Connecting with nature The times are changing
We are, for the first time, running our Living with Mammals survey during autumn, from Monday, August 31 until Sunday, November 29.
This is the second time the survey has taken place this year, following a successful spring survey which proved popular during lockdown.
The survey, which usually only takes place once a year, asks people to record the presence of mammals in their gardens or local green spaces online.
We saw record breaking numbers of volunteers taking part earlier this year.
Now we want to encourage those with a newfound love for wildlifewatching to join those who submit records every year, and take part again this autumn.
Volunteers across the UK are asked to spend a little time each week looking out for wild mammals (or signs such as footprints or droppings) in gardens, local parks or other green spaces.
Volunteers can record their sightings at www.ptes. org/LwM.
Comparing the results with those from earlier surveys will enable conservationists to better understand how wild mammal populations nationwide are changing.
During the spring over 1,100 people took part in ourand over 10,000 mammal records were submitted – the highest on record since the survey began 18 years ago.
As we find a "new normal”, we don’t want to lose this momentum and we want to keep sight of the connection with nature lockdown afforded us.
By taking part again this autumn, we can gain a unique insight into the lives of our wild neighbours, and for the first time, see which species are seen most – and least - between August and November.
David Wembridge, Mammal Surveys Coordinator. Wildlife charity People’s Trust for Endangered Species.
Come all you celebrities Please gather round, And admit in the lockdown This truth you have found. Your self-pubilcising
It ain't worth a pound, Your podcasts there's nobody saving Your books, songs, and movies sink into the ground, For the times are-a-changing Come all politicians What ever your hue, You listen to scientists The old and the new. Then show us your graphs With lines red and blue, They're real people those lines are representin' Just maybe those experts They don't have a clue, For the times they are-achanging. Come footballers,sportspeople Please heed the call, Your over-priced skills We just don't need at all. Our idols wear PPE They don't just chase a ball, Doctors, nurses and carers we're prasin' They're the real heroes now And should hold their heads tall, For the times they are a-changing.
“We want to encourage those with a newfound love for wildlifewatching.”