Lough Boora Parklands

BioBlitz is a scientific race against time! The event takes place around the world
each year, and we're delighted to be part of Ireland's BioBlitz 2012. 

From 5pm on Friday, 18th May to 5pm on Saturday, 19th May a large team of experts will be identifying as many species as we can. Of course, while we're busy ticking dragonflies, damselflies, frogs and feathered friends off our list, there'll be three other Irish sites doing the same. 

Events

While we'll be busy identifying insects, we also wanted to give the public a chance to come along to the parklands and have some fun during BioBlitz. Why not come along to one of our fun events and maybe see our ecologists in action on the day?

Bat Walk - Friday 18th May - 9pm

- Meet at Teach Lea for this walk led by Niamh Roche of Bat Conservation Ireland

Creatures of the Night - Friday 18th May - 10.30pm

- Meet at the Pavilion to see how scientists catch moths, beetles and other night creatures

Dawn Chorus - Saturday 19th May - 4am

- Meet at the Bird Hide on Lough Boora where Alex Copeland of BirdWatch Ireland will help you identify bird song during the dawn chorus. 

Small and furry - Saturday 19th May - 8am 

- Meet at the Pavilion for the opening of the small animal traps led by Caitriona Carlin

Lough Boora's Moths - Saturday 19th May - 10am

- Meet at the Pavilion for the opening of the moth traps by Michael Bell

Something Fishy - Saturday 19th May - 11.30am

- Meet at Loch on Dochas for an introduction to life beneath the surface led by Inland Fisheries Ireland scientists

Schools Wildlife Art Competition - Saturday 19th May - 2pm

- Announcement of winners of local schools art competition

Guided nature walk of Lough Boora - Saturday 19th May - 2.30pm

- Learn about the butterflies, plants and other wildlife of Lough Boora led by Irish Wildlife Trust and Richard Jack of Coillte

Results

We're delighted to have come a close third in this year's BioBlitz, with 940 species recorded. We also recorded the most plants (334), most birds (90) and most mammals (23) on the day. Congratulations to the winners, Glengarriff, who recorded 1,020 species in 24 short hours. 

 To see some of the photos of the 24-hour BioBlitz, click on the Devils Bit Scabious on the left.

The full list of experts who'll be involved on the day can be downloaded here. 

Remember to check back here, where we'll be posting updates throughout BioBlitz 2012!