No specialist knowledge is required to take part in the Big Count and observations can be submitted from anywhere across Somerset on the iNaturalist app or via a worksheet which can be emailed to the organisers.
The project is run in partnership between SWT and the Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC), which is the main reference centre for biological and geological information for the county.
It holds over four million data records, but says more records are always needed.
Ellen Phillpot, from SERC, said data collected through the Big Count 2026 will “help accurately assess species trends across the county” and identify population sizes, which in turn will direct conservation and survey efforts.