Nature lovers in Gloucestershire are taking part in a global citizen science project to collect information about our local wildlife.

Gloucestershire, Cardiff, Bristol, and Bath, are among the places taking part in City Nature Challenge, collaborating with 200+ cities across the world to find and record as much wildlife as possible, whilst helping you get your daily dose of nature this Spring.

Stroud Valleys Project is among those in Gloucestershire taking part in this challenge as a fun way to get people recording what they see.

Discover wildlife on your doorstep throughout April, May and June to help track how nature is bouncing back into our cities and join the big international Challenge weekend from 30 April - 4 May when all 200 cities will be active at once! Please go to the website for more details. https://citynaturechallenge.org/participate/ .

Taking part is easy! Simply download the iNaturalist app to your smartphone or tablet and use it to upload photos of any wildlife you see from your windows, gardens and during your daily outdoor exercise. You can also log into it on your computer.

Once you have joined, go to projects and join City Nature Challenge 2021:Gloucestershire. If you don't have a tablet or a Smart phone yourself, consider going out in a group of up to six people (as Covid regulations permit) and ask one person to do the recording, whilst the other five do the spotting. Please maintain social distancing at all times. And there are educational resources on the site, too, for children and young people of all ages.

You don't have to be an expert, as the app will give you some handy suggestions of what it thinks you've seen, and you can join the iNaturalist online community to learn more about the wildlife around you. Best of all, the records you submit will help inform local and national conservation work!

The project aims to get people started with recording wildlife, so you don't have to be an expert to join.

Project officer Tamsin Bent said: "We are taking part in this Bioblitz as a fun way to get everyone involved and to see how much wildlife is on your doorstep. It can add to the great work done through the Environmental Records Centres."