Help your Local Environment! Nature in Harmony Wildlife Surveying 2022
Hi, Megan here.
I am a BA Geography graduate and am currently studying for my MSc in Forestry. I am excited to announce that at the start of April I took up an internship position with Andover Trees United and will be helping to continue the fantastic work of Alex Marshall on the Nature in Harmony project for 2022.
Over the last few weeks I have been familiarising myself with the methods used to survey the wildlife of Harmony (and Diamond) Woods in 2021 and marking out locations for this year’s transects.
As in 2021, the transects consist of eight 100m lines marked along different parts of the site where we will identify and record the number of plant and animal species observed at frequent intervals. Similarly, we will also have two longer butterfly transects and a reptile transect so we can compare and contrast our findings with those of the previous year!
With this in mind, we are currently looking for 12 survey assistants to get involved and help us to identify and record the different wildflower, grass, pollinator, butterfly, bird and reptile species across the site!
No prior experience or equipment is required - as in 2021, the survey methods will be straightforward and species identification guides can be provided onsite.
Volunteers will be needed to commit to two half days minimum where you will be assisting me in the field and you will learn the necessary skills and knowledge to continue surveying independently.
The findings of the 2022 survey will be critical to expand on the data from the previous years and will help us to understand ecological trends at the Harmony Woods site as it continues to develop from farmland into restored native woodland.
There will be further exciting, free nature-themed events being offered in the coming months, including a BioBlitz on the 28th May. For those yet to take part, a BioBlitz is an event held at Harmony Woods that focuses on locating and identifying as many species as possible in a specific area of the site over a short period of time.
Please check out our calendar for lots of other upcoming events!
To get involved, please contact me at megan.broughton@andovertrees.org.uk
Looking forward to seeing you out on site soon!
Megan
