Wytch Wood supports the Somerset Wildlife Trust Big Count 2023!

Friday sees the start of this year’s Somerset Wildlife Trust’s Big Count from 16-25th June – an annual initiative to identify species of wildlife across Somerset.

We’d love to encourage everyone in the county to help in this citizen led biodiversity count.  We’ve contacted our guests to take part during their their stay both at Wytch Wood and while out and about in the county over the dates, and would love to welcome members of our community to join in as well either at home or visiting us at Wytch Wood.  Come and have a coffee and bring your phone and magnifying glass!

To take part, you’ll be looking out for a mix of different species of birds, bugs, plants and fungi and then registering any that you see on the iNaturalist app.  It doesn’t matter if you live in Somerset already or are visiting for the first time – everyone can take part!

How to join in the Somerset Wildlife Trust Big Count 2023

• Step 1 – You can register on the Somerset Wildlife Trust page and download a pack – we also have a copy of the pack you can read or borrow, along with Spotters guides on our nature board to help you identify what you see
• Step 2 Create an iNaturalist account via the web page or by downloading the iNaturalist or Seek app on your mobile device.  There is more info on how to get started on iNaturalist here including guides on how to use the app and log your finds.

SWT have chosen to collect wildlife data for all the counts for the Great Somerset Wildlife Count using this interactive platform. You need to set up an account and the join the “Great Somerset Wildlife Count” project. Download the app on your phone and you can be popping in your sightings on the go!

• Step 3 – Get counting! Do as many counts as you can in different places and encourage as many people as you can to do the same. Turn it into a game!

Some of the species you’ll be looking out for are – Gold finch, Birds-foot trefoil, Dragon and Damsel flies, snails, spiders, bull finches and butterflies.  There will be lots to spot here at Wytch Wood!

Here are some species we’ve already spotted on site at Wytch Wood this year…

Why is a wildlife count important?

The Great Somerset Wildlife Count is Somerset Wildlife Trust’s community science initiative delivered in partnership with Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC). Its aim is to monitor changes in both the diversity (the variety) of wildlife species we have in the county and the abundance (the quantity) of species we have across the county – both of which also help to track the health of the habitats and ecosystems that exist to support them (and us), which are coming under increasing pressure from changes in our climate.

The initiative comprises a number of targeted species counts through the year plus one big mega two week count in June as part of our 30 Days Wild programme which will focus on a range of species in one go.

SERC currently hold over 3 million data records but the majority are about protected or rare species mostly within good quality habitats.  There’s a real gap in our knowledge about how we perceive (though not necessarily true) the more ‘common’ species are doing on a wider scale across the county.

The Great Somerset Wildlife Count, supported by you as our eyes and ears on the ground, will help us ensure that we don’t miss important wildlife trends, and can identify ways to protect species and their habitats before we lose them forever.

How else can you help?

Wytch Wood is  working to become a Somerset Wildlife Trust business partner – watch out for upcoming fundraising activity!

As a family or individual, you can support the work that the Somerset Wildlife Trust carries out to help understand and protect the biodiversity of natural life in Somerset.  You can sign up for membership from just £3.50 a month – click here to find out more about becoming a Somerset Wildlife Trust member>>

Let us know how you get on and if you’d like any help getting started.  Happy spotting!