Cornwall 24-Hour BioBlitz at Penhale Dunes
25-26th June 2021
12pm 25th - 12pm 26th
Free
A family-friendly race against time to find, record and learn about as much wildlife as possible on Penhale Dunes!
As part of World Sand Dune Day, join our teams of wildlife experts and volunteers as we search for wildlife at Penhale’s beautiful sand dunes. We have 24 hours, from 12pm on Friday 25th June until 12pm on Saturday 26th June, to record as much wildlife as possible.
Everyone is welcome; the more eyes and ears scanning for wildlife the better! Learn from local experts at the BioBlitz Base Camp at Perran Sands Holiday Park. Meet our Dynamic Dunescapes and Cornwall Wildlife Trust team here to sign up for guided walks or learn how to identify all sort of wildlife, from butterflies to bats and fungi to flowers!
All the information we gather gives us a better idea of what’s living in this special place and helps us as we continue working to protect it.
How do I get involved in the BioBlitz?
There's no need to book this event in advance, just make your way to the central plaza area at Perran Sands Holiday Park to meet the team. However, some walks will be taking place at pre-planned times and locations (details to follow) so do check on our programme in advance if you don’t want to miss out!
You can take part in the bioblitz by exploring the dunes and recording what you see at any time, but we will also be running a butterfly walk at 1pm Friday 25th June. If you'd like to join us, we'll be setting off at 1pm from the gate near the car parks at the entrance to Perran Sands Holiday park https://w3w.co/struts.mimic.escalated
Plus, join our guided nature walks!
Guided Walks: Friday 25th June
1:00pm - Butterfly Walk Meet near the entrance to Perran Sands Holiday Park
2:00pm - Bee Walk Meet at Perran Sands Main Complex
3:00pm - Plant Walk Meet at Perran Sands Main Complex
4:00pm - Spider Walk Meet at Perran Sands Main Complex
5:00pm - Reptile Walk Meet at South Gate to MOD area, near Lime House
Yoga Studio
9:30pm - Bat and Glow Worm Walk Meet at Perran Sands Main Complex
Guided Walks: Saturday 26th June
6:00am - Early Bird Walk Meet at Perran Sands Main Complex
7:00am - Opening Moth Traps Meet at Perran Sands Main Complex
7:30am - Check Reptile Mats Meet at South Gate to MOD area, nr. Lime House Yoga Studio
8:30am - Open Small Mammal Traps Meet at Perran Sands Main Complex
9:30am - Collect Camera Traps Meet at South Gate to MOD area, nr. Lime House Yoga Studio
10:30am - Plant Walk Meet at Perran Sands Main Complex
What is a 'BioBlitz'?
The short answer is Biodiversity (the variety of life) + Blitz (a sudden effort) = BioBlitz! The main aim of any BioBlitz is to get people together to create as many records of different species as possible for a particular area, within a set amount of time.
Alongside that, we want to help people to learn about the wildlife they see and the place they are in. With a variety of nature-experts taking part, we want to connect their knowledge and passion for wildlife with anyone who wants to join in. Healthy sand dunes are rich with all sorts of different species and we’re hoping people will enjoy learning a bit more about these amazing places!
Everything we can identify during our Bioblitz will be recorded and passed on to the Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS) and other local conservation groups. Recording wildlife is one way of helping it, as we need to know what’s out there if we’re going to manage areas appropriately.
Please be mindful of any coronavirus restrictions when planning your trip and attending this event.
Images: Emma Brisdion, Ellie Chidgey