The Park & Poor’s Allotment Bioblitz:
Forest of Dean 25th & 26th July 2015
Everyone – expert or novice – is welcome to join our 30 Hour Wildlife Recording
Extravaganza at our two newest nature reserves comprising some of our most important
habitats – heathland and acid grassland. The sites also support some very special wildlife
inhabitants from rare birds to stunning orchids. We aim to record at least 700 species over
the weekend. A range of experts will be on hand throughout the two day event and will help
with the identification of what is found. You can join a scheduled guided walk or event –
some bookable, others just turn up - or you can follow the self-guided trail to see what you
can find. Events for kiddies too exploring the world of mini-beasts under logs and rocks and
also what lurks beneath the water in the ponds.
We will also have an unrivalled opportunity to investigate the nocturnal life overnight on the
reserves in the company of bat, bird and moth experts and night cameras will be out to
capture animals that roam the sites usually unseen.
All events and walks start from the Forestry Commission Car Park at the entrance to both
reserves (ST 558994) on the B4228 between St.Briavels and Chepstow. We will also
establish a Recording Hub at the Old School Rooms in nearby Rosemary Lane where
species will be recorded and identified. Drop in to The Hub any time to see how well we are
doing in reaching our target of 700 species. Details at:
http://www.gloucestershirewildlifetrust.co.uk/events/2015/07/25/heathland-700?instance=0
SATURDAY 25th JULY
Time
10.30 am –
11.30 am
Mammal tracks, scats, traps and
cameras
The Bioblitz kicks off as the mammal
traps set the previous night are opened.
We’ll also be looking at trail cameras to
see what animals they have picked up
overnight. Starts from the main FC car
park. BOOKING ESSENTIAL
11.30 am –
12.30 pm
Amphibians and pond life
Checking the traps set overnight to see
what amphibians have been caught.
Starts from the main FC car park.
BOOKING ESSENTIAL.
12.30 pm –
14.00
Guided Walk around POOR’s
ALLOTMENT
A 1 ½ walk around Poor’s Allotment
looking for and recording reptiles, birds,
plants and invertebrates. Bring your
picnic and enjoy the stunning view over
the Severn – and keep an eye open for
additional species to add to the list.
Experts on hand to help with
identification.
NO NEED TO BOOK JUST TURN UP.
14.00 –
16.00
Mini-Beast Explorers and Pond
Dipping
A Kiddies event suitable for ages 4-14.
Explore the world of bugs, beetles,
caterpillars and worms and see what is
lurking just out of site but all around us.
BOOKING ESSENTIAL
14.30 –
16.30
Guided Walk around THE PARK
A 2 hour walk around The Park
checking out heathland flora and fauna.
See the heather (and its less well known
cousins) in full flower and find out how
we are restoring this important piece of
heathland habitat now that the conifers
have been removed. We’ll see what
reptiles are lurking under our reptile tins
and be looking out for heather beetle
and other invertebrates. NO NEED TO
BOOK JUST TURN UP
16.30 –
18.00
Guided Walk around POOR’S
ALLOTMENT
A 1 ½ hour walk around the acid
grassland on Poor’s Allotment. We’ll be
looking at the wet flush areas in the
grassland to see what plant species we
can find as well the associated
invertebrates. We’ll return to The Hub
via a piece of ancient woodland looking
for signs of dormice. NO NEED TO
BOOK JUST TURN UP.
18.00 –
18.30
Round-up of the first session of the
day at The Hub
Call in to The Hub on Rosemary Lane to
see the tally so far, find out more about
the species found and get to check out
some of the specimens caught in the
field and on camera. NO NEED TO
BOOK JUST TURN UP.
18.30 –
19.00
Redeploy amphibian traps
Join David Dewsbury as he sets out
traps made to his own design to see if
more amphibians can be caught
overnight. NO NEED TO BOOK JUST
TURN UP
20.45 – the
early
hours..
Night time on the Reserves
Exploring the dark side of the reserves
starts just before dusk with a nightjar
and bat walk. Come along and try to
see (or at least hear) the charismatic
heathland bird and learn about its
special habitat needs form bird expert
Ivan Proctor. And learn about the
fascinating life of bats – see them flying
in the gloom; hear their calls caught by
bat detectors and view the different
sonograms produced by different
species back at The Hub. We will also
be trapping bats if the weather allows so
a chance to see bats in the hand. At the
same time moth traps will be being set
up so at the end of the walk we can
have a look at any early catches. And
on the walk round we’ll be looking out
for glow worms. Expect to be out until
the early hours. BOOKING
ESSENTIAL.
SUNDAY 26th JULY
Time
08.00
Early morning walk looking for birds
and other species up early
Not quite up with the lark but a fairly
early walk around the Park(following a
late night) to see and hear the birds on
the reserves – how many new species
can we add to the list? Learn to identify
birds by their songs and calls.
NO NEED TO BOOK JUST TURN UP.
10.00
A Guided Walk around THE PARK
A more civilised start time, come along
on this walk around The Park. We’ll be
checking out the amphibian traps put
out the night before to see what we’ve
caught; identifying the pond vegetation
and looking out for dragonflies and
damselflies. We’ll also look at the
reptile tins again to see if we have any
scaly residents. NO NEED TO BOOK
JUST TURN UP.
12.00 –
13.30
A Guided Walk around POOR’S
ALLOTMENT
A final walk around Poor’s Allotment
looking for a wide range of plants and
animals, and also those not so easy to
find (or identify) including mosses,
liverworts and lichens. Finish with a
picnic lunch (bring your own)
overlooking the River Severn. NO
NEED TO BOOK JUST TURN UP.
14.00
Mini-Beast Explorers and Pond
Dipping
A Kiddies event suitable for ages 4-14.
Explore the world of bugs, beetles,
caterpillars and worms and see what is
lurking just out of site but all around us.
BOOKING ESSENTIAL
15.00
Final Pond Dip
A final pond dip to see what is lurking in
the ponds on the reserves. NO NEED
TO BOOK JUST TURN UP.
16.00
Final Round Up of species count at
The Hub
We will be celebrating reaching our 700
species target??