We would like you to take part in Pollinator FIT (Flower-Insect Timed) Counts five times over the coming week (weather-permitting) and to submit your records on the project website. Thank you!
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The Pollinator FIT (Flower-Insect Timed) Counts is a citizen science project aiming to understand how pollinator populations are changing across Great Britain. You can watch a introductory video.
Before taking part
Before taking part you will need to review the instructions and identification guides, and download the recording forms which are available on the Pollinator FIT Counts website.
Taking part
Please try to take part in the pollinator FIT counts five times over the coming eight days (at least once per day on five days), but you can take part more frequently if you would like.
- Choose a time when the weather is warm, not too windy and (preferably) sunny.
- Go somewhere with flowers growing (such as a garden or yard, a park or the countryside) and spend 10 minutes watching a patch of flowers (a 50 x 50cm patch of one type of flower).
- You will need to identify and count the different types of insects visiting the flowers and record these on the reporting form. Full instructions on how to do this are on the project website.
- Once you have completed a 10-minute count, please submit the records on the project page.
- You can repeat the activity in the same place each time or you can choose to do it in different places at different times.
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We will send you a daily email reminder during the week you are taking part, and it will have a link so you can let us know if you have taken part in the activity that day.
Thank you for taking part. Together we can discover more about how engaging with nature affects our wellbeing!
Stay safe
- As a volunteer, you are responsible for your own health and safety and you are under no obligation to participate or continue with these outdoors activities.
- Never undertake any activity if you have concerns about your own or others’ health and safety. If you have any such concerns, you should stop the activity.
- Follow the latest Covid-19 government guidelines on outdoors activity in your area.
- If you are away from your home, it is advisable to carry a fully charged mobile phone in case of an emergency.
- When selecting a location for your activity, please keep to areas that you have permission to access, or that are publicly accessible.
- Consider any particular risks associated with your individual site and whether your individual circumstances and medical conditions expose you to particular risks.
- Think about and take action on what precautions are needed to minimise risks, including wearing appropriate footwear and protection from the sun.
- The researchers are not liable for any injuries you might sustain when undertaking the nature-based activities that form part of this project. If you injure yourself and your condition is too serious to wait until you can see your GP, you can call the NHS on 111. If your medical condition is an emergency, then you should call 999.
The Pollinator FIT Counts is run by the Pollinator Monitoring and Research Partnership.
Nature Up Close & Personal: A Wellbeing Experiment is run by the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, University of Derby and British Science Association, and is funded by the Natural Environment Research Council.