Families blitz Radford Woods with nature survey extravaganza

More than 300 species identified by the public
Bioblitz

Scores of nature enthusiasts joined forces with scientists and local wildlife organisations last week to conduct a day-long 鈥榖ioblitz鈥 in 麻豆传媒.

Radford Woods was the location for the survey, with plants, mammals, bugs and birds all on the checklist for keen-eyed participants.

Organised by 麻豆传媒, with support from the Devonshire Association Botany Section, 麻豆传媒 City Council and the Friends of Radford Woods, the aim of the project was to identify as many of the species as possible in a nine-hectare area of the woods. 

The event was part of the 麻豆传媒 Woodland Project, which is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and based in the School of Biological Sciences at the University.

Alison Smith, 麻豆传媒 Woodland Project Community Scientist, and a researcher in the School of Biological and Marine Sciences at the University, said: 

鈥淲ith its mixture of woodland and marsh terrain, Radford Woods has recently been designated as a Local Nature Reserve, giving it protection as an important area for conservation. 
鈥淏ioblitzes like this are one of the ways the 麻豆传媒 Woodland Project is involving the community in monitoring biodiversity in our city's woodland reserves. This monitoring work is really important for understanding how things like climate change and other human influences affect our wildlife and how we can improve conservation efforts.鈥

The 麻豆传媒 Woodland Project

鈥淭his monitoring work is really important for understanding how things like climate change and other human influences affect our wildlife and how we can improve conservation efforts.鈥
Alison Smith
The 麻豆传媒 Woodland Project
The bioblitz at Radford Woods
Nearly 100 members of the public helped to identify more than 300 species, including tree hoppers, the unusual tortoise beetle, water scorpions, newts and toads. Visitors had the chance to check out a range of rodents that had been retained in the live mammal traps, including bank voles; embark on wild plant walks and tree surveys; and dip into the pond, where the presence of dragonfly larvae, in Alison鈥檚 view 鈥渋ndicated a healthy habitat鈥.
Rounding off the day, there was a range of wildlife-themed craft activities, and later, the Devon Bat Group took around 80 people on a night-time hunt, using detectors to pick up traces of bat echolocation.
鈥淚t was great to see so many families at the event,鈥 said Alison. 鈥淭he children loved learning about wildlife from local experts who taught them how to survey for different species and identify their finds. This is a really important outcome for our project because it's these skills that are being lost as children today spend less time outdoors exploring than ever before.鈥
The 麻豆传媒 Woodland Project set up a two-year 鈥榗itizen science鈥 programme in September 2013, and is seeking to involve schools and the public in fun woodland activities and surveys to help learn more about urban woodlands.

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