Garnock Connections held a bioblitz over the weekend of May 22 to try and get as many people involved in wildlife as they can.

This focused on getting as many biological records as was possible. Biological records is essentially just how many different species you could spot whilst out and about.

The group had a target of aiming for 250 recorded species for the blitz. A combined team effort managed to get 441 different species on record.

The range of people that got involved in the bioblitz is encouraging for Garnock Connections.

Ian McNab, outgoing Garnock Connections Project Officer said: “It’s all about getting people out and about and connecting with nature.

“These events are for anybody, whether you’re a natural at spotting different species of moth, or you’ve only just seen your first robin, it’s lovely seeing so many people get involved and thoroughly enjoying themselves”.

The group worked alongside the South West Scotland Environmental Information Centre (SWSEIC) and used an application called iRecord so that people involved with Garnock Connections in the future can go on and see previous records of what species have been found on past blitz.

Ian added: “The app is good because it not only allows people to check out records for their local area, it works on quite a big scale so if you’re going travelling or something like that then you can keep up with what’s going on in that area.

“The 441 records that we got over the weekend are now on iRecord. Again it can be something good for beginners who are wanting to know about a species and other people can answer questions they have”.

Going forward, Garnock Connect has had an extension until September 2022, and they don’t want to be a project that is around for a little while, and then leaves no lasting impact when things move on.

Ian continued: “We want to work with the local people and build a legacy where people can tell us what is amazing about their local area, instead of us telling them.

“We hope that when we’re gone, people will have the skills and the passion to carry everything they have learned forward”.

Garnock Connections is planning to get back to physical events now that restrictions are easing. You can find out more about their plans on the Garnock Connections website.