City Nature Challenge is Back!

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From 30th April to 3rd May you are invited to become a citizen scientist and take part in the City Nature Challenge 2021, helping to record the nature on your doorstep.

Honeybee (Apis mellifera) (taken on DSLR camera with 50-500 mm telephoto lens) © Lee Ismail.

Brighton & Hove took part in this global citizen science event for the first time last Spring. Under the challenging circumstances of the first lockdown, 107 local participants, including Booth Museum staff, helped document the nature on our doorstep and shared their findings through a series of Nature at Home blog posts.

Ox-eye daisies © Lee Ismail.

Together we recorded 1880 observations of 570 different species seen in gardens and parks, hedgerows and copses while getting our permitted exercise. Taking part helped me see the variety of nature on my doorstep, and, looking closely for things to record, revealed a world of detail I might otherwise have walked right past.

Chiffchaff, Southwick, March 2020 © Lee Ismail]

It’s not just about connecting with nature, the information gathered helps us understand the biodiversity of our city and helps us plan to protect it.

This year we have a bit more freedom to explore the countryside, so you could go up to the downs and down to the sea shore to see what you can find. I might just revisit my local patch and see if I can beat last years observations.