24 hours in search of the wildlife on our doorsteps!
Join us for the Great Yorkshire Creature Count between 12pm on Saturday 20th and 12pm on Sunday 21st June!
What is it?
We’re on a mission to discover how many different wildlife species we can collectively record in 24 hours, and are challenging folk in every corner of Yorkshire to look for and record what they can see from their own doorsteps.
Whether that’s looking and listening out of a window, peering into and under pots and window boxes, exploring the nooks and crannies of a terraced yard, or scouring a leafy garden – we want to know what you see and where you see it!
Sign up now!
How do I take part?
Taking part is as easy as 1, 2, 3… Spot it, snap it, record it!
Taking place over 24 hours, you can join in for as long as you like – whether that’s 20 minutes or several hours. The Count begins at midday on Saturday, and runs right through the night to finish at midday on the Sunday.
It doesn’t matter whether you live in a flat, a back-to-back, or a house with a garden, you can count wherever you are. No special knowledge or skills are required – we’ll provide you with everything you need to make it easy and fun.
Sign up and start counting!
Why are we counting?
With social interaction and travel limited, now is the perfect opportunity to embark on a Yorkshire-wide wildlife count. A 2020 ‘wild census’, if you like!
Our gardens make up more of the UK’s green space than all the nature reserves combined. Covid-19 means we’ve become reacquainted with our own little wild patches. You may have heard good news stories about wildlife making a comeback while we isolate inside…
But the truth is that we have an awfully long way to go before we can start to celebrate. The 2019 State of Nature Report (a health check of the UK’s wildlife) documents how human impacts are having devastating effects on the UK’s wildlife. Of the 8,418 species assessed, 15% are at risk of extinction.
Together we will discover how many species call our gardens, yards and window boxes their home. We’ll use the vital information we collect to support, protect and enhance Yorkshire’s wildlife and wild places.
Sign up here!
In the meantime why not practice and add any of your wildlife sightings to our online sightings and recording system, Nature Counts. Whether you’ve seen something common or rare, in one of our nature reserves or elsewhere within Sheffield & Rotherham, let us know. All species records are welcome.
(c)David Bocking