flora, fauna or fungi David will identify and talk to you about species around the park and University.
Book your free ticket here.
River Sweep Netting with River Anglers Conservation Group- 11:00-3:00pm
Join us alongside the River Anglers Conservation Group to identify some of the different species that live in the River Irwell!
No booking required.
Pond Exploring- 1:00pm- 2:00pm
Join us to find out what organisms live in our local ponds!
No Booking Required.
Bug Hunting – 2:00pm-3:00pm
Join us to learn about the different types of insects and other invertebrates in the local area and how to identify them!
No Booking Required.