Tomorrow the Great Yorkshire Creature Count is beginning across the county and there is still time to sign up and take part.
The event runs from midday Saturday to midday Sunday June 20. People can join in for as long as they like, whether for just a few minutes or a whole afternoon.
Any wildlife they see over the 24 hours, whether that’s a sparrow perched on a windowsill, a slug among the vegetables or a moth attracted by a streetlight, can be counted towards the total.
A boy using a magnifying glass to look for bugs (Photo: Adrian Clarke)
There are three ways to join in: by downloading the iNaturalist app, uploading any sightings to the website or downloading a checklist with 20 popular species to spot, which has extra space to make notes or draw pictures of any other creatures.
The checklist is a new feature for 2021 and is aimed at younger children or people who prefer a more traditional way of recording data.
Bilton resident Angela, who has taken part in previous years, has already downloaded the iNaturalist app. She said:
“The app is fairly easy to use: you basically take a photograph of a creature and it comes back with suggestions and gives feedback.”
People can submit their results online or download the iNaturalist app to log sightings.
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Last year 4,500 people took part and 13,638 observations were made of 1,471 species. The most-sighted creature was a blackbird, followed by a woodpigeon and a house sparrow.
The Yorkshire Wildlife Trust said:
“Our gardens make up more of the UK’s green space than all the nature reserves combined. And the past year has shown us how much we need nature in our lives.
“But nature needs our help. The 2019 State of Nature Report (a health check of the UK’s wildlife) reports the devastating effects of human impact on our wildlife. Of the 8,418 species assessed, 15% are now at risk of extinction.”
