Hobson’s Brook Bioblitz took place on the 2nd and 3rd June 2023. The Bioblitz was held at Emmanuel College’s Darien Meadow, Long Road, Cambridge. Darien Meadow occupies a position to the east of Hobson’s Brook. More than a dozen experts and volunteers ran hour-long identification sessions and guided walks at the site. Over a hundred people participated in the event, enjoying the sunny weather. The Bioblitz sessions covered plants, small mammals, birds, bats, moths, other insects and freshwater invertebrates.
Darien Meadow produced 180 different taxa (mostly identified to species level). These included 28 species of birds, 6 mammals, 3 fish, 1 amphibian, 85 types of invertebrates (including 17 moths) and 57 different plant species.
These results compare well with the 2022 Bioblitz at Clare Wood and North Meadow and highlight the diversity of habitat present along this part of the Hobson’s Brook corridor.
Bioblitz highlights were the Blackcap, Buzzard and Kestrel, the Common Blue Damselfly and Speckled Wood Butterfly, the Soprano Pipistrelle Bats, the Bank Vole, the Small Grass Shieldbug, and the Glaucous Sedge.
These Bioblitz events have emphasised the biodiversity of green spaces close to the built environment, and show 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 the people that live close by.
Dr Steve Boreham – Bioblitz Science Co-ordinator 8th June 2023
