Hobson's Conduit Trust

Bioblitz 2022 identifies more than 200 species

Dr Steve Boreham, Bioblitz Science Co-ordinator writes:

Hobson’s Brook Bioblitz took place on the 10th and 11th June 2022.

The Bioblitz was held at Clare Wood and the North Meadow, adjacent to Clare College Playing Field, Bentley Road, Cambridge. Both Clare Wood and the North Meadow occupy a position between Hobson’s Brook and Vicar’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.

Clare Wood and the North Meadow produced 211 different taxa (mostly identified to species level). These included 26 species of birds, 12 mammals, 3 fish, 1 amphibian, 95 types of invertebrates (including 59 moths) and 74 different plant species.

These results compare well with the 2019 Bioblitz at Clare College Playing Field and highlight the diversity of habitat present along this part of the Hobson’s Brook corridor.

Bioblitz highlights were the Blackcap, Kingfisher, Buzzard and Little Egret, the Brown Oak Tortrix Moth and Grass Rivulet Moth, the Serotine and Noctule Bats, the Bank Vole and Otter, the Broad-bodied Chaser Dragonfly, and the Common Spotted-orchid.

This Bioblitz has emphasised 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 the people that live close by.