Nature in your local patch
OPAL West Midlands: Nature in your local patch
Who are we?
OPAL West Midlands is based at the University of Birmingham (School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Science and School of Bioscience). We work in association with a wide range of regional partners.
Female Red Mason Bee (Osmia rufa) constructing a nest (Photograph © Nicolas J. Vereecken).
A colour-ringed Blue Tit (Cyanistes caeruleus) (Photograph © Katie Glover)
Discover the wildlife on your doorstep!
Understanding Local Biodiversity
Our towns and cities are home to a wide variety of plants and animals just waiting to be discovered. We want to get everyone interested in the natural world that surrounds where you live, work, or go to school. This will not only ensure a brighter future for wildlife but should help you feel good about your local space and environment. Our emphasis is on 'your' local patch!
We aim to understand how biodiversity in green spaces is used and understood by individuals and organisations (e.g. councils, schools and businesses), and how this biodiversity is structured and functions ecologically in urban areas. This multidisciplinary aim is underpinned by an extensive knowledge exchange, citizen science programme that aims to facilitate full community involvement.
Get Involved Now
There are several ways of getting involved with OPAL in the West Midlands:
1. Attend one of the regional events listed below;
2. Help with bee hotel project or and add a record on our bee pages;
3. Watch out for our colour-ringed birds and tell us where you have seen them by looking on our bird pages;
4. Volunteer to help with our bat surveys on your local ponds;
5. Look at some of our nature and identification guides.
6. Join the online nature spotting community with iSpot.
7. Try out the OPAL National soil, air, water, biodiversity and climate surveys.
1. Attend one of the regional events listed below;
2. Help with bee hotel project or and add a record on our bee pages;
3. Watch out for our colour-ringed birds and tell us where you have seen them by looking on our bird pages;
4. Volunteer to help with our bat surveys on your local ponds;
5. Look at some of our nature and identification guides.
6. Join the online nature spotting community with iSpot.
7. Try out the OPAL National soil, air, water, biodiversity and climate surveys.
News
Biodiversity Survey is coming soon
We have a number of the hedgerow survey packs for free for distribution after the launch on September 8th. Contact us to get a hold of one.
New OPALWM moth tips just released
These are available for download from here or the national OPAL website. Check our moth pages for more information on these delightful insects.
New Bee information sheets - now available from the BWARS website!
These are a must for all bee enthusiasts. See our bee pages for details.
These are a must for all bee enthusiasts. See our bee pages for details.
Upcoming West Midlands Events
