The public were given the opportunity to take part in an event which took place at Yatton Wood on the Perrystone Estate on Saturday. County wildlife recorders raced against the clock to collect as many records as possible of plants and animals in 24 hours at the previously unrecorded estate near Ross. Perrystone was chosen for the survey as the estate was thought to be rich in species. During the event, arranged by the Wye Valley A.O.N.B. to celebrate International Biodiversiy year, the public joined the experts in a series of guided walks to discover hidden secrets of the natural world.

The event was free to enter attracting families and groups of friends, who turned up to take part in the many activities and walks that were planned through the day, all of which were guided by naturalists, ecologists and archaeologists from around the county. There was a diverse range of topics for those attending to enjoy on their walks including amphibians, spiders, beetles, bees, woodland plants and the archaeology of the landscape. There were also plenty of activities for the kids to take part in, including mini beast events.

Adrian Hanks, Head Keeper at Perrystone Estate, was extremely supportive of the event and said, 'We are keen to show people how shooting and conservation can go hand in hand and welcome the opportunity to give people a chance to see how a working estate runs.'

In the main marquee, there were lots of information stands, where the public had the opportunity to meet grass snakes, slow worms, beetles, bugs, spiders and tadpoles and the Herefordshire Action for Mammals group had a great range of interesting items on the table, from badger and fox skulls to live traps and Dormouse nests. Nigel Hand of the 'What's That Snake?' project gave a very interesting talk on our local reptiles, explaining how you can tell a grass snake and giving advice on where to look for them. It turned out to be a very interesting event indeed. You can learn more about the event by watching the video below.