Following our first river invertebrate sampling training session late last year (see November ’23 post) Friends’ volunteers again took to the water recently to hone our skills ahead of us becoming accredited citizen researchers. This time we were in a stretch of the River Chor near the Lost Fountain. This is a location with a major surface water outfall, a small weir and a range of riverbed conditions making it more susceptible to variations in Riverfly populations. However, by lifting out small river rocks for washing off into the sampling trays we found a wider cross-section of bugs than by just kicking sediment in front of a net. Next time it is off to the classroom for more detailed instruction and assessment! Many thanks to Sam and Samuel from Groundwork for their excellent tutoring to date.
Friends of Astley Park 