FAMILIES did their bit for the environment during a unique wildlife event at Ardrossan Castle.

Garnock Connections organised the fun day on Saturday, April 13, which saw an estimated 170 people attend.

The event was Garnock Connections’ first ever bioblitz – a biological survey to record all the living species within a designated area. Visitors were able to talk to conservation and historical groups, as well as take part in a number of activities.

Elouise Cartner, wildlife recording assistant at Garnock Connections, said: “It was fantastic, and it was such a good turnout. From Eventbrite, it looked like 150 people had confirmed to attend but the Castle Heritage Society counted about 170.

“The weather was great. It was a bit windy, but it was dry. “We had 10 different organisations there and lots of activities on. I think one of the most popular activities was the Marine Conservation Society’s rockpooling.

“We had recording sheets for everyone to use. They were to look for any wildlife – plants or animals – and write down what they saw. We had a map with a grid reference of the area, so you could write down, say ‘I saw a ladybird in square C5’. It was very easy, very user friendly.

“We had all sorts of ages out recording wildlife. There were a lot of families and kids and we also had quite a few experts. Someone managed to identify seven different species of bumblebee, which was fantastic.

“This was our first bioblitz event. It’s just giving people the opportunity to get out and enjoy their local environment.”

Click here to find out more about Garnock Connections.

See more pictures of the event in this week's Herald.