PEOPLE in Somerset are being encouraged to get counting while out and about this month.

The Somerset Wildlife Trust’s (SWT) Big Count initiative, which encourages as many people as possible to head outside and record wildlife in gardens, local parks, and community green spaces, runs between June 16 and 25.

Over the past three years, nearly 2,500 species records have been successfully collected through The Big Count, providing vital information about 150 different UK species.

Hosted in partnership between SWT and the Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC), The Big Count aims to monitor changes in both the diversity and abundance of wildlife throughout Somerset.

SERC is the main reference centre for biological and geological information for the county, holding more than 3 million data records, but it has gaps – particularly around more common species such as snails, slow worms, and certain species of butterfly.

Information gathered during The Big Count will help track species declines, inform conservation strategies within the county, and contribute to Somerset’s State of Nature Report.

To take part, people can download a free Information Pack and ID Guides from www.somersetwildlife.org/big-count-2025 and upload observations made between June 16 and 25 to The Big Count 2025 project on iNaturalist.

No specialist knowledge is required to take part, and observations can be submitted from anywhere in Somerset.

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Becky Fisher, head of engagement at SWT, said: “The Big Count is an amazing opportunity to get outside and learn more about your local wildlife.

“You can give a little or a lot of time to tell us what you’ve seen close to home.

“This year we’d like it to be bigger and better than ever before so as well as taking part yourself don’t forget to share with your friends, family, neighbours and colleagues.

“From sharing on your neighbourhood chat group, to sending a photo to your best friend of what you’ve spotted, or even adding it to the work noticeboard, there’s lots of ways you can inspire others to take part.”

Ellen Phillpot, SERC manager, added: “The data collected through The Big Count 2025 is absolutely critical. As we begin to further investigate the state of Somerset’s nature, we need more data records to accurately assess species trends across the county. Work on our Somerset State of Nature report identified a lack of records for common terrestrial mammals; due to this we have added the red fox, rabbits and hares to this year’s count.

“Records collected here will help in identifying population sizes and help direct our conservation and survey efforts.”

People can sign up for the SWT Big Count now at www.somersetwildlife.org/big-count-2025.