BioBlitz Hits Corfe Mullen

Set to break records?

The wildlife of Corfe Mullen is set to break records, as experts and general public undertake Dorset’s second wildlife BioBlitz on 28th May 2011.

Started in the United States in the 1990s, BioBlitz is an exciting new way of collecting information on wildlife and getting more people involved in science, from experts and amateur naturalists to wildlife enthusiasts of all ages.

At the first BioBlitz in 2010 over 500 species were recorded. Can we do even better this year?

What's a BioBlitz?

Jane Adams, Dorset Wildlife Trust Webmaster and co-ordinator of Corfe Mullen Nature Watch, said: “We wanted to involve as many people as possible in an event that will be both informative and great fun. Taking place over 12 hours, the BioBlitz will gather information about as many organisms as possible, giving an important snapshot of the biodiversity of Corfe Mullen’s varied habitats and making people aware of just how much wildlife is living alongside us.”

Roe Deer Fawn in Corfe Mullen - By Jane Adams

Corfe Mullen BioBlitz Schedule of Public Events - Saturday 28 May 2011

See what we find on the day by keeping up to date with our Corfe Mullen BioBlitz Live webpage.

Children under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. All events are free. Some events do not permit dogs (see below). Experts will be on hand to help with identifications throughout the day and to collate our findings. Our HQ will be the Corfe Mullen Village Hall where we will be keeping a running total of species found throughout the day. Please feel free to pop in!

More information for experts and volunteers about the sites being used on the day, and recording forms to download can be found here.

Time	Event	Location (Directions & Parking below)
8.30am - 10am	Wildlife Walk Join warden Nigel Brooks on an early morning walk on Upton Heath to catch the reptiles out basking before the sun gets too hot, along with many other heathland species.	DWT's Urban Wildlife Centre³ Dogs Permitted on Leads
9am - 10am	Moth Trap and Small Mammals Help ID the moths caught overnight at Bear Mead, plus we hope to have a few small mammals caught in humane traps overnight	Bear Mead⁵ No Dogs Permitted
10am - 11.30am	Riverside Walk and Wildlife Hunt A chance to hunt down species in the meadows, hedgerows, streams and riverbank of Bear Mead	Bear Mead⁵ No Dogs Permitted
9am - 10am	Moth Trap - Help ID the moths caught overnight. *Please make sure that children are supervised at all times.*	Hugh Miles’ Garden⁴ No Dogs
10.15am - 10.30am	Official Opening of the Event at the Village Hall	Village Hall¹ Dogs Permitted on Leads
10.45am - 11.45am	Moth Trap Help ID moths caught in the 3rd moth trap of the morning, bought from Upton Heath compare the variety of moths caught from 3 different habitats	Village Hall¹ Dogs Permitted on Leads
10.45 - 12.45pm	Pond Dipping Help us look for the great diversity of pond life in Hugh’s Ponds. *Please make sure that children are supervised at all times.*	Hugh Miles’ Garden⁴ No Dogs Permitted
2pm - 3pm	Mini-beasting Let’s now look at the terrestrial habitat and see what bugs we can find!	Cogdean Elms⁶ Dogs Permitted on Leads
3.30pm - 4.30pm	Short Wildlife Walk Searching for birds, butterflies, bugs and beetles on the recreation ground. Meet at Village Hall at 3pm.	Recreation Ground² Dogs Permitted on Leads
4pm - 5pm	Come to the Village Hall & see what has been found throughout the day!	Village Hall¹ Dogs Permitted on Leads
5pm - 6.30pm	Bird Walk on Upton Heath Join Dorset Wildlife Trust’s Nicky Hoar on an early evening walk on Upton Heath, hoping to hear and see some Dartford Warblers, Stonechats and Ravens.	DWT's Urban Wildlife Centre³ Dogs Permitted on leads
8.30pm onwards	Night Hunt - We'll be searching for night creatures including Bats and Owls. Help us hunt! Bring a torch we’ll supply the bat detectors!	Hugh Miles’ Garden⁴ No Dogs Permitted
Directions & Parking Information Where ever possible, please walk to the event you would like to attend. Thank you!
1	Village Hall (and Village Hall Field): Corfe Mullen Village Hall, Towers Way, Corfe Mullen. BH21 3UA (Behind main Co-op & Library)	Parking: Park near to the recycling facilities behind the Corfe Mullen Library (please do not park in the Co-op car park).
2	Recreation Ground. End of Badbury View Rd (off Blandford Rd), Corfe Mullen. BH21 3HU	Parking: Park in the car park. Dogs permitted on leads.
3	DWT's Urban Wildlife Centre: Top of Beacon Hill Lane (Opp Holm Bush Inn), Corfe Mullen. BH21 3RX	Parking: Park in the car park to the side of the Urban Wildlife Centre
4	Hugh Miles’ Garden. Chillbrook Croft, Wimborne Road, Corfe Mullen, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 3EA. Walk down unmade drive to the right of methodist church to Chillbrook Croft's garden.	Parking: Limited parking is available at the East End Methodist Church car park next to Chillbrook Croft. Please walk from one of the other parking areas where possible. No dogs Permitted.
5	Bear Mead: Off the A31, Corfe Mullen. BH21 3HA. Please take care crossing this busy road!	Parking: Please park in the layby at the bottom of Candy's Lane (by the old railway bridge) or in the Road Cafe at on the A31 and walk to Bear Mead which will be signposted on the opposite side of the A31, 0.3 miles to the west. If you use the Cafe car park please drop in for a cuppa in payment for the parking.
6	Cogdean Elms Nature Reserve: Follow the tarmac footpath at the end of Cogdean Way. The nature reserve is situated on your right a short distance along this footpath. Please walk to this event if you can!	Parking: No parking area but limited on street parking available in Cogdean Way and Wimborne Rd (opposite the entrance to Cogdean Way). Dogs permitted on leads.

Information for Experts and Volunteers

More information for experts and volunteers about the sites being used on the day, and recording forms to download can be found here.

Everyone's invited!

Jane added: “We hope as many people as possible will get involved in this free event, you don’t need to be an expert in identifying wildlife, just a lot of enthusiasm! We are very excited by this years event, as there are bound to be some surprise finds on the day. You don’t know until you look!”

Dorset’s second BioBlitz is on Saturday 28th May from 8.30am to 8.30pm

Want to know more?

To find out more email jane@naturewatched.org or ring Dorset Wildlife Trust on 01202 692033 and speak to Nikkii Hesketh-Roberts - or just come along on the day!

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