The Bristol BioBlitz 2013, is being held at Kings Weston to launch Bristol99. Come along and enjoy a free day out for all the family in this beautiful countryside on the edge of Bristol.
Wildscreen’s media team will be covering the event live, so follow them at http://bioblitzbristol.wordpress.com/ and keep up to date with all the latest exciting news!!
When?
- Friday 3rd May – Schools day 10am-2:30pm; Followed by evening activities
- Saturday 4th May – Dawn Chorus (6am booking required); Public day 10am-4pm
What?
Come and join the race to find as much wildlife as we can! A BioBlitz is a large scale event that engages people with biodiversity, inviting them to get directly involved in surveying and monitoring their local wildlife and green spaces. During a BioBlitz event scientists and members of the public work together to survey a natural space; looking for, identifying and recording as many species as possible over 24 hours or shorter for a “mini-BioBlitz”.
At the Bristol BioBlitz you can get involved in a range of activities including:
| Friday | 10am-2:30pm | School Activities – closed to public |
| 2:30pm – 8pm | Naturalist and volunteer surveys throughout evening | |
| 8pm – 10:30pm | Bat Walk (email matt@bnhc.org.uk to book) | |
| 10pm – 12pm | Moth Walk (email matt@bnhc.org.uk to book) | |
| Saturday | 6am – 8am | Dawn Chorus (email matt@bnhc.org.uk to book) |
| 10am | Base Camp activities open | |
| 10am – 3pm | Naturalist and volunteer surveys throughout the day | |
| 11:30am – 12:30pm | Mammal Tracks and Signs | |
| 11am – 12pm | Spider hunt | |
| 12pm – 1pm | Woodland Expedition to Penpole Wood | |
| 3pm | Final Tally announcement and close |
Where?
Kings Weston House is a Nationally Important building designed by Sir John Vanbrugh – one of this country’s greatest architects. It is largely
overlooked by many people, even in Bristol, and the house remains at the heart of the estate. The newly leased house has been generously opened up as our base camp by new leaseholder Norman Routledge.
The park, first laid out in the 17th Century and now public parkland is full of three hundred years of history but has for too long been neglected, leaving it overgrown with many of its historic features already lost. We don’t really know how the changes in land management have affected wildlife on the estate and by comparing our modern day BioBlitz results with historical records we hope to find out!
Access: Most areas accessible to wheelchair users – some walks will explore the less accessible areas of the estate
Getting there:
The estate sits between Shirehamption Golf course and Lawrence Weston in North West Bristol. The postcode is BS11 0UR and travel info can be found using Travel West’s journey planner
- Walking/Cycling – The site is easily accessible with public footpaths from Sea Mills, Shirehampton and Lawrence Weston and is only a 40 minute cycle from the city centre if you are feeling fit!
- By Bus – The 40/41 service between Avonmouth and the Centre drops off on Shirehampton Road and you can either cross the estate Northwards towards the house or follow Kings Weston Lane around to the main driveway.
- By Car – Parking on site is very limited so we encourage you to come by public transport. If you do have to drive the site can be accessed via the main driveway on Kings Weston Lane.
Who?
Bristol Natural History Consortium ran the first BioBlitz in the UK back in 2009 at Ashton Court Estate and every year on different sites around the city ever since! This year’s BioBlitz will be held at Kings Weston Estate in partnership with Kings Weston Action Group – Why not follow them on facebook?
454 Species found at Arnos Vale Cemetary last year!
A massive thanks to those who helped with the Arnos Vale BioBlitz, the event couldn’t run without your time and expertise. The sun shone for the whole two days and a fantastic 454 species have been recorded to date from the data inputted so far, watch this space for a further tally. Check the BioBlitz Blog to see what we got up to!
“Taking part in a BioBlitz is a great way of linking with nature in your local area, and your efforts can help scientists understand more about British biodiversity and ecosystems.
Join enthusiastic volunteers and naturalists to find as many different species as possible in 3 hours. Who knows what lies right on your doorstep?! All the species found during the course of a BioBlitz are identified by experts and recorded on local and national monitoring schemes.
The BioBlitz initiative provides a fantastic introduction into biological recording, and we hope it will inspire the next generation of recorders and naturalists!”
Bristol99 
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