Wildlife event encourages observational skills

Participants are taught how to use the iNaturalist app to collect wildlife observations

A series of wildlife events is encouraging people to observe "minibeasts" while contributing data to national biodiversity records.

The West Somerset Wildways project is aimed at children and adults and events are free.

Elizabeth Atkinson started the project in April as part of the Somerset Wildlife Trust's Wilder Coast initiative.

"The idea is to get people looking at what's under their feet, hidden in bushes and trees - and up in the sky," said Ms Atkinson.

The project aims to improve wildlife observational skills

"We're surrounded by such fantastic countryside here in West Somerset, but it's sometimes easy not to notice the little things that are literally in front of our eyes," Ms Atkinson continued.

The project organisers are encouraging participants to use a wildlife identification app called iNaturalist to track wildlife.

"The great thing about iNaturalist is that once you've uploaded your observations - and they've been verified - they get fed straight through to the Somerset Environmental Records Centre and the National Biodiversity Network Trust database," said Ms Atkinson.

She said that this means your observations become part of a national database, providing a baseline for the ten-year nature recovery plan.

Children over three years old are welcome

More workshops are scheduled throughout the summer holidays in Dunstan, Malmsmead, Dulverton, Watchet and Selworthy.

The next event will be held on Wednesday 2 August in Malmsmead, north Devon in the Lorna Doone Valley from 11:00 - 15:00 BST.

Ms Atkinson said: "It is fun, it is absolutely delightful just getting up close to minibeasts. There's nothing to beat it"