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Recording Wildlife: Getting Started

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11 Kent Wildlife Trust Land Management Advice Series Recording wildlife: getting started This advice sheet contains information about the following topics: ● why record wildlife sightings? ● where you should send your records ● what information do you need to record ● recording on a particular site Identifying wildflowers, Cherishing Churchyards Day, St Peter ● running your own BioBlitz and St Paul’s Church, Tonbridge © Kent wildlife Trust ● WildWalks Observing nature can be a wonderful ● the presence or absence of certain ● improving your identification skills pastime and can also help us to species (known as ‘indicator species’) can understand how best to manage our tell us a lot about the health of the local ● further advice and requests for local wildlife areas. However, many habitat surveys people feel a bit daunted about trying ● ● further reading and references to record wildlife and getting to grips many species have declined in the with species identification. This leaflet past few decades, mainly as a result has been designed to give some initial of agricultural intensification and urban suggestions on how to get started. development. The reason we know this Unless otherwise stated, the contact is because there are records to show that details for all the organisations these species used to be more numerous mentioned in this leaflet are listed in in the past. The absence of records for a the Kent Wildlife Trust List of Contact species can tell us almost as much about Details for Conservation Organisations. the current status of a species as the presence of records. ● there simply are not enough experts in Why record wildlife Kent to get out there and record across sightings? the county regularly – we need more people to become involved There are many reasons why it is important to record wildlife sightings: ● recording wildlife can be a wonderful experience for people of all ages! It is ● it is difficult to know how best to manage never too late to start, it doesn’t cost a site unless one has some idea as to anything, and you can do it on your own what wildlife is already present or choose to make it into a social occasion. ● robust scientific data is needed in order You can even let the whole world know Trust volunteers doing a water vole survey at Holborough Marsh © D. Watson to inform legislation regarding wildlife about it through Facebook! Large print version available by calling 01622 662012 Your living landscape. Your living seas. The Trust’s Conservation team outing – practising identification skills © Kent Wildlife Trust Ragged robin © R.I.Moyse Where you should send it is male or female or a juvenile, what your records stage of the lifecycle (caterpillar?), what condition the animal or plant was in Biggle community If you would like to share your records more (singing on a perch to indicate its territory, widely, then please send them to the Kent nature reserve, dead by the side of the road) and Medway Biological Record Centre. In Biggle, Kent ● how many: ideally, this needs to be as order for the staff and volunteers to input data Central Grid Ref: TQ636545 more easily, some simple guidelines need to precise as possible. If you are recording be followed, including using a spreadsheet something like spawn, then numbers of Janet Ginger, 6 Mayfield and giving a grid reference. Please go to the clumps of spawn will do! Crescent, Rochester. ‘Recording’ tab on their website to find out ● where: the name of the site or street more. name, and some notes about the site e.g. 21st April 2012 garden, industrial site. You will also need Front field (GR: TQ 635555) Kent & Medway Biological Records Centre to give a postcode (if in your garden) or (KMBRC) a grid reference if the record was taken 2 song thrushes Brogdale Farm Office, Brogdale Farm, out in the wider countryside (the KMBRC (one singing on top of birch tree) Brogdale Road, Faversham, Kent ME13 8XZ. website tells you how to find a grid Email: [email protected] reference – see left for details). 5 goldfinches Tel: 01795 532385 Fax: 01795 532386 ● when: date, month and year 1 blackbird carrying nesting http://www.kmbrc.org.uk/ If you are not sure of your identification, material What information do you why not sketch the plant or animal or take Woodland/stream area need to record? a photo and then check later, when you get back home. You can always send the photo (GR: TQ636550) ● who: you, the recorder, and preferably to the KMBRC or to the Trust and we will a contact number or address in case 1 adult common toad do our best to identify it. of any queries 1 speckled wood butterfly ● what: the species and, if possible, whether 3rd June 2012 Soft shield fern © Kent Wildlife Trust Woodland/stream area Blackcap singing Checked all mats - no slow worms or anything! Some fly-tipping - need to ask Jack to organise task here. Children carrying out a survey © London Wildlife Trust Southern hawker © J.Shorter Holly blue © T.Connor Recording on a expertise in some species groups, then ask Trusts in partnership with the British Trust for particular site them to help you. Ornithology, as an online wildlife recording tool. We want to encourage the public, If you are trying to build up a set of ● if you have a large site and/or more time whether expert recorders or those with less records for a particular site such as a to record, then have a look at the Field expertise, to get out and explore our nature churchyard, garden or school grounds, Surveying Techniques on the KMBRC reserves and Living Landscapes areas such maybe just out of interest or because website to look at alternative methods of as the Medway Smile, the Darent Triangle it will help to inform management recording such as transects or Sevenoaks Living Landscape (SOLL) in an plans for the site, then we suggest the effort to help us map nature as it changes. following: Running your own BioBlitz One way of rapidly finding out about the Through WildWalks, users will be able to ● collate all the current records for the wildlife present on your site is to organise a record wildlife sightings against designated site (you may need to spend some BioBlitz, which is a quick one day/24 hour bout walks which can be created by users or time deciphering old paper records), of intense recording, of any species found, selected from recommended walks produced preferably onto a spreadsheet on a with as many people recording as possible by Kent Wildlife Trust. The areas we are computer (all abilities welcome, experts and beginners asking people to walk in and record wildlife ● think about what time you have to alike). The Bristol Natural History Consortium are places where the Trust is targeting spend on recording: one visit a week? provides good information on how to organise landscape conservation efforts working with once a month? systematic recording successful events, with hints and tips, partners to try and secure nature’s recovery. or ad hoc? are other people recording resources and examples of past BioBlitzes. If you are interested in using these recording on the site too? For further details about the National BioBlitz tools to help us map the impact of our Network, please go to http://www.bnhc.org. ● if you have little time, then a simple conservation work more information can be uk/home/bioblitz/ list of species seen, with a date and found at www.livingmap.org.uk or via links a note on specific location within the WildWalks - help us map on living landscape pages of the Kent Wildlife site, should be enough. This can help the impact of our landscape Trust website. to inform any management as well, conservation work such as where to cut the grass and The Wildlife Trusts have recently launched what time of year. As the records WildWalks, an online recording system build up, think about what species allowing members of the public to map groups are not being recorded records of plants and animals across their local (lichens, invertebrates other than Living Landscape projects. The objective is to butterflies, small mammals and bats develop a better understanding of the impact are often problematic) and how you of our landscape conservation work and to will try to find out more about those give people the opportunity to help with this. groups (see KMBRC webpage on Field Survey Techniques). If there WildWalks has been developed through the BioBlitz with Canterbury University at Darland Banks © Canterbury Christchurch University are any local people who might have LivingMap project, established by The Wildlife Improving your ● other conservation organisations in Kent Requests for surveys also tend to organise courses every year, so identification skills If you would like more information about it is worth checking their websites regularly. Useful websites: our professional services, such as habitat ● the Field Studies Council (FSC) has a or species surveys, ecological scoping ● Buglife national programme of courses for families surveys or Ecological Impact Assessments, ● Bumblebee Conservation Trust and individuals. Courses are run at different then please do get in touch with Kent ● Butterfly Conservation levels and at many centres throughout the Wildlife Trust. There is usually a charge for ● Kent Bat Group country. For further details, please contact these services, although we can sometimes ● Kent Mammal Group the Field Studies Council by calling 01743 access funding to help cover the costs. 852100 or emailing enquiries@field-studies- If we cannot help, we will do our best to ● KMBRC (McClintock library) council.org or visiting their website www.
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