The Creature Countdown is on!
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It's nearly time to get counting and submit your sightings.
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From Fri 14 - Sun 16 June, count as many different wildlife species as possible!
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We've got loads of advice for how to take part in the count here. When you're done, click the button below and submit your results.
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There are two ways you can take part in the Creature Count...
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Not signed up yet? There's still time!
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Option one: Use our checklist
Download the checklist and tick off the creatures you see.
There are 20 species to spot, plus extra space to make notes or draw pictures of any other wildlife you see!
Once you've finished counting, submit your results here.
Our checklist is perfect for beginner counters and those who find iNaturalist difficult to use!
Option two: Use iNaturalist
Alternatively, you can use the species recording website and app iNaturalist to identify creatures, flowers and fungi, and submit your results.
iNaturalist has a handy photo ID feature and feeds into a national database, used by conservation charities and scientists all around the UK!Â
For help getting started, we've put together a handy guide on how to use iNaturalist.
Tom Marshall
What to do over the weekend
When the Creature Count launches on the 14 June, all you need to do is get outside and start looking! You can count creatures, flowers and fungi, for ten minutes, an hour, a whole afternoon or even the full weekend until midnight on the 16 June - it's totally up to you!
Use our checklist as a guide to tick off the 20 listed species. There's space for you to write any additional finds! Don't worry if you can't tick all the species off the list - it's just as interesting for us to know what you didn't find! You can submit your results here at any point during the weekend!
If you're using iNaturalist, you'll need to get yourself set up with an account if you haven't got one already and join the Creature Count project. This ensures that your counts will be recorded in the right place. More information on how to do this is on our iNaturalist page.
Follow us on social media to find other creature counters and for live updates, spotting tips, and all sorts of other fun stuff!
Frequently Asked Questions
When do I take part in the Creature Count?
The Count is on from 12:00am on Friday 14 June to 11:59pm on Sunday 16 June. You can choose to count all weekend, for the afternoon or morning, overnight, or even for ten minutes while you have a cuppa! How you count is up to you.
How do I submit my results?
If you're using the checklist, use our online form to submit your results. The online form is simple to fill in and the only information (apart from your counts) that you'll need to provide is your postcode. Use the downloadable checklist as a guide or a prompt - we'd love for you to share your ticked off checklists with us on social media!.
If you're using iNaturalist, your results will be automatically submitted as long as you are part of the Creature Count project (find out more about how to join the project). There may be a delay between uploading your sightings and them appearing on iNaturalist, so don't worry if you can't see them straightaway - they have to go through a verification process.
Do I have to choose between the checklist and iNaturalist?
No, you're very welcome to use both! We've introduced the checklist to make taking part in the Count easy for everyone, but if you want to delve into the detail of the species in your garden, we'd encourage you to give iNaturalist a go! It's got a handy species ID feature, so you can identify what you find, and all the results will be submitted to the overall project.Â
Why are we counting?
The past years have shown us how much we need nature in our lives. But nature needs our help.
The 2019 State of Nature Report (a health check of the UK's wildlife) reports the devastating effects of human impact on our wildlife. Of the 8,418 species assessed, 15% are now at risk of extinction.
Together, let's discover and celebrate the wildlife species who call our gardens, parks and green spaces their home. Our collective counting will give us vital information about the natural state of Coventry, Warwickshire and Solihull, enabling us to better support, protect and enhance our wildlife and wild places.
Why the 20 species on the checklist?
The checklist species are those you are most likely to see in your outside space, and those we're interested to know more about.
We know that our gardens and yards can be vital lifelines for a much wider variety of wildlife - that's why we've included the box to allow you to record anything extra or special!