Snippet of the April 2026 Riverfly Partnership newsletter

Our latest newsletter is out now! Read it and sign up for future newsletters here: www.riverflies.org/newsletters

A great find!

Our Riverfly volunteers this weekend got a little local help from a pair of Mandarin Ducks (Aix galericulata) who paddled past the session. At these monthly sessions, counting the number of certain invertebrates gives us valuable information about the health of Beverley Brook @riverflies.bsky.social

Secret Garden - Series 1: 1. Oxfordshire David Attenborough reveals the lives of kingfishers, otters and other animals whose home is a river garden. Life here seems idyllic, but all are at the mercy of seasonal floods.

Did you catch the first episode of Secret Garden on the BBC over the Easter weekend? There was a lovely segment about mayflies about halfway through - well worth a watch! www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/epis...

Today we're celebrating Riverfly Monitoring Monday! Monitoring is an excellent way to protect #river health by supporting local community engagement, #citizenscience collaboration & sustainability for our #freshwaterecosystems.

Please visit @riverflies.bsky.social for more info:
www.riverflies.org

Justin Evens and the Wildlife Groundswell team have grown Riverfly monitoring on the Lizard from 9 volunteers to 27 sites monitored by 13 teams.

👏 Thank you to all involved!

Read more about Justin's story: mailchi.mp/ce74216537da/riverfly-pa...

Exciting news for new Riverfly groups!

Thanks to generous fundraising by Cressbrook & Litton Flyfishers Club and support from NHBS, the Riverfly Kit Bursary is available to help new monitoring groups get started.

📝 Find out more and apply here: https://www.riverflies.org/riverfly-kit-bursary

Are you keen to improve your identification skills of aquatic invertebrates? Read on!

We have a Sampling and Identifying #Freshwater #Invertebrates training opportunity, with John Davy-Bowker on 28 & 29 April, Grange-Over-Sands, #Cumbria.

Find out more & book today:
www.fba.org.uk/shop/p/sampl...

🌱With the first signs of spring appearing, the Riverfly HQ team is already looking forward to warmer days back out sampling by the river.

☀️This sunny snapshot from summer 2025 has us excited for the season ahead!

#Riverfly #CitizenScience #SpringIsComing

Very nice! Thanks for sharing!

Riverfly The Chilterns Chalk Streams Project co-ordinates Riverfly citizen science monitoring for the Colne & South Chilterns hub.   We work collaboratively with Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust who also co-ordinate Riverfly monitoring as part of the Lea Catchment Partnership to the east of the Chilterns.

Have you seen the latest annual Riverfly newsletter from Chilterns Chalk Streams Project and Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust? It’s packed with inspiring updates from citizen scientists monitoring river health 👏

Read it here:

📊Riverfly 2025 stats are in!

Our 2025 Riverfly data summary brings together monitoring surveys from across the UK, highlighting the incredible work of volunteers protecting our rivers.

Dive into the data and read more👇
https://www.riverflies.org/riverflyreports

We're super excited to share with you that the FBA 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting will take place at @edinburghnapier.bsky.social, on Thursday 11 June. Please save the date... we'd love you to join us in #Edinburgh!

Interested? Watch this space for more details & a call for #ASM2026 abstracts soon!

Arron and Simon

Riverfly stand

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the Riverfly stand at the British Fly Fair International last weekend! Simon (Riverfly Co-chair) and Arron (EA Ecology Contact) did a great job representing the Partnership.

Absolutely!

🧪 Citizen science in action!

Peter Hanks from the West Cornwall ARMI Hub has built his own sorting table to make Riverfly monitoring easier in the field.

Got your own kit hacks or survey tips? Drop them in the comments or send us a photo!

📸 Peter Hanks

#Riverfly #CitizenScience #FieldHacks

2.7: Data - gaps in the evidence, and the power of citizen science

🧪 Curious about data gaps in freshwater monitoring and how citizen science is helping to fill them? Check out this excellent podcast from the Rivers Trust, featuring Michelle Walker completing a Riverfly sample.

🎧Spotify: open.spotify.com/episode/4q8h...

Thames21 unveils community-led data tool to help build picture of river health - Thames21 Environmental charity Thames21 has launched a new online dashboard that – for the first time – brings together key datasets on river health gathered by...

📊New Thames21 Citizen Science Dashboard!

Bringing together Riverfly and water quality data to shine a light on river health across the Thames Basin.

👉 Find out more: www.thames21.org.uk/2026/01/tham...

Our December Data Roundup is here!

👏 Riverfly volunteers submitted 384 surveys across the UK! 🎉

#Riverfly #CitizenScience #Volunteers

Meet Arron Watson, national Ecology Contact coordinator.
Arron has been the national EC coordinator since 2019, bringing together all EA regions. He supports volunteers with training days, runs Extended upskill sessions, and delves into the data.
#Riverfly #MeetYourEcologyContact #EnvironmentAgency

🪰 #Freshwater Friday - A rare glimpse of a mayfly (Heptageniidae) moulting!

This stop-frame sequence shows a Heptageniidae shedding its exoskeleton - captured by our brilliant Riverfly volunteer Hilary. Just one of the many hidden stories happening beneath the water's surface.

#CitizenScience

Looking back at 2025 with @riverflies.bsky.social: a year of collaboration, conferences & #citizenscience.

12 months of amazing action for #riverflies & #freshwaters... geographical reach is now larger than ever, with 700+ rivers being monitored by 2000+ volunteers!💙

www.fba.org.uk/fba-voice/th...

Interested in becoming the new Senior Development Manager for the Riverfly Partnership?

📄 The job application deadline is Sunday 18th January - apply now! 💻

www.fba.org.uk/riverfly-partnership-sen...

A woman in waterproofs and waders uses a net in a shallow river.

📍 University of Staffordshire Nature Reserve – Riverfly Monitoring

Join us on Monday 19 Jan, 10am–2pm by the River Trent for a hands-on riverfly monitoring session!

We’ll be looking at the tiny freshwater invertebrates, perfect for curious minds.

Link to sign up in the comments below.

Job opportunity! The Riverfly Partnership, hosted by the Freshwater Biological Association, is looking for a Senior Development Manager to help grow sustainable funding, build strong partnerships, and support one of Europe's longest-running citizen science programmes. If you're passionate about rivers, community science and strategic development - we would love to hear from you! Please note the closing date for applications is 18 January. Find out more and apply: https://www.fba.org.uk/riverfly-partnership-senior-development-manager The Riverfly Partnership is a dynamic network of organisations, representing anglers, conservationists, entomologists, scientists, water course managers and relevant authorities, working together to protect the water quality of our rivers, further the understanding of riverfly populations, and actively conserve freshwater habitats.

Would you like to make a real impact on freshwater conservation?

@riverflies.bsky.social, hosted by FBA, is looking for a Senior Development Manager to support one of Europe's longest-running citizen science programmes.

Closing date is 18 Jan. Find out more & apply:
www.fba.org.uk/riverfly-par...

📢 Reminder for Riverfly monitors

Make sure all your 2025 Riverfly surveys are uploaded and approved on Cartographer.

📊 Data will be downloaded on 15th January and only approved data will be included in the 2025 annual report.

Every record counts 💧

✨Riverfly Partnership Calendar 2026 - Now 50% OFF!✨

Our Riverfly Calendar is packed with stunning freshwater invertebrate images from our photography competition.

Grab yours now!

👉www.fba.org.uk/shop/p/riverfly-partners...

🎄Merry Christmas from Riverfly HQ!🎅

✨A huge thank you to all our amazing volunteers, partners, funders and supporters for everything you've done throughout 2025.

💧We hope you have a delightful festive break! We'll see you back out on the river in 2026.

🎁Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Our November Data Roundup is here!

👏 Riverfly volunteers submitted a huge 526 surveys across the UK! 🎉

This work is supported by our amazing funders at the Environment Agency and @esmeefairbairn.bsky.social 

👉 https://www.riverflies.org/riverflyreports