Histon and Impington’s first ever BioBlitz takes place at five local wildlife spots on Saturday 27 June.
Aimed at nature enthusiasts of all ages, the event is the idea of Histon & Impington Green Spaces (HIGS) and Histon & Impington Community Orchard (HICOP) and offers visitors the chance to explore nearby natural spaces, including Histon Wood, Croft Close Nature Reserve, the Community Orchard, Manor Park Field, and Long Meadow.
Participants will then work together in a race to find and identify as many kinds of natural life as possible and contribute data to a survey of local wildlife.
Organisers hope this completely free, all-day drop-in event will encourage everyone, of all ages and levels of expertise, to get more involved in looking after local nature.
Packed programme
The Bioblitz starts early at 7am with a bird song walk in Histon Wood, followed by a close look at small mammals; a bird ringing demonstration; a moth trapping demonstration; guided flora identification; bug hunting and butterfly counts and then finishes with a bat walk around Long Meadow at 9.30pm. It also incorporates the popular annual Community Orchard breakfast event (free event but small charge for food).
All the events are suitable for younger visitors, who can pick up a nature puzzle trail sheet.
One of the organisers, Alison Stuck, said “the HIGS volunteers along with those from HICOP (Community Orchard), have done a fantastic job of preparing a wide variety of events and attractions for this nature extravaganza.
“We hope that this big nature event will welcome people of all ages from around the villages to see what a fantastic array of interesting and intriguing activities we have lined up.”
Histon & Impington BioBlitz is 7:30am-10pm on Saturday 27 June, at the St Audrey’s Close Community Centre, Histon, and neighbouring green spaces. Visit Histon & Impington Green Spaces for more details. The data will be published on the HIGS website.
READ ALSO: Calling all ‘citizen scientists’ – launching H&I’s first ever BioBlitz! | HI HUB
