FRIDAY 2ND JUNE 5.00 pm – 11pm
SATURDAY 3RD JUNE 8.00am – 1pm
By kind permission of the Master and Fellows of Emmanuel College.
To be held at Emmanuel College’s Darien Meadow off Long Road, with cycle access via the busway path:
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Families welcome!
(All under 16 year olds to be accompanied)
Timetabled events led by enthusiastic experts including small mammal identification, bat detection, moth trapping, bird spotting, butterfly identification, plant identification, examining freshwater invertebrates, guided walks along Hobson’s Brook.
Register on the day. All activities free of charge. Organised by Hobson’s Conduit Trust.
Last year (2022) basing ourselves at Clare College Sports Ground we concentrated on Clare’s North Paddock and woodland between Hobson’s Conduit and Vicar’s Brook.
A dozen experts ran hour-long identification sessions and guided walks. The Bioblitz sessions covered plants, small mammals, birds, bats, moths and other insects and freshwater invertebrates.
211 different taxa were identified, including:
- 74 different plant species
- 26 species of birds
- 12 mammals
- 3 fish
- 1 amphibian
- 95 types of invertebrates, including
- 59 kinds of moth
Bioblitz highlights were the Blackcap, Kingfisher, Buzzard and Little Egret, the Brown Oak Tortix Moth and Grass Rivulet Moth, Serotine and Noctule Bats, the Bank Vole and Otter, the Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly, and the Common Spotted Orchid.
These results compare well with the 2019 Bioblitz also at Clare Sports Ground, the 2018 Bioblitz at Hobson’s Park, Trumpington, and the 2017 Bioblitz at Nine Wells and Empty Common. Together they capture the diversity of habitats along the Hobson’s Brook Corridor.
This year the Trustees of Hobson’s Conduit thank the Master and Fellows of Emmanuel College for their kind permission to hold our fifth annual Bioblitz at Darien Meadow, bordered by Hobson’s Brook.
On Friday evening and Saturday morning Trustees will conduct guided walks along Hobson’s Brook and Conduit, while experts lead a programme of mini field expeditions.
| Trustee Guided Walks | 5pm onwards |
| Bird spotting | 6 – 7pm |
| Small Mammals | 7 – 8pm |
| Bat Detection | 9 – 10:30pm |
| Moth trapping | 10:30 – 11pm |
| Trustee Guided Walks | 9am – 12 noon |
| Small Mammals | 8 – 9am and until 1pm |
| Moth trapping | 9 – 10am |
| Bird spotting | 9.30 – 10.30am |
| Butterflies | 10 – 11am |
| Plant identification | 11am – 12 noon |
| Freshwater invertebrates | 12 noon – 1pm |
Our programme of Bioblitz events has highlighted the biodiversity of green spaces close to the built environment, and shows the importance of the Hobson’s Brook ‘green corridor’ in preserving wildlife in the City of Cambridge. Maintaining a strong flow of high quality water in Hobson’s Brook is clearly essential for the continued success of these ecosystems, which offer considerable benefits to residents and visitors.
The Hobson’s Brook corridor forms part of the Cambridge Nature Network.