BioBlitzes – searching for wildlife in a race against the clock

What is a BioBlitz?

A BioBlitz is an event where scientists, naturalists and members of the public work together to find as many species as possible within a set location and over a defined time period - usually 24 hours.

Developed by American biologist Sam Droege in 1996, BioBlitzes are now held regularly in many countries and have been taking place in the UK since 2006.

OPAL’s first BioBlitz

OPAL ran its first BioBlitz in August 2009 at Wembury Bay in Devon. Around 100 scientists and naturalists, and more than 1,000 members of the public took part. We searched for life in the sea, rockpools, beach, cliffs, streams and meadows. Activities on the day included:

 We found 823 different types of living thing, including a species of moth that had never been recorded in Devon before.

The Wembury BioBlitz was run in partnership with the Marine Biological Association, Devon Wildlife Trust
and the National Trust.

BioBlitz reports

Read more about our previous BioBlitzes, including the interesting discoveries we made.

Upcoming BioBlitzes – we need you!

We'd like as many people as possible to get involved in OPAL BioBlitzes, so come along and join in the hunt.

If you would like to take part in any of the BioBlitzes, either as a naturalist or as a general volunteer, please email lucy [dot] carter [at] nhm [dot] ac [dot] uk.

Interested in running your own BioBlitz?

To help you run your own BioBlitz, OPAL and the Marine Biological Association have produced a free guide packed full of useful tips and guidance.

We've also compiled advice on working with the media. Further resources are coming soon, so watch this space.
 

Garden BioBlitz

Read what happened when OPAL scientists conducted a BioBlitz in a journalist's back garden.