Surveys show the Vale's a nature hot-spot
Wed 14 May 2025
The bioblitz this week provided ecologists and island schoolchildren with an opportunity to record as many living things as possible within a 24-hour period, and follows on from previous such studies.
Organised by the Nature Commission with La Société Guernesiaise, the event aimed to measure how the presence of different species changed over time, and the last time L'Ancresse East was surveyed was in 2019, when naturalist and broadcaster Chris Packham joined in. This year's results will be published later.
Meanwhile, the Guernsey Press (picture above) reported some unusual finds, including plants and a type of seasquirt. Worryingly, however, some invasive species have also been discovered, including sargassum seaweed, which blocks native types, and a bryozoan, a type of moss, that can prevent limpets from feeding on rocks.
Bat survey
The second event was the bat survey, which has completely changed the understanding of bats across the Bailiwick of Guernsey through a volunteer-led initiative using acoustics and machine-learning. 
In all, more than 16 million recordings were made which confirmed at least 14 types of bat, five small mammal species, no fewer than seven types of bush cricket and two audible moth species.
The report doesn't break down the areas where these were fund but graphs indicate many were located in the north of the island and around L'Ancresse, highlighting the biodiversity importance of the Common for the Vale and island generally.
The full report can be accessed in the download section below.
Critterfact
A brown-spotted bush-cricket, which is a new species for Guernsey and the Channel Islands, has been confirmed by the Bailiwick Bat Survey. However, it cannot take credit for the discovery of Tessellana tessellata.
It was actually was found through a joint effort between an unnamed child, Trevor Bourgaize and Andy Smith
during the summer of 2024. It was originally found by the youngster in an organised ‘Bug Hunt’ at Bordeaux!