2012
Guide to Recording Wildlife
CONTENTS
SECTION 1 – INTRODUCTION
1.1 FOREWORD BY ERIC FLETCHER, RECORD MANAGER 1.2 HABITATS AND HILLFORTS LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP SCHEME 1.3 WHY ARE MY RECORDS OF VALUE? 1.4 WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD I RECORD? 1.5 HOW SHOULD I PREPARE TO RECORD? 1.6 CONTACT DETAILS
SECTION 2 – SPECIES GUIDES 2.1 AMPHIBIANS 2.2 BIRDS 2.3 FLOWERING PLANTS 2.4 FUNGI 2.5 INVERTEBRATES 2.6 MAMMALS 2.7 REPTILES 2.8 TREES
SECTION 3 – ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
3.1 MAPS 3.2 A SIMPLE GUIDE TO TAXONOMY CLASSIFICATION 3.3 RISKS AND HAZARDS 3.4 RECORDING SHEET 3.5 THE DAFOR SCALE 3.6 CODE OF CONDUCT 3.7 WEBLINKS 3.8 ABBREVIATIONS 3.9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
APPENDICES Appendix 1 Wildlife Recording Sheet Appendix 2 Invertebrate Recording – Ten Must Haves! Appendix 3 Risk Assessment Form
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012
SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
1.1 FOREWORD BY ERIC FLETCHER, MANAGER OF RECORD
In 2011, Habitats and Hillforts teamed up with RECORD to offer a series of species monitoring, identification and recording training events specific to the Sandstone Ridge area.
As the Local Record Centre covering the Habitats and Hillforts area, RECORD‟s aim was to improve the biodiversity data holdings for the area and, as a result, improve understanding of the effects of current management within the project area.
This Guide to Recording Wildlife provides a complementary resource to this project.As each event in the project had its own theme, this manual also presents a set of Species Identification Guides arranged according to species types.
Eric Fletcher, RECORD Manager
RECORD is the Local Biological Records Centre serving Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral: 'The Cheshire Region'. This centre provides a local facility for the storage, validation and usage of Cheshire based biological data under the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) project.
RECORD brings biological recording, the needs of the community, and a range of organisations together as a 'one-stop' information resource for organisations and individuals alike.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
1.2 HABITATS AND HILLFORTS LANDSCAPE PARTNERSHIP SCHEME
The Habitats and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Scheme is focused on the chain of historically important hill top Iron Age hillforts that lines Cheshire's Sandstone Ridge. Heritage Lottery Fund Landscape Partnership Schemes are constructed around thematic programmes informed by the condition and needs of the landscape and that of the local community and other users. The overall scheme is delivering across four key priorities: Habitats, Hillforts, Access and Interpretation and finally Training and Volunteering, in order to deliver an integrated and balanced scheme:
Conserving the hillforts and any associated features in the vicinity; Restoring and increasing natural habitats in the vicinity of the forts, as these are areas of countryside that would be visited by people and the landscape setting could benefit from increasing areas for wildlife; Making the hillforts more accessible by improving footpath access where appropriate and linking them to the Sandstone Trail; Interpreting the historical landscape and the natural habitats and the management work being carried out to enhance them; Involving the local communities surrounding the hillforts as well as a wider area; Providing appropriate volunteering and training opportunities.
Species recording has been a vital part of the scheme to gather information for this area of Cheshire that was previously under recorded.
Ellie Morris, Habitats and Hillforts Project Manager
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
1.3 WHY ARE MY RECORDS OF VALUE?
Recording wildlife is important in understanding the constant changes within our natural environment. Regardless of the cause, our natural environment is in a continual state of flux so it is vitally important to monitor the impact of these changes.
The value of wildlife recording isn‟t always clear; who would be interested in a record of a blackbird; they are everywhere? However there have been a number of occasions where a species, considered relatively common, has subsequently gone into rapid decline. During the 1970‟s and 1980‟s wych elm (Ulmus glabra) and English elm (Ulmus procera) saw a huge crash in numbers (over 25 million trees lost in the UK) due to Dutch elm disease, the song thrush (Turdus philomelos) used to be commonplace, but numbers are currently in serious decline (RSPB). On the other hand at one time it would have been a rare sight to see a buzzard (Buteo buteo) in Cheshire and now they are commonplace. Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) is now ravaging many of our riversides, however records show it only arrived in the Cheshire area in the 1950‟s, having been introduced into the UK as a garden plant in 1839 (RHS).
Every record is important, whether it be a record of a daisy (Bellis perennis) or white-tailed eagle (Haliaeetus albicilla). All wildlife records, common or rare, support decision making at all levels within local authorities, regional agencies, conservation organisations and within government at national and international level.
Biological data is also utilised by universities establishing trends and correlations within the dataset in the furtherance of conservation.
All those who are familiar with recording and the many different recording schemes, groups and initiatives out there, will be aware of the vast array of opportunities available to pass your data into the „system‟. The focus on „citizen science‟ and online recording has spawned a plethora of initiatives all vying for your wildlife records.
The role of RECORD A valid question would be: what makes RECORD and its system any different to any other initiatives, schemes, societies or groups? Well, RECORD is the Local Record Centre (LRC) for Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and Wirral and, as with all LRC‟s, when data comes to us you can be assured it is used in local development control. Local Record Centre‟s are one of the only repositories that use the data in this way, and certainly the most efficient; data sent to LRC‟s can be utilised within the planning control system, in some cases, within a day of its arrival.
Having said this there is no reason why you can‟t send your data into multiple points should you wish. For instance if you are recording in and around a pond you may want to send your amphibian data to the local amphibian and reptile group, but the other records (aquatic plants & invertebrates for example) may be of little use to them so these could go to the LRC.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
Recording with RODIS RECORD has an online system that can assist in the process of recording your wildlife data.
RODIS (RECORD Online Data Input System) allows users to enter their wildlife sightings online and manage them much like a conventional database. All data goes through a number of checks to ensure its validity so you can be assured the data you then export to any other initiatives, groups, societies or schemes will be compatible with their systems. You can also be safe in the knowledge that your data is secure and being used where it is needed most; where you recorded it.
Eric Fletcher
RECORD Manager
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
1.4 WHAT INFORMATION SHOULD I RECORD?
When you first start recording it is good to take a little time to think about what information goes into your record. To some it might seem like an odd question, but “what information should I record” is an important one and very much depends on its intended use. For example an entomologist may use host or nectar plant records to guide their recording; elm is the food plant for the white-letter hairstreak (Satyrium w-album), although it does come to ground level to nectar on flowers, so interested recorders may use elm records to guide their recording. In this case all the entomologist is interested in is where the elm trees have been recorded and when (i.e. a good grid reference and a recent date). On the other hand a national expert may be looking to use all the records for a specific order or family in the creation of an atlas, in which case they will want all information relating to each record in order to generate enough detail for an atlas. Ideally recorders should record as much about the sighting as possible, within reason of course. Below is a list of the main constituents of a record with a description of what is needed and/or how it is used.
The list is by no means exhaustive, many recording initiatives record under strict conditions using a standardised methodology and record specific information in addition to that detailed below. These methods are important in generating robust reproducible results allowing UK wide monitoring of population sizes. Butterfly transects and bat roost and emergence surveys all require specific additional information.
What information should I record?
Species name What it was that you saw is one of the most critical pieces of information for a record and it is important to be as precise as you can be. It is not necessary to use the Latin name, but it does aid users of the data if you can use it. The Latin nomenclature (naming system) was developed to help classify all living organisms and, as such, it is widely recognised throughout the world. So if we are discussing Tringa totanus with our counterparts in Europe, for example, they will know exactly to which species we refer. However if we use the common name, Redshank, they aren‟t likely to understand us at all. In addition, it must be said, that the common name of redshank can refer to a bird (Tringa totanus), a plant (Persicaria maculosa) and a moss (Ceratodon purpureus), so it is difficult for handlers and users of the data to know exactly which species has been recorded when only the common name is used.
It should be noted however, that other descriptive information can help in this case; we are unlikely to see a bird flowering or a plant flying north to roost.
Sometimes it may be necessary to provide extra evidence for a record such as a photograph or, certainly for a rare bird sighting, a written description. It is good practice to run these things through your mind whilst out recording; can you get a photograph? What features make you think it is that particular species? This type of information can be really useful when you can‟t identify what species you are looking at; a photograph of the specimen can be
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction posted on the RECORD forum for help with ID, it is not always possible to identify to species level from a photograph, but in many cases we can gain a correct identification.
Date and time of recording Date information is relatively simple and can take the form of a specific date or it could be a date range, such as a month and year, if the recorder can‟t remember an exact date, but as with all information within a record it is important to be as accurate as possible. Date information is really useful in monitoring changes within the natural environment; Phenology is the study of seasonal natural phenomena and helps in predicting the effects of climate change. Flowering periods of spring flowers, the return of summer migrant birds such as the swallow (Hirundo rustica), swift (Apus apus), willow warbler (Phylloscopus trochilus) and cuckoo (Culculus canorus) and leaf burst on trees are all used by phenologists to monitor change within the natural environment.
Location Exact location information is vitally important to the record as it helps; firstly, to ensure the grid reference is correct (if one is provided). Grid references can be checked against location information within many databases/data entry tools by using the mapping systems. Secondly, accurate location information allows data managers to assign a grid reference with a higher degree of confidence than if the location information was vague. As an example a location of “Chester Zoo” is useful enough to assign a one kilometre grid reference, but a location of “yew tree next to public phone at rear of Oakfield House, Chester Zoo” allows a far more accurate grid reference to be assigned, even down to a one metre grid reference. Accurate grid references allow a much more detailed use of records, for instance if a land manager wants to look at what is on their site they can see a very accurate photo and can manage different parts of the site according to the species resident. However if all they are presented with is a list of species records for the site because there is a lack of more detailed information it is a lot less valuable.
National Grid Reference An accurate grid reference is absolutely vital if the record is to be used to its full potential. Whether the grid reference is assigned by the original recorder or by data handlers the location information needs to be specific enough to allow end users to make the correct decisions on managing land or avoiding disturbance to sensitive species when works are necessary. It is also beneficial, where possible, to avoid using a central grid reference for a site; if you are walking around your favourite country park recording it is better to take a little more time determining a more accurate grid reference than using a generic reference for the whole site. This becomes particularly important when recording within larger sites with a range of habitat types; data users are less able to make inferences from a species list for the entire site than compartmentalised lists.
(See also SECTION 3 - Additional Information: 3.1 Maps)
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
Recorder’s Name Adding a name to a record helps add a level of credibility to the record and, assuming some contact details are available, allows local experts to gather more information about the sighting. All sensitive information regarding a person‟s identity is kept confidential; only being used by a select few data managers to ensure data protection protocols are adhered to. Most data management initiatives, schemes, societies or groups will have policies in place to ensure compliance with the Data Protection Act and this usually forms a major part of their core operation. The recorder name and contact information is also used if data handlers have any queries on the information that has been provided and it also helps ensuring records are assigned to the correct people.
Additional useful information to record
Life Cycle Stage Information regarding the “age” of the individual you are recording is also a very useful piece of information. If a young animal or bird is seen in an area it can indicate that they are breeding in the area, also a plant in flower can be a very useful indicator of climatic conditions. In addition, recording a dead individual can also be useful in highlighting areas with high road casualties or a potential outbreak of disease.
Abundance Providing exact numbers or an approximation of the number of individuals seen is very useful in understanding population sizes within a given area. Sites that provide over wintering for high numbers of migratory birds are far more likely to be conserved.
Type of sighting you’ve made It is important to keep a note of what it is you are recording, not the actual species name you are recording, but the type of record. Obviously there is an actual sighting, casual sighting or field record (denoting an actual sighting of the individual species). Many species are only likely to be recorded from the tracks or signs they leave behind and therefore these records are very useful.
For example a mole is unlikely, although not impossible, to be seen itself, however mole hills are a fairly common sighting. Again evidence of a badger might be more likely to be seen than a badger itself although badger setts are often recorded. When recording invertebrates it is common to record empty egg cases and shed exoskeletal remains (known as exuviae).
Additional information Leave a space for any additional info you think may be useful. Take a moment to absorb what‟s around you: habitat, climate, time of day; anything seemingly out of the ordinary.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
1.5 HOW SHOULD I PREPARE TO RECORD?
What species do I want to record? Decide where your interests lie. You may have an existing interest in one or two specific species groups or you may prefer to start with some general recording. If you are undecided Section 2 provides concise information on individual species groups, and advice and guidance of what to look for and where and when to look for it.
Local and Regional natural history groups and societies If you are still undecided there are lots of regional and local groups and societies offering taster sessions. There are many advantages to joining an established group: most events are informal, relaxed and sociable and all of the groundwork and preparation is in place; you just have to turn up.
Click here to find natural history organisations in your area
Alternatively, undertake your own research. Familiarise yourself with key wildlife sites in Cheshire, of which there are many.There is masses of information on the internet about wildlife recording (see SECTION 3 – Additional Information: 3.7 Weblinks). In addition, the RECORD office houses an extensiveup-to-date library which you are free to access by appointment or phone/email the RECORD office where the staff are always happy to offer first hand advice and guidance.
Recording with friends or going it alone Whether you are venturing out alone or as part of a group, your personal safety should be paramount. Responsible organisations will always conduct a risk assessment before a field trip for the purpose of reducing the risk of accidents. The example in SECTION 3.9 Risks and Hazardsprovides an overview of some of the factors worthy of consideration.
If you opt to head out on your own ensure that you notify someone of your intentions and carry a mobile phone. Always plan ahead and if your orienting skills are a little rusty stick to public places or established routes. Don‟t forget, it‟s possible to record wildlife via a window from the comfort of your favourite armchair.
Equipment Life is undoubtedly simpler providing you have the right equipment for the job. There are some basic items that you should always carry with you in the field, for example: pen, pencil, notebook, hand lens, camera (if possible), first-aid kit and ID guides. The use of a camera can serve to reduce or eliminate the necessityto take specimens, providing you familiarise yourself beforehand with the features you need to capture for ID purposes. You can then either attempt to ID yourself at home or forward to RECORD for identification or verification. There are numerous ID guides available; see Section 2: Species Guides for specific recommendations. RECORD holds a comprehensive stock of recording equipment, including ID books and guides, which are available for loan.
SECTION 2: Species Guidesrecommends appropriate equipment for individual groups. Make a check list as a reminder. Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
DON‟T FORGET – a recording sheet is an important piece of equipment as it will ensure that you gather all of the data required to qualify as a valid record. You can create your own record sheet or simply download the RECORD version in SECTION 4 – Appendix 1.
Local, Regional and National Recording Schemes Many organisations run recording schemes that you can take part in. These may be regular annual or one off schemes and can be great fun as an individual or group activity. Some local organisations run events in support of global or national schemes.
Local and regional wildlife events There are numerous regional wildlife events running throughout the year. Visit the RECORD calendar for more information.
Codes of Conduct We all have a responsibility to minimise disturbance to wildlife when out in the field. There are a number of Codes of Conduct which serve as a guide to what we should and equally shouldn‟t be doing.
A full copy of the Wildlife and Countryside Act (1981) can be downloaded from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) website:
A copy of the Countryside Code is contained in SECTION 3 – Additional Information: 3.6 Codes of Conduct
For geological guidance download The National Trust Policy for the Collecting of Geological Materials (Fossils, Rocks and Minerals)
We strongly advise you to research your subject beforehand and be aware of the law, particularly in relation to protected species and the collection of specimens.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 1 Introduction
1.6 CONTACT DETAILS
RECORD Oakfield House, Chester Zoological Gardens, Upton, Chester, CH2 1LH
Charity No.1095859 Company No.4046886
Telephone: 01244 383749
E-mail: [email protected]
Web: www.RECORD-LRC.co.uk
Habitats and Hillforts Landscape Partnership Scheme Castle Park House Castle Park Frosham Cheshire, WA6 6SB
Ellie Morris, Project Manager Telephone: 01244 973195
E-mail:[email protected]
Web: Cheshire West and Chester Council (Habitats and Hillforts)
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012
SECTION 2 SPECIES GUIDES
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Amphibians
2.1 AMPHIBIANS
National Status There are seven amphibians native to Great Britain. Five of these are widespread; great crested newt, smooth newt, palmate newt, common toad and common frog.
Endangered Species Of the five widespread species, the great crested newt and common toad are Biodiversity Action Planpriorities. There are two rare amphibians: the natterjack toad and the northern pool frog.
Invasive Species Of high concern are species which bring disease, notably African Clawed Frog, Wall Lizard, Alpine Newt(recorded just south of Cheshire region*) and of very high concern is the American Bullfrog, a voracious predator.
* Wilkinson, J.W. Baker, J. and Foster, J. Priorities for Non-Native Amphibians and Reptiles in the UK. ARC Research Report 11/02
Survey techniques Newts: A disturbance licence is required if it is intended to survey for great crested newts. All three species of newt (smooth newt, palmate newt and great crested newt) can be surveyed for using the same methodologies. Four methods exist for their survey (Torch Counts, Bottle Trapping, Netting and Egg Searches) and a minimum of three is usually employed to obtain adequate results.
Photo: Essex Ranger Service 2004 (J Cranfields Camera)
Common Frog: Common frogs spawn communally in warm, shallow water close to the shoreline, often on the south-facing side. Spawn counts should be carried out in February, March or early April.
Common Toad:Population estimates are best obtained by head counts made after dusk. Head counts should be made using a torch, capable of casting a beam at least half of the way across the water body where practicable. Surveys should ideally take place in March, as common toads tend to migrate to their breeding sites earlier than other amphibians.
When to record and why? The key time period for the survey of amphibians is March through to July. April and May are the preferred months, when most breeding adult amphibians are in their breeding ponds. Surveys for common toad and common frog can be undertaken earlier in the year, but these periods may miss smooth, great crested and palmate newts.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Amphibians
Weblinks British Herpetological Society
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation (ARC)
Amphibian Identification Guide
Aliens Report 2011
National Amphibian and Reptile Recording Scheme (NARRS)
OPAL Amphibian Guide
County Recorder for Amphibians (Frog, Toad and Newt) Mr. Andy Harmer 79a High Street, Frodsham, Cheshire WA6 7AN E-mail: [email protected]
CAUTION!
Chytridiomycosis – Significant amphibian population decline. No evidence of risk to humans.Transferred from place to place by movement of infected amphibians, pond water or materials.
For information and guidance visit:
A guide for UK fieldworkers
Amphibian Ark web page
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Amphibians
Amphibians ID Guide
Palmate Newt (Lissotriton helveticus)
Smooth velvety skin. Dorsal surface and flanks. Females: yellowish to olive brown, with dark freckling. Males: Olive brown, spotted and marbled with darker colours which may fuse to form two lines along the back. The throat is pure white or pinkish and rarely spotted. Dark stripe passing through the eye on either side of the head. Photo: surrey-arg.org.uk
Smooth Newt(Triturus vulgaris)
Females: light brown colouration with darker spots or speckles. Males: brown/olive green or tan with black spots. The throat is creamy white and lighter than the belly, usually spotted or speckled. Length: 10 - 11 cm. Photo: Patrick Clement
Great Crested Newt(Triturus cristatus)
Warty skin.Dark brown or black.Row of white/silver dots along side of head and body. The throat is whitish and thickly spotted with brown/black. Length: Males up to 15 cm; Females to 18 cm. Photo: surrey-arg.org.uk
Common Frog(Rana temporaria)
Very variable in colour, typically yellowish brown, brown but may be olive green coloured and some individuals have a reddish or yellow appearance. Variably spotted orstriped. Most consistent markings are the dark patchbehind the eye and the strong barring on the hind limbs. Photo: Sam Taylor
Common Toad(Bufo bufo)
Distinct bulges on back of head, known as the parotoid glands. Covered in obvious warts Horizontal slit pupil yellow/golden brown iris. Fairly uniform brown/greenish grey. May appear light sandy brown in warm weather. Some colour variation occurs and individuals have been recorded with brick red spots. Photo: Fred Holmes
Natterjack Toad(Epidalea calamita)
Tends to run not hop.Covered in obvious warts, many of which are bright yellow or red.Characterised in Britain by a yellow stripe along the back.General colour green, brownish green or cream coloured. Photo: Fred Holmes
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Birds
2.2 BIRDS
National Status Up to the start of 2011 there were 592 species accepted on to the British list: The Records Committee of the British Ornithologists Union is responsible for verifying any new species on to the list. A large proportion of the total is comprised of vagrants, or accidental species which have arrived through misadventure or weather related circumstances.
Regional Status As of March 2009, 351 species of birds had been recorded in the RECORD recording area (Cheshire and Wirral Ornithological Society 2009).
Endangered Species Cheshire currently has 13 bird species on the active UK Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP) list and 2 species (barn owl and black-necked grebe) on the Local BAP list.
Invasive Species Cheshire is home to many non-native species, some of which have self-sustaining populations. The majority of these are wildfowl. This includes two particularly contentious species: Canada goose (Branta Canadensis) and ruddy duck (Oxyura jamaicensis)both introduced from North America. The former now has some very significant populations throughout the county and is causing concerns about contamination of water supplies etc. whilst the latter has recently undergone an extermination campaign as a countermeasure to inbreeding with the globally threatened white-headed duck in Spain.Ring-necked parakeets are becoming established in the region and are likely to become another conflict species in the near future.
Survey Techniques The methodologies and techniques you employ to watch birds vary greatly depending upon your target species. However a few principles remain unchanged.The most important thing is to think of a bird as a living being and not as an illustration on the page of an identification guide. Remember to look at the whole bird, the way it moves, its shape, size, its behaviour, the sounds it makes, the habitat it is in. By taking account of all these aspects you will improve your ability to identify what you are watching. This is often referred to as „Jizz‟ identification, or „Identification by Character‟; it can only be achieved by time in the field and practicing the technique.
Always watch the bird for as long as possible. Don‟t look in your field guide until you have looked at the bird in detail. Where and when have you seen the bird? Make yourself a mental checklist and tick off key elements. How big is it? Try to compare with other nearby birds. e.g. bigger than House sparrow, but smaller than Blackbird. How does it compare shape-wise to something you are familiar with? Does it move in a characteristic way? Make notes. Make a note of any calls. Make an annotated sketch. Try to get familiar with the various parts of the bird including feather groups.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Birds
Fieldcraft In partnership with the technique of looking at a bird, getting close to birds to give you the best view also takes practice and planning. This is known as fieldcraft. Below is a simple selected list of fieldcraft tips:
Plan a route that avoids looking into the sun. Try to avoid being outlined on a horizon. Never approach birds directly, use oblique angles. If a bird looks nervous don‟t look directly at it, sit down, appear disinterested, wait unit it relaxes before approaching again. If possible approach down-wind. Birds can hear! Use ground cover and contours to mask your approach. Working the lee side of a wood if it‟s windy, that‟s where the birds will be. In wind brace yourself against something solid to get a better steadier view through your binoculars. Listen out for mobbing activities, escape flights, warning or alarm calls; this can alert you to the presence of a predator. Soften your movements frantic arm waving usually guarantees no birds! Vary your techniques summer and winter, e.g. In woodland in summer birds are spread out on territory, though edges are better than interiors, walk slowly but steadily to detect breeding birds. In winter birds are in roving flocks, walk quickly though woods and stop when you intercept a flock or wait at junction points and a flock will pass periodically. The back end of passing flocks often has the oddity stranger in there, e.g. a wintering Chiffchaff with a Long-tailed Tit flock. When trying to get better views of a diving duck or grebe only move forward when it has dived under water. Pre-plan your move to the next bit of cover.
Useful Equipment
Binoculars Essential: 7-10 x magnification is best. Only consider waterproof binoculars. You get what you pay for so buy the best you can afford. Try before you buy and consider second-hand. Only buy from specialist dealers. Don‟t buy from a newspaper or non-specialist magazine you will only be disappointed. As a general guide the magnification number should multiply 4 or more times into the objective lens number to give you the best light transmission, e.g. 8 x 42 = 5.25
Telescope Optional: similar rules as for binoculars. Very useful in more open habitats e.g. estuaries, but they are a burden to carry and don‟t forget a telescope requires a good steady tripod.
Field Guide There are many excellent field guides on the market. The acknowledged market leader for British and European Birds is the Collins Bird Guide ISBN: 0007268149.
Beginners may find the complexity in the Collins guide daunting so a guide that simply concentrates on regular British birds might be a better first field guide,e.g. Field Guide Birds Britain & Ireland (Larousse Field Guides)ISBN:0752300237.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Birds
Notebook and Pencil Propelling pencils are often the best option.
When to Record and Why? Bird recording is a year-round activity though different species and habitats come into their own at different periods of the year. It is possible to get involved with a whole variety of programmed bird recording activities.
Surveys RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch,
Wetland Birds Survey (WeBS),
Breeding Bird Survey.
You can also get involved with National and County Atlas Surveys.
Other Useful Web links Cheshire & Wirral Ornithological Society (CAWOS)
Merseyside Ringing Group
Bird Forum
British Trust for Ornithology
Recommended Reading Birds in Cheshire and Wirral:A breeding and wintering atlas. (Prof. D. Norman 2008). This is the authoritative work on birds in our region. Visit the CAWOS website for details.
County Recorder for Ornithology (Birds) Mr Hugh Pulsford, 6 Buttermere Drive Great Warford, Alderley Edge, Cheshire E-mail: [email protected]
CAUTION!
For more information and guidance visit:
Trichomonosis: RSPB – Advice: Sick Birds
Bird flu: Defra: Avian influenza Q&A
The RSPB Birdwatchers‟ Code
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Birds
The Birder’s Year - Where to go! What to see! Things to do!
January It‟s all about ducks and geese and waders. Top sites Martin Mere & Marshside RSPB.
February Last chance to put up bird boxes for the year. Great time to visit Parkgate for a High Tide Birdwatch, or visit the Harrier roost.
March Early in the month is the ideal time to search for displaying and drumming woodpeckers. Get up early! Best spot Moore Nature Reserve.
April Toward the end of the month summer migrants begin to pour in. Coastal areas bring big rewards, Try Angelsey for displaying Black Guillemot, summer plumaged divers, and warblers in coastal scrub.
May Great month for bird song with the full crescendo of summer migrants. Diverse rich woodlands are a must. Favourite spots include Tegg's Nose, Leighton Moss.
Seabird cities for sight, sound and SMELL. Closest spots: South Stack for auks and Gronant for Terns.
July The summer doldrums! Time to stop birdwatching and work on that tan. NOT!
Early morning and late evening can bring rich rewards. Big wetlands are particularly fruitful with interesting waders passing through and Hobbies hawking for dragonflies. Inner Marsh Farm RSPB, Sandbach Flashes, Marshside, etc.
August Mass migration is underway with the waders being most obvious. Huge numbers of terns gather in Liverpool Bay. Where to go? It must be Hilbre!
September Peak month for raptor movement. Get up early for the falcons, sit and wait for the soaring buzzards etc. Go to a raptor watchpoint. Favourite spot locally, Moore Nature Reserve. If the wind blows go to New Brighton.
October Find a headland and watch mass movement of diurnal migrants. Pipits early in the month, with masses of finches and thrushes from mid-month onwards ending with flyover geese and woodpigeons. Alternatively sit in your back garden from dawn till about 10:00am. Have a cup of coffee andsit back and enjoy the spectacle.
November Seek out scarcer winter visitors such as bramblings in the big beech woods, or purple sandpipers on rocky shores. Try Rhos on Sea for the latter.
December Time to write up your notes for the year and send in your records. If a freeze comes find a reedbed and watch for bitterns and water rails. Best spots include Marbury Country Park, Moore Nature Reserve, Wigan Flashes and Rostherne.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Birds
Birds ID Guide
Kestrel(Falco tinnunculus)
Pointed wings and moderately broad at wing base, tapering to a slightly rounded point. Proportionately long tail compared with other falcons. Frequently hunts form a fixed post, usually looking down. In hover flight body wavers but bill appears to be hooked on to a fixed point. Flight is typified by a shallow „winnowing‟ beat.Photo: Jeff Clarke
Photo: Bob Hindley Sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus)
Long tail with short broad wings. Typical flight involves several sharp deep wing beats followed by a snap into a short flat winged glide. Often soars with spread wings, with slightly fingered tips and a partially spread tail. Low level fast ambush often witnessed at garden feeding stations. Like most birds of prey perches very upright. Photo: Jeff Clarke
Ringed Plover(Charadrius hiaticula)
Dumpy small-medium sized wader. Very short stubby beak, large eyes and orange legs. Normally has a deep bellied profile. „Ring‟ relates to blackish marks on face and throat which help to break up outline when nesting on shingle. Sharp-winged in flight with a distinctive pale bar running through the wing. Photo: Jeff Clarke
Short-eared Owl (Asio flammeus)
When seen well it gives the impression of being a big rather loose plumaged bird. Perches horizontally. Small „ear‟ tufts (not ears) are rarely prominent. Flies with a very buoyant balletic flight. When mobbed by corvids or gulls will quickly out climb them. Fierce yellow and black eyes. Normally settles on the ground, occasionally a post or small shrubby tree. Typically flies at dawn and dusk. Photo: Jeff Clarke
Common Swift(Apus apus)
Slightly larger than a Swallow, with long arcing scimitar wings. Wing beats are shallow, fast and seem to be without a bend in the wing. Short blunt head, tiny bill, cigar shaped body, tail tapered. Often glides for extended periods with wings slightly below the horizontal. Catches insects in the air, often at great height. Never lands on trees or wires. Photo: Jeff Clarke
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Birds
Goldfinch(Carduelis carduelis)
A common garden bird, small and compact. Typical seed eating finch bill but longer and more pointed proportionately than other finches. Adults readily identified by red, white and black face. Prominent gold/yellow stripe on wing.Rest of wing black with prominent white spots. Flight is lively with erratic quick bouncing flight. Call is a distinctive metallic rippling twitter, flocks often very noisy. Photo: Jeff Clarke
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Little Grebe (Dabchick) (Tachybaptus ruficollis)
Small compact water bird, short stubby but pointed beak.Looks tailless (fluffy bottomed). During breeding season has a high pitched horse-like „whinnying‟ call. Buff coloured in winter, redder in breeding plumage with prominent yellow base to beak. Just before diving noticeably compresses body feathers. Photo: Jeff Clarke
Great Crested Grebe(Podiceps cristatus)
Long necked and flatter bodied appearance.Long dagger-like bill which appears to flow into head profile.Unlike most other grebes, regularly seen in flight when it displays a prominent white wing bar. In flight the lobed toes look like a tail beyond the end of the bird. Call is a braying grunt. Photo: Jeff Clarke
Pink footed Goose (Anser brachyrynchos)
Fairly large but compact goose; small head on medium length neck, small bill. Neck and head often look contrastingly dark against a grey/brown body. Very musical in flight. Descents often characterised by twisting corkscrew flight known as waffling. Photo: Jeff Clarke
Whooper Swan (Cygnus cygnus)
A large white swan, bigger than a Bewick's swan. It has a long thin neck, which it usually holds erect, and black legs. Its black bill has a large triangular patch of yellow on it.
Photo: Jeff Clarke
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012
SECTION 2 Species Guide Flowering Plants
2.3 FLOWERING PLANTS
National Status About 1500 native species, over 2000 established non-natives.
Endangered Species The species which have declined most in Cheshire are those of traditional grasslands (hay meadows and pastures), e.g. green-winged orchid, dyer‟s greenweed. Also heathlands, e.g.marsh gentian.
Invasive Species Many non-native plants have established here without becoming a problem, but a few are a major nuisance:
Terrestrial:Giant hogweed (do not touch!), Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam.
Aquatic: New Zealand/Australian swamp stonecrop, least duckweed, parrot's feather, floating pennywort.
Native plants can be invasive in the wrong circumstances e.g. bramble and bracken.
ID Key features Very much easier to do when in flower.Look at numbers of petals, sepals, styles; shape and colour; also leaf shape and arrangement, hairiness, stem shape.
Survey techniques Notebook, pencil, map, ID book, a x10 hand lens especially if you are long-sighted. A digital camera helps.
When to record The best time is mostly between April to September, but there are a few flowers in most months.
Where to record Any site you can get permission, including odd corners in urban areas.
Plant Collectors’ Code of Conduct Be aware of plant collection and the law. A Code of Conduct was drawn up by Margaret Palmer and Katherine Hearne of the Botanical Society of the British Isles and has been adopted by the Wild Flower Society.
Code of Conduct for the conservation and enjoyment of wild plants
Weblinks The Wildflower Society
Botanical Society of the British Isles
Bio-Images - Excellent for ID. Lots of photos
BSBI On-line Identification of Wild Flowers
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Flowering Plants
County Recorder for Higher/Vascular Plants (BSBI) Mr Graeme Kay 4 Geneva Road, Bramhall Stockport, Cheshire, SK7 3HT Tel.: 0161 439 7995 E-mail: [email protected]
CAUTION!
For more information and guidance visit:
Potentially harmful garden plants: RHS Advice
Poisonous substances: Dogs‟ Trust Fact Sheet
Poisonous plants and fungi: Kew Gardens Advice
Wildflower Society Code of Conduct
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Flowering Plants
Flowering Plants ID Guide
Some major families, and an example of each The taxonomists recently had a major session of name changing, so different date books will have different names.
Asteraceae (Compositae) Flowerheads consist of many small flowers closely packed together; each "petal" is a separateflower. Also includes daisies, dandelions, thistles.
Knapweed, hardheads (Centaurea nigra)
Exists in forms with both long petals (commoner southern Britain and wildflower seed mixes) and short (common north). Feel the head under the petals to find how it got its hard name. Photo: Carl Famer
Apiaceae (Umbelliferae)
Flowerheads like umbrellas with many small flowers on top.
Hemlock (Conium maculatum)
Poisonous!Has red blotches on its stems - red for danger
Photo: Bob Osborn (Flickr)
Brassicaceae (Cruciferae) Cross-shaped flowers of 4 petals.
Cuckoo flower (Cardamine pratensis)
Also called milkmaids, ladies smock. Is a lover of slightly damp grassland - just as likely to be found on an old lawn as in agriculture.
Photo: Carl Farmer
Fabaceae (Leguminosae) Characteristic flower shape with upper petals standing up and lower ones looking like a pouch - go and look at a sweet pea or runner bean for a large example.
Red clover (Trifolium pratense)
Has lots of small flowers, but still the characteristicshape. Its pollen is particularly high in protein and much loved by bumble bees.
Photo: Beekeeping forum
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Flowering Plants
Rosaceae: rose family Very large but all (nearly) have 5 petals, 5 sepals, lots of stamens and styles.
Bramble orBlackberry (Rubus fruticosus)
Apart from roses, no botanist can for long miss tangling with bramble. Usually recorded as just that, there are in fact over 400 microspecies if you really want to get into difficult ID. The rest of us just put up with the scratches and eat the blackberries. Photo: Steve McWilliam
Ranunculaceae: buttercup family Ovules are little purses on a central lump, varying numbers of petal and sepals and things-in-between, as this is one of the earliest (evolutionarily) of flowering plant families.
Meadow buttercup (Ranunculus acris)
Tall, rounded flower stem, smooth if you twirl it (unlike the weed from your garden, creeping buttercup, which has a ridged stem which bumps as you twirl it).
Photo: Carl Farmer
Ericaceae: heathers and heaths Flowers like little bells on dwarf shrubs, most only grow on acid soils.
Common heather or ling (Calluna vulgaris)
Turns our remaining heaths (lowland and upland) pale purple in August to September.
Photo: Peter Llewellyn (Wildflower Society)
Lamiaceae (Labiatae) Hooded flower is distinctive. Square-stemmed and usually hairy.
White dead-nettle (Lamium album)
Has leaves a little like stinging nettle, but will not sting. Suck the flowers for a sweet taste from the nectar - look for bees first!
Photo: Peter Llewellyn
Poaceae (Gramineae) Grasses are flowering plants too! Also sedges and rushes. All are wind-pollinated so do not have showy petals. Look for the anthers hanging out to release pollen into a summer breeze.
Tufted hair-grass (Deschampsia caespitosa)
Makes big tussocks on damp soils. Its tall flower spikes have many tiny flowers. Beware the leaves - they are covered with little hooks, so if you hold one between finger and thumb you cannot run the hold downwards. Photo: Graham Calow
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Fungi
2.4 FUNGI
National Status There are approximately 10,000 species of fungi in the British Isles (maybe more!)
When and Where do Fungi Grow? Fungi mainly appear in the autumn months, however a plentiful supply of species grow beyond this period and may be seen all year round. Fungi in general need a good level of moisture to assist them in the production of fruit bodies, and this level needs to be sustained over a specific period dependant on the species (approximately 2 to 10 days), rather than one deluge of rain. Once the first fruit bodies appear growth is rather rapid with spores released almost upon the opening of the pores or gills.
Dependant on the weather conditions and environment some fruit bodies may last for weeks but some may be here and gone within a very short period due to frost, slug or animal attack or the species requirements. For example, birch polypores, a form of bracket fungus, can remain on the stem of a silver birch for many years whereas members of the Russula family are almost instantly under slug attack from the moment they appear making it almost impossible for the collector to find a good specimen.
No matter what form they take, fungi grow in a wide range of areas provided the species requirements are present. Obviously woodland is the most prolific growing area for fungi due to its variety of plant life and abundance of decaying matter. Meadows and fields are good areas to search as well as coastal areas, roadside verges and your own back garden. Basically wherever there is dead and decaying matter as well as a wide range of plant life, fungi are likely to be found.
Each species of fungi requires its own growth habitat in order to succeed, for instance,jelly babies (Leotia lubrica), glistening ink cap (Copriniusmicaceus) and oyster mushroom (Pluerotusostreatus) all prefer deciduous woodland, whereas plums and custard (Tricholomopsisrutilans), false chanterelle (Hygrophoropsisaurantiaca) and slippery jack (Suillusluteus) grow mainly in coniferous woodland and yet species such as blackening russula (Russulanigricans), The Blusher (Amanitarubescens) and tawny grisette (Amanitafulva) seemingly have no preference at all.
Some species are very strict on their growing conditions and specific requirements must be met. The ugly milk cap (Lactariusturpis) requires not only a proliferation of birch trees under which to grow but also damp conditions as well. Jews ear has a liking for elder trees and the larch bolete (Suillusgrevillei) requires larch trees to be successful. So it is important to remember to aid identification a note must be made of the habitat where the fungi was found. Jews Ear Ear c. c. ceridwen ceridwen 1
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Fungi
Fungal Families The fungi we are likely to encounter when in search of specimens are mainly split into two groups, these being:-
Basidiomycetes The largest group known as the spore droppers. Basidiomycetes can be split into 4 groups, these being:
Gill Fungi (Agarics); Boletes (with pores); Polypores (bracket fungi) and Gasteromycetes (stomach shaped fungi).
The outer surfaces of a group of club-shaped cells (basidia) are responsible for the production of the spores. These cells are located beneath the cap of the fungus and are found upon the surface of distinctive structures known as gills or pores. The gills/pores are raised above ground usually by the stipe thus giving the spores enough space to fall and disperse. In the case of Gasteromycetes, the basidia are found initially inside the fruiting body. Puffballs for instance split at the top and require raindrops to hit the surface of the sac which causes enough pressure to force out a puff of spores, whereas the giant puffball randomly disintegrates and splits relying on grazing cattle to kick it around underfoot for spore dispersal. Examples of basidiomycetes are Blackening Wax Cap (Hygrocybe nigrescens), Bonnet Mycena (Mycena galericulata), Horse Mushroom (Agaricus arvensis) and Brown Birch Bolete (Leccinum scabrum).
Ascomycetes The ascomycetes spread their spores by the wind. The spores which are formed within a sac which is either club or flask shaped are dispersed through the tip of the ascus. Examples of ascomycetes are Common Morel (Morchella vulgaris), Black Helvella (Helvella lacunosa), Scarlet Elf Cup (Sarcosypha coccinea) and Candle-Snuff Fungus (Xylaria hypoxylon).
How to Identify Fungi In order to identify a fungal specimen accurately it is important to adhere to a very strict set of identification criteria. Only when all parts of the fungus have been checked against a reliable literary source may a true naming take place.
First and foremost before the collection of specimens it is necessary to have access to several in depth field guides. For out in the field it is obviously better to use a pocket-sized volume to make on the spot identifications, however this may result in the sacrifice of textual matter. Specimens that may not be named out in the field can then be collected and taken for further study. When at home with your collection it is then that more informative field guides may be used.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Fungi
When out in the field collecting fungi it is vital to always take notes of habitat, colour change upon cutting and growth patterns (solitary or trooping).
Use a sharp knife to collect your specimens so as to cut clean through the fungi‟s stem rather than pull it out and risk damaged the mycelium. Transport all specimens in a well-aerated, covered container therefore limiting damage and drying out.
Once at home with the specimens a more extensive study can take place. Each specimen should be dealt with in turn following a logical sequential identification process. All parts of the fungus need close inspection and testing, so a knife, hand lens (58 - 520), pen and notebook and plenty of patience will be required.
Weblinks FungalPunk‟s web page
Fungal Friends (The Fungus Group of Cheshire and Clwyd)
Association of British Fungus Groups
North West Fungus Group
All information in this section supplied by Dave Higson-Tranter (FungalPunk Dave)
County Recorder for Fungi Currently vacant
CAUTION!
Wild fungi can be both delicious and deadly poisonous. If collecting to eat always adhere to guidelines and stick to easily recognisable species.
Edible fungi: NI Fungus Group
Touching mushrooms: Wild About Britain Fungus Forum
Code of Conduct for Collecting Fungi in the UK
Also see SECTION 3 – 3.1 Risks and Hazards
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Fungi
Fungi ID Guide
Dazzling Cup(Caloscypha fulgens)
Usually in groups in wet boggy areas.
Infrequent.Spring to early summer.Inedible.
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
Chicken of the Woods(Laetiporus sulphurous)
Primarily on Oak but can be found on Willow and Sweet Chestnut as well as a few other broadleaf trees. Common. Summer through to early Autumn. Edible but not to everyone‟s liking.
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
ConiferMazegill(Gleophyllum sepiarium)
Found mainly on decomposing coniferous wood and more often than not park benches, tables and other such timber. This species causes intense brown rot. Note - can be found on deciduous wood.
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
Parasol mushroom(Macrolepiota procera)
Outskirts of woodland, woodland clearings and fields.Infrequent throughout the year but sporulating in autumn.Edible and tasty
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
Beech jellydisc(Neobulgaria pura)
Common in clusters on dead branches and logs especially Beech.Common. Summer to winter.Inedible
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Fungi
Thimble Morel(Vepa Conica)
On well drained soil with hawthorn and other shrubs.Infrequent. Spring.
Edible but care must be taken.
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
Wrinkled Peach(Rhodotus palmatus)
On wood particularly elm.
Infrequent.Late summer to autumn.Inedible.
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
Heath Waxcap (Hygrocybe laeta)
Heathlands, woodland edges or on damp mossy areas in similar habitats.
Infrequent.Late autumn. Edible.
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
Tiered Tooth(Hericium cirrhatum)
On well drained soil with hawthorn and other shrubs.
Infrequent. Spring. Edible but care must be taken.
Photo: FungalPunk Dave
Shaggy Inkcap(Coprinus comatus)
Cap is 5-15cm tall, 2-5cm in diameter. Broad, column-shaped becoming more bell-
like in appearance.Starting white, dry with recurved scales and a brown central disc that slowly breaks up. Stipe is up to 20cm tall. Photo:
FungalPunk Dave
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
2.5 INVERTEBRATES
National Status There are 30,000 species in the UK, of which 22,500 are insects
Regional Status There have been 8,835 species of invertebrate recorded in the Cheshire region.
Endangered Species Many of our invertebrates are considered to be Red Data Book species, or notable species.
Invasive Species Alien species are often imported on plants and fruit/vegetables. One of the most talked about alien species currently is the harlequin ladybird.
Survey techniques There are several different techniques that can be employed when surveying for invertebrates. The technique used will depend on the target of the survey and the time of the year. Most surveys can be undertaken with minimal expenditure on equipment, but for some specialist equipment is required.The various techniques can roughly be divided into three categories:
Sweeping Beating Trapping
Sweeping Sweeping backwards and forwards through vegetation with a large net into which the insects are swept. The nets used for this tend to be rigid with a metal frame and heavy duty net. The net is swept backwards and forwards through the vegetation in a figure of eight pattern for a couple of minutes. The contents are best examined in the net by placing your head into the net – this prevent flies escaping, but try and make sure that there are no wasps in the net before venturing too far! Alternatively the contents can be emptied into a white tray and examined, but a lot may escape!! If you don‟t have a sweep net, then a four- fold butterfly net can be used, but they are not as robust.
Beating Hitting overhanging vegetation with a stick to dislodge insects (and seeds, nuts and fruit!) onto a white sheet of material held underneath. Traditional beating trays consist of a sheet of fabric held taut within a frame and have a handle on so that they can be held under the tree/bush that is being beaten. However a white sheet or even pillow case can be used and just placed on the floor.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
Trapping There are several different types of insect traps available, some are relatively inexpensive and easy to make; others are more expensive:
Pitfall Traps These can be made from plastic drinks beakers. Dig a hole the same diameter and depth as the beaker in the ground, place the beaker inside and then smooth the edges of the hole. Make sure that the beaker is flush with the surface of theground. A killing agent (Isopropane Alcohol) should be placed in the bottom of each trap. Traps can be left for a day, a week or a month if required. If left for over a week, they should be checked and emptied each week and topped with alcohol if necessary. It is also advisable to place some kind of roof over the trap to stop rain diluting the contents, or from the contents evaporating in hot weather.
Water Traps These are yellow bowls of water placed on a post or on the ground. Flies think they are flowers so go to them for nectar, but then drown in the water. Add a little washing up liquid to the water to reduce the surface tension.
Malaise Traps Malaise traps are like fabric tents with an open end. Insects fly into the trap, then go to the top of the far end and enter a collecting jar. The jars should be checked each week.
Light Traps What most people think of when referring to insect traps. Basically a bright light that gives out UV light that attracts insects which then fly towards it and into a collecting box beneath. The collecting box should be filled with egg trays, which can then be removed in the morning and the contents examined, identified and released.
See also SECTION 4 – Appendix 2: Invertebrate Recording: The Ten Must Haves!
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
Insects have three parts to their body: a head, thorax and abdomen. They have three pairs of legs and two pairs of wings. In some orders only one pair of wings is visible, the second pair are undeveloped.
Flies, bees, wasps, beetles, butterflies, moths, grasshoppers and dragonflies are amongst are most well known insects.
Spiders, harvestmen, woodlice, centipedes and millipedes are NOT insects, but are still invertebrates.
Weblinks Amateur Entomologists‟ Society
AES Insect Key
British True Bugs
Bees, Wasps and Ants recording scheme
UK Ladybird Survey
A guide to the moths of the UK
UK Hoverfly recording scheme
The Coleopterist is the leading journal for students of the beetle fauna of the British Isles - over 750 species photographs
UK Orthoptera recording scheme
British Dragonfly Society
BugLife
Butterfly Conservation
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
Recommended Reading
General Lepidoptera British Moths and Butterflies: a Photographic Guide -C.Manley2008A&C Black
Colour Identification Guide to the Caterpillars of the British Isles- J.Porter2010Apollo Books
Moths British and Irish Moths: an Illustrated Guide to Selected Difficult Species - M.C.Townsend, J.Clifton &B.Goodey ,2010 Butterfly Conservation
Colour Identification Guide to the Moths of the British Isles- B.Skinner2009Apollo Books
Concise Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland- M Townsend & P Waring2007British
Wildlife Publishing
Field Guide to the Moths of Great Britain and Ireland (Second Edition)- P.Waring & M.Townsend2009British Wildlife Publishing
Butterflies Britains Butterflies (Second Edition) - D.Newland, R.Still, D.Tomlinson &
A.Swash2010WildGuides
Butterflies of Britain and Ireland - J.Thomas & R.Lewington2010British Wildlife Publishing
Collins Butterfly Guide- T.Tolman & R.Lewington2008Collins
Field Guide to Butterflies of Britain and Europe -T.Tolman & R.Lewington2004Collins
Dragonflies
Britain's Dragonflies (Second Edition)- D.Smallshire & A.Swash2010WildGuides
Field Guide to the Dragonflies and Damselflies of Great Britain and Ireland- S.Brooks & R.Lewington2004 British Wildlife Publishing
Other Orders
British Hoverflies - A.Stubbs & S.Falk2002BENHS(out of print)
British Soldierflies - A.Stubbs & M.Drake 2001 BENHS (out of print)
Complete British Insects - M.Chinery2005Collins
Field Guide to the Bumblebees of Britain and Ireland (Second Edition - M.Edwards &
M.Jenner2009Ocelli Ltd
Field Guide to the Insects of Britain and Europe - M.Chinnery1993Collins
Naturalists' Handbook: Studying Invertebrates - C.P.Wheater & P.A.Cook2003Richmond
Publishing
A Photographic Guide to the Grasshoppers and Crickets of Britain and Ireland - M.Evans &
R.Edmondson2007WGUK
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
Pocket Guide to the Bumblebees of Britain and Ireland (second edition) -
B.J.Pinchen2006Forficula Books
Pocket Guide to the Grasshoppers, Crickets and Allied Insects of Britain and Ireland -
B.J.Pinchen2006Forficula Books
Pocket Guide to the Ladybirds of Britain and Ireland - B.J.Pinchen2005Forficula Books
Pocket Guide to the Shieldbugs and Leatherbugs of Britain and Ireland -
B.J.Pinchen2009Forficula Books
Shieldbugs and Squashbugs of the British Isles - M.Evans & R.Edmondson2005WGUK
County Recorders
Arachnids (Spiders) Dr John McGaw 7 Parkway Close, Irby, Wirral, Merseyside, CH61 3XI E-mail:[email protected]
Coleoptera (Beetles, except Carabidae & Coccinellidae) Don Stenhouse 25 Mortfield Lane Bolton BL1 3AF Tel: 01204 391161 E-mail: [email protected]
Carabidae (Ground Beetle) Rachel Hacking 52 Church Lane, Marple, Stockport, Cheshire, SK6 7AW Tel: 0161 427 3548 E-mail: [email protected]
Coccinellidae (Ladybirds) Jeff Clarke E-mail:[email protected]
Odonata (Dragonfly & Damselfy) Mr David Kitching 84 Broken Cross Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK11 8TZ E-mail: [email protected]
Heteroptera (True Bugs) Dr Stephen Judd Liverpool Museum William Brown Street Liverpool, L3 8EN E-mail: [email protected]
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
Hymenoptera (Bees, Wasps, Ants) Mr Carl Clee c/o Liverpool Museum William Brown Street Liverpool, L3 8EN E-mail: [email protected]
Invertebrate Small Orders Mr Steve Cross Liverpool Museum William Brown Street Liverpool, L3 8EN E-mail: [email protected]
Macro-Moth Mr Paul Hill 1 Clive Cottage, London Road, Allostock, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 9LT E_mail: [email protected]
Micro-Moth Mr Steve Hind 32 Carleton Road, Higher Poynton, Stockport, Cheshire, SK12 1TL E-mail: [email protected]
Orthoptera (Grasshoppers & Bush Crickets) Mr Paul M. Hill 1 Clive Cottage London Road, Allostock Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 9LT Tel.: 01565 722938 E-mail: [email protected]
Sawfly (Hymenoptera: Symphyta) Mr Guy Knight c/o Entomology Section, World Museums Liverpool, William Brown Street, Liverpool, Merseyside, L3 8EN Tel.: 0151 207 0001 E-mail: [email protected]
Trichoptera (Caddisfly) Dr Ian Wallace(National Recorder) Liverpool Museum William Brown Street Liverpool, L3 8EN Tel.: 0151 478 4385 E-mail: [email protected] Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
CAUTION!
For more information and guidance visit:
Zoonosis: Amateur Entomologists‟ Society information
Codes and guidelines:JCCBI Invertebrate Link
A Code of Conduct for collecting insects and other invertebrates
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
Invertebrates ID Guide
Black Slug (Arion ater)
Colour is very variable - white, red, orange or grey are all common although black is most usual, often with an orange fringe. Large, but rarely destructive to gardens. Photo:Steve McWilliam
Gatekeeper (Pyronia tithonus)
Orange and brown butterfly, with a black eyespot on the forewing tip. Eyespots have two white pupils, not one, as in the Meadow Brown. Gatekeeper is also smaller and more orange with row of tiny white dots on hind underwings. Photo:Steve McWilliam
7-Spot Ladybird(Coccinella septempunctata)
Probably the ladybird most frequently noticed in Britain. Length: 5-8 mm, often found in low herbage. Forewing has developed into a hard wing case called elytra which meet in a straight line along the back. Photo:Steve McWilliam
Marmalade Hoverfly(Episyrphus balteatus)
A small, orange and black banded hoverfly and is widespread and very common. A common visitor to gardens where it nectars on flat-topped flowers and rests on vegetation. Photo: Steve McWilliam
Early Bumblebee(Bombus pratorum)
A relatively small bee and has a short tongue. Consequently it is rarely found on vetches but can manage to forage on white clover, lavender, sage, allium, cotoneaster, thistles and other daisy type flowers. Photo: Steve McWilliam
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Invertebrates
Migrant Hawker (Aeshna mixta)
A dragonfly that hold wings at right angles to the body at rest. Forewings and hindwings are different shapes. Eyes close to head. Photo: Karen White
Common Field Grasshopper (Chorthippus brunneus)
Probably the most frequently seen grasshopper; it is fairly large and occurs in a very wide range of colours including green, brown and purple, usually with a variable amount of black, brown or grey mottling. The tough forewings are long, and have a bulge near their base. Photo: Richard Ford
Gorse Shieldbug(Piezodorus lituratus)
Fresh adults are purple and green. After hibernation though, the Gorse Shieldbug is green and yellowish green and quite unobtrusive. The antennae are always red. The edge of the body has one colour only, like that of the Birch Shield Bug. Photo: Jeremy Early
Scorpion Fly(Panorpa communis)
A strange looking insect, with a long beak-like face, dark patches on the wings and a scorpion-like tail, which the male uses in courtship display.
Found in gardens, hedgerows and woodland edges. There are several species which can be difficult to tell apart. Photo:
Jeremy Lee
Zebra Spider (Salticus scenicus)
The most distinctive feature of these spiders is their two very large eyes. Although they have eight eyes, the two at the front are the largest and give them excellent binocular vision. These tiny spiders (5- 7mm long) are black with white hairs that form stripes. Photo: Shane Farrell
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Mammals
2.6 MAMMALS
National Status The UK supports over 60 species of terrestrial mammal including several non-native species. Of these a total of 18 appear on the JNCC UK BAP priority list which includes water vole, brown and mountain hare, pine marten, wildcat, polecat, otter, dormouse, hedgehog, harvest mouse, red squirrel and seven species of bat. The list excludes the grey and common seal which breed around our coasts and a further 4 marine species and 4 species of bat which have also been recorded in the UK in recent times.
Regional Status Within Cheshire, over 45 species of terrestrial mammal and 13 marine species have been recorded with the latter group containing Harbour Porpoise and four species of dolphin – bottlenose, common, Risso‟s and white-beaked; three species of seal (grey, common and hooded) and five species of whale including orca, minke, pilot, northern bottle-nosed and fin.
Endangered Species For recording purposes Cheshire Mammal Group and RECORD work to the boundaries of vice- county 58 which includes the boroughs of Wirral, Warrington and Halton and by association the Mersey and Dee estuaries and East Liverpool Bay.
Within the county a number of mammals are BAP priority species which includes all bats, brown hare, dormouse; otter, water vole, harvest mouse, polecat, small cetaceans and grey seal.
Of these, several species are offered wider protection as European Protected Species [EPS] under The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010. These include all bats, otter and dormouse and require a Natural England licence before certain activities involving these mammals can Photo: Cheshire Bat be undertaken Group
Invasive Species Throughout its history a number of non-native or non-indigenous mammals have been brought into the UK which have either been released or escaped from captivity and then go onto be a nuisance, harmful or disruptive to habitats or indigenous species or both.
In more recent times grey squirrel and mink have been the most obvious with the former having a negative impact on the native red squirrel and open nest birds and the latter as the main predator on both water vole and waterfowl.
The Cheshire list could also include rabbit, fallow deer, red-necked wallaby as well as muntjac and Chinese water deer which are steadily increasing their range throughout the UK and being recorded on the edge of Cheshire.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Mammals
Survey techniques Actual sightings of an animal are the best guide to their presence but as most mammals are nocturnal or secretive by nature this can be a challenging prospect. Fortunately, most mammals usually leave some sign of activity behind them which can then be checked out during daylight hours.
Obvious indicators include disturbed ground (e.g. molehills, burrows, scrapes, setts) and dreys, but further clues such as footprints, spraints, nests, runs, caught fur, latrines, feeding lawns or remains (bones, feathers, seeds and cones) will confirm that the mammal is active in the locality.
For smaller more discrete animals such as mice, voles and shrews, casual observation can be tricky but live trapping techniques using Longworth, Sherman, trip traps and baited tubes can give good results. A general licence for this range of species can be downloaded from the Natural England web site.
Mammals such as water vole, otter and mink are predominantly found along our waterways with the former being confined to an area or territory whilst the latter two species tending to be more wide ranging. Careful attention to riparian embankments, bridge underpasses and tunnels as well as prominent features such as logs, platforms, sand and mud bars for footprints and especially scats, will often reveal the presence of these animals.
Of note, the Mustelidae family which also includes fox, badger, polecat, stoat and weasel will often leave scats on prominent features in the landscape in order to mark their territories and presence.
Although larger animals such as red, roe or fallow deer are prominent in our national parks they are not always easy to locate in the wild but their distinctive footprints and dropping usually are. In contrast, muntjac and Chinese water deer are relatively small in comparison and are easily overlooked and require patience and good detective work to confirm their transitory presence.
Equipment A good identification guide is essential to help identify footprints and scats in the field or at home. If this is not practical then a digital camera along with an item for scale comparison (lens cap, coin etc) is a useful tool for identifying an animal later.
Recording the details of the find is also very important and in particular the date, location and if possible grid reference, type of habitat, description of what you have seen and weather conditions at the time.
Plastic bags are useful if you intend collecting (smelly or messy!) scats and in some cases feeding remains or bones for later analysis.
Antiseptic wipes and/or disposable gloves are important when handling scats, animal or animal parts.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Mammals
Recording Winter is an ideal time to discover mammal activity. Vegetation cover is minimal and most mammals have to forage longer and travel further to find food and will in the process, leave plenty of tracks in soft mud or snow.
For most Cheshire mammals, recording can be done throughout the year although several nocturnal species will be in hibernation during the winter period and would require a more specialised approach (hedgehog, bats and dormice). Once out of hibernation, hedgehogs will often be seen lumbering around the local area whilst the latter two species will require more selective observations and/or techniques and a NE licence if they are to be disturbed or closely monitored.
Whilst some mammals have specialised lifestyles and feeding preferences and maybe restricted to specific areas or habitats, many others can be found across a wide range of urban and rural habitats in the Cheshire landscape. Often the only limitation on expansion for some species is the ever expanding human population and loss of habitat but even here mammals will often find their niche and the county will be all the better for it.
Exploring your local area will reveal a good deal about local mammals and by submitting your records via RODIS will help Cheshire Mammal Group and RECORD build a better picture of mammals in Cheshire.
Weblinks Cheshire Mammal Group
Mammal society
County Recorder for Mammals c/o Mr Tony Parker Liverpool Museum William Brown Street Liverpool, L3 8EN E-mail: [email protected]
CAUTION!
For more information and guidance visit:
Rabies: Vaccination info on MSD Animal Health
Leptospirosis: NCZR information page and fact sheet
Toxocariasis: NCZR information and fact sheet
Lyme disease: NCZR information page|Health Protection Agency: Lyme Borreliosis
Zoonotic diseases: Health Protection Agency information
Animal diseases: Defra information page
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Mammals
Mammals ID Guide
Hedgehog(Erinaceus europaeus)
Unmistakable due to its covering of spines.A regular visitor to gardens particularly at night where they forage for insects, worms and slugs.Hibernates from October to March. Unfortunately they are most often seen dead on the road.
Photo: Shane Farrell
Common Shrew(Sorex araneus)
Like all shrews, the long pointed nose of the common shrew and small ears, distinguish it from voles and mice. The common shrew is between 48 and 80mm long, with a tail that is less than 2/3rds of the body and head length. Dark brown, pale brown and whitish dense velvety fur. Tiny eyes, small ears and red teeth.Photo: Jeff Clarke
Bank Vole (Myodes glareolus)
Reddish-brown above, dirty white below with a tail half the length of the body.Active during both day and night, using regular surface runs or underground burrows in woodlands, scrub, hedgerows, moorland and gardens.Common and widespread throughout the county. Photo: Jeff Clarke
Wood Mouse(Apodemus sylvaticus)
Probably the most widespread mammal in Cheshire but, being nocturnal, they are seldom seen, spending daylight hours in their burrows. They are sandy-brown above, white below with a yellowish patch between the front legs.The tail is long and hairless. Mainly found in woodland but also hedgerows, fields and grassland and regularly visit gardens. Photo: Steve McWilliam
Badger (Meles meles)
Mainly nocturnal, the black and white striped head and grey-black fur make it of the best known British mammals. Using regular pathways which become well trodden and obvious, they often leave tufts of hair on barbed wire fences or thorns. An albinistic form (erythristic) in which the black and grey are replaced with reddish/tawny coloured hair is quite common within Cheshire. Photo: Anon (WCBG)
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Reptiles
2.7 REPTILES
National Status Six species of reptile are native to the United Kingdom. These are the common lizard, sand lizard, slow worm, grass snake, smooth snake and adder. In addition, there are one or two introduced species such as the wall lizard.
Regional Status There are four native species which occur in the Cheshire region – common lizard, slow worm, grass snake and adder.
Survey Techniques
Survey Period The key time periods for the survey of reptiles is April, May and September – these are the months when are temperature is low, but the sun is still shining, thereby encouraging reptiles to bask. April and May are the preferred months, being the reptile mating months, when animals are more obvious and less wary of observers.
Surveys are best undertaken between 9:00am and 11:00am and between 4:00pm and 7:00pm. Surveys in the middle of the day tend to be less effective as most reptiles will have warmed up and become active.
Survey Methodology The survey site should be walked and key areas for basking should be mapped and targeted for subsequent survey. Prime basking areas include sunny spots in dense vegetation, pools of sunlight deep in wooded areas and south facing banks such as those along raised hedgerows or ditch sides.
Once suitable basking sites are identified, refugia should be set down in the areas. Refugia consists of sheets of tin, roofing felt, wood or black plastic not more than 0.5m square in area and should be hidden in vegetation to avoid unwanted disturbance. The location of all refugia should be mapped and each refugium numbered to aid recovery at the end of the project.
Once established, the refugia should be left in position for a period of approximately 10 days and then monitoring should commence for a minimum of five days. All monitoring should be done on suitable sunny warm days and be within the time periods stated earlier.
Slow-worm Slow-worms are found by turning over debris/refugia and are rarely seen in the open. However they do bask and the timing and temperatures are similar to the conditions favoured by common lizards. Hatchlings born in September rarely bask. Slow-worms are frequently found in urban and suburban situations – along disused railways and in allotments for example.
Common Lizard Common lizards will bask between temperatures of 9C and 18C. Surveys in late August and September may reveal young lizards. The hatchling lizards are more numerous and active than the adults and hence easier to find. They also provide evidence of breeding within, or
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Reptiles close to, the survey site. The common lizard does not hibernate communally, so individuals can be found dotted around the survey site.
Grass Snake Grass snakes use a variety of habitats, but tend to be associated with fresh water bodies due to their diet. The grass snake is more nervous than the other British reptiles so surveying needs to be undertaken with care; grass snakes may bask partially concealed by vegetation. The grass snake basks in temperatures of between 12C and 20C.
The need of grass snakes to incubate their eggs provides additional monitoring opportunities. Suitable egg-laying sites (compost heaps, stable manure, grass cuttings etc) can be checked by surveying for basking adults close by, or by searching for entrance holes in well consolidated piles of sawdust or cuttings. Young can be found in September.
Adder Surveying for adders is best undertaken in the spring as they leave their hibernation sites. Several snakes can be found basking close to the hibernation sites together. Hibernation sites can also be detected by looking for collections of sloughs (cast skins). Adders cast their skin for the first time in early April soon after emerging from hibernation. Adders bask in temperatures of between 8C and 16C: they are less tolerant of higher temperatures. Adders are less nervous than grass snakes and therefore easier to approach, often basking in the open and moving away slowly. Young adders are born live during August, but are secretive and hard to detect.
Summary Reptiles are best surveyed for on warm sunny days in April, May and September. Different species have slightly different basking requirements, mainly governed by their temperature requirements and breeding biology. Refugia are set to provide artificial basking sites and these are monitored on a regular basis over a given period. It should be noted that any survey only records what is present at the time of the survey and not what is not present.
Further information on survey and recording of all reptiles (and amphibians) can be found in The Herpetofauna Workers’ Manual, Gent A and Gibson S (1998) published by JNCC.
County Recorder for Reptiles (Snakes and Lizards) Mr Paul M. Hill 1 Clive Cottage London Road, Allostock Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 9LT Tel.: 01565 722938 E-mail: [email protected]
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Reptiles
CAUTION!
Only a hazard if startled at close quarters.
The only venomous native snake, the Adder, is easily identifiable. Deaths from Adder bites are exceedingly rare. If bitten hospital treatment is required (anti-venom serum).
For more information and guidance visit:
Amphibian diseases: ARG Advice note on Amphibian disease precautions – a guide for UK Field Workers (pdf file)
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Reptiles
Reptile ID Guide
The four native species in the Cheshire Region
CommonLizard(Lacerta vivipara)
Overall total body length of adults is about 135mm. They can be very variable in colour, although most are some shade of brown with fine linear
markings and flecks of paler or darker coloration. The undersides can be orange, yellow or a dirty white. Photo: Steve McWilliam
Adder(Vipera berus)
Adult adders can grow up to 600mm in length and are distinctively marked with a bold zig-zag along its full length. Colouration is variable, females are generally two shades of brown, whereas males have blackish markings against an off white, yellow or grey ground colour. Photo: Martin Parr
Slow-worm(Anguis fragilis)
The slow-worm is a legless lizard. Adults reach 400mm in length, half of which is the tail. The body is cylindrical with fine smooth scales that give it a shiny appearance. Males are uniform grey to brown and the females are brown, often with a coppery or bronze look to them. Photo: Steve McWilliam
Grass Snake(Pyronia tithonus)
Grass snakes are long thin snakes up to 850mm long (females). The best distinguishing feature is the yellow or orange collar, an olive-green ground colour and regularly spaced black bars down the flanks. Photo: Martin Parr
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Trees
2.8 TREES
National Status There are over 30 species of tree native to Britain
Tree Identification It is possible to identify many of our native trees by looking at their leaves. Strictly speaking, identification should involve examination of the flowers (petals, sepals, stamens etc), which are less variable than leaves. However, in most cases, it is possible to make an identification using just a few features of the leaves and twigs.
The leaf blade Leaves are generally speaking broad, flat, and thin: The flat surface of the leaf is termed the leaf blade or lamina, as seen to the left.
The top surface (or adaxial surface) of the leaf is often very different from the lower (or abaxial) surface. For example the lower surface may be hairy, or a different colour, or the veins of the leaves may be more obvious.
The leaf is usually joined to the stem of a plant by a stalk; this is called the petiole. The angle that the petiole makes with the stem of the plant is termed the leaf axil. The tip of the leaf is sometimes referred to as the apex of the leaf.
(Photo: Woodlands.co.uk)
The leaf margin The edge of the leaf is known as the leaf margin. Looking at the margin of the leaf can be an important in identifying the leaf. Leaf margins may be described as entire, toothed, or lobed. The oak leaf to the left is clearly lobed.
Leaves, simple or compound A leaf is said to be simple if its lamina is undivided; that is, any „teeth‟ or lobes do not reach down to the main vein of the leaf. A compound leaf consists of several leaflets, all of which join up with a single leaf stalk or petiole. It is important when looking at the leaves of a tree to look for the petiole – as a single leaflet of a compound leaf can look like a single, simple leaf.
Palmate compound leaf For this type of leaf, the leaflets join to a central point, like outstretched fingers joined to a central palm, like those seen on Horse Chestnut.
Pinnate compound leaf The leaflets usually occur in pairs (opposite to, or slightly displaced from opposite each other) with a single leaflet at the top of the leaf,like those on Ash.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Trees
Leaf arrangement Leaf arrangement or phyllotaxis is another feature of leaves that may help in identifying a tree. Look at a shoot (not too near the tip); how are the leaves arranged? Do they occur in pairs? If the pairs of buds are set at right angles to each other, then this arrangement is described as decussate (as seen in the Horse Chestnut). Or are they arranged singly and alternately, as in Beech and Birch?
Buds The buds are usually encased in modified leaves – scale leaves. These may be tough protective structures, they may be coloured or they may be sticky (as in the horse chestnut). When the scale leaves fall, they often leave distinctive scars on the twigs. The size, colour, position of the buds can often help identify a tree in winter, when the leaves have been shed.
Shoots and twigs When examining shoots and twigs, it is sometimes useful to look for lenticels. Lenticels are small areas on the stem, where the cells are less densely packed so as to allow for the exchange of gases. Depending on the species, they can be small, round „spots‟ or minute „slits‟ and the colour of them can also vary.
Bark In more mature trees, another feature that can help in identification is the bark. The bark protects the underlying tissues from damage. The outermost part of the bark consists of dead cells and often has a characteristic colour and texture.
Acknowledgement to woodlands.co.uk
Weblinks The Woodland Trust - British Trees
Science and Plants for Schools – A Key for Identifying British Trees and Shrubs
CAUTION! The Poison Garden website - Laburnum
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Trees
Tree ID Guide
Common Oak(Quercus robur)
Broad-crowned tree. Tree trunk has deep ridged grey bark. Orange-brown buds are clustered at the end of the twigs. The leaves are short stalked, 4- 10mm, with deep irregular lobes and auricles at the base of the lamina. Yellow male catkins are produced as the leaves emerge whilst the female flowers produce acorns on 5-10cm stalks in the autumn. Photo: Anon
Silver Birch(Betula pendula)
A tall but short lived tree with pendulous purple-brown branches and twigs. The bark is silvery-white on trunk but towards the base it breaks up in to small rough black blocks.Twigs are hairless with little warts creating a rough surface. Leaves, on hairless stalks, are triangular in shape with double teeth on sides.
Photo: Anon
Common Alder(Alnus glutinosa)
This is mainly a tree of riversides, pond edges and moist woodlands. Relatively smooth brown-grey bark with pale lenticels is found on young trees, becomes fissured into small vertical plates on older trees. Green buds, which turn to purple, are all on small stalks. The leaves are broadly rounded with flat or slightly indented ends. Photo: Carl Farmer
Crack Willow(Salix x fragilis)
A common tree along rivers and in wet woodlands.This is a tree with a short bole and large wide-spreading branches. The shiny yellow-brown twigs readily snap off at the base where they connect with the branch. Long, lanceolate, glossy green leaves are glaucus beneath. Photo: Anon (Kew)
Black Poplar (Populus nigra)
The black poplar is a rare tree and is threatened by its cultivated relations. In Cheshire the black poplar survives at the north western limit of its range. The heart-shaped leaf is long-tipped and small with a mild balsam scent. The young leaves have fine, tiny hairs that they shed by autumn. Photo: Cheshire Wildlife Trust.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 2 Species Guide Trees
Common Hawthorn(Crataegus monogyna)
Common small tree with thorny twigs and is dominant constituent of farm hedges. Deep green leaves with 1-4 lobes cut half to two-thirds in to leaf lamina. Generally the leaf base looks at right angles to the stalk. Dense bunches of white flowers in May are followed in late summer by dark red fruits with a single pip. Photo: Steve McWilliam
Wild Cherry or Gean(Prunus avium)
A widely planted native tree and due to suckering habit can form considerable stands. Dark-grey bark of young trees becomes purplish-grey with prominent bands of pale lenticels as the trees mature. The rufous coloured buds are clustered only on flowering spurs. The large leaves have serrate edges and 2-5 small red glands on the petiole - a very useful characterto identify Prunus species.Photo: Anon
Rowan, Mountain Ash(Sorbus aucuparia)
A small to medium tree with grey bark on bole and ascending branches. Purplish- grey twigs have purple buds and the bud scales edged with grey hairs. Pinnate leaves consist of up to nineteen oblong leaflets which are crenate-serrate to one centimetre from base. The umbel of creamy-white flowers in May are followed in August by scarlet berries. Photo: Steve McWilliam
Common Ash(Fraxinus excelsior)
This is a large tree often with a long clear trunk. Young trees have a smooth grey bark developing in to thick ridges with age. The grey shoots have opposite sooty- black buds. The pinnate leaves have 9-13 irregularly serrate lanceolate leaflets with the largest at the top. The flowers are in dense globular bunches appearing before the leaves and are followed by abundant fruit known as keys. Photo: Anon
Scots Pine(Pinus sylvestris)
Widely planted in forestry, particularly on lighter acidic soils. The young trees, and upper trunk of older trees, have red-brown bark in exfoliating scales. On older trees, this can make identification from a distance easy. The lower trunk has reddish-brown plates separated by purplish-grey fissures. The blue-green leaves are thick and broad, in pairs, and are often twisted together. Photo: Anon
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012
SECTION 3 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 3 Additional Information Maps
3.1 MAPS
Using Maps Using maps and being able to draw sketch maps are integral skills within biological recording. It is important to choose the right scale for the task. For example, you will need a very detailed large-scale map when looking at a small site, but a small-scale map if you're planning a journey by car or setting out on a country walk. All maps are drawn to scale which means there is a direct relationship between distances measured on the ground and distances measured on the maps. When reading a map, the first thing you should do is establish the scale: it is normally expressed as a ratio, such as 1:50 000. This means that one unit of measurement on the map is equal to 50,000 of the same units of measurement on the ground.Many biological recorders find that 1:25,000 scale maps are the easiest to use.
Grid References Much historic species data from prior to 1950 is still available in old natural history society journals but all of this data gives rather vague ideas of where the animal or plant was actually seen (e.g. 'Warrington', or even 'Cheshire'). Now it is possible to be much more accurate in placement of records. In fact using a hand-held GPS it is possible to generate OS grid- references down to a couple of square metres accuracy. This improved accuracy increases the value of the data for a wide range of uses.
Why use Grid References? Information on the distribution of our animals and plants is extremely valuable in determining how we use our available space both for these organisms and for ourselves. The most accurate method of showing where these animals and plants have been seen/observed is by the use of an Ordnance Survey Map Grid Reference.
For those who have never come across this before it sounds very complicated but it is an easy concept to grasp - a grid reference gives an exact point on a map and is the only point with that set of letters and numbers in the whole of Britain - this makes it easy to find exactly where the sighting was made. If you can provide a grid reference with your observations of the animals and plants which you send in as records it will help greatly in plotting the various organisms on distribution maps in the future.
How to Read Map References The country is divided up by map makers into squares which are given short names. Actually very short names as they are only two letters long. Each side of the square is 100 kilometres long and this is obviously a big square.
The 'big square' which covers Cheshire is referred to as "SJ". Each of these 'big squares‟ is then further divided into smaller squares. These smaller squares have sides 10 kilometres long and these are shown as thin blue lines on the Ordnance Survey Landranger Maps - the ones which have a magenta front and back cover.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 SECTION 3 Additional Information Maps
When you want to record where you have found/seen a particular animal or plant it can be very awkward having to write out a long place name every time. Also, if you found your animal or plant in the middle of a forest, or on a mountainside, the nearest place with an actual place-name may be a couple of miles away. How do you let other people know exactly, or at least fairly accurately, where you found it? Do you have to say "turn left at the third elm tree, and then go straight ahead for 200 yards, and then turn right at the big sycamore, and I found the insect three hundred yards to the west under a small oak"? What happens if they cut the sycamore down in a couple of year‟s time? Nobody will quite know where you found your animal/insect/plant. However, there is another way, an even better and much shorter way, using the Landranger maps, which is more permanent, and very simple once you know how to do it.
How is it done? The fragment of map on the left is provided as an example to show you how to read a Grid Reference.
To find the Grid Reference for the letter 'e' in Stretton, we first of all look at the numbers along either the top or the bottom of the map. In this instance it can be seen that the word 'Stretton' is in the square which starts at the number '61' and ends at the number '62'. If we imagine that the square is further subdivided into 10 parts we can estimate the the letter 'e' is at about the point '615'.
Next we look up the side of the map, from the bottom to the top, and work out the position of the letter 'e' vertically. Here we can see that the word 'Stretton' is in the square beginning '82' and ending '83'. If we again imagine that the square is further divided into 10 parts we can estimate that the letter 'e' is at about the point '825' (very convenient for this demonstration that a point was chosen that was half way in both the horizontal and vertical squares). This process has now given us two sets of three numbers.
Write down the first group, which was '615' and then write down the second group alongside it - you should now have a six figure number '615825'. We now need to put the two letter name for the 100 kilometre square in front of the six-figure number which is 'SJ'. Consequently, the full Grid Reference for the 'e' in Stretton on the map would be 'SJ615825'. This gives us an exact point and provides the best spatial information for your records of sightings of plants and animals.
Google Maps and RECORD – making it easy! An easy way to find the OS map reference is by using the tools provided by RECORD utilising Google Maps. Using this utility, you can search for a location name, find it on the map shown and get an accurate six-figure map reference.Use the link below:
Google Maps on RECORD
This facility is also available when entering your record via RODIS.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Taxonomy Classification
3.2 A SIMPLE GUIDE TO TAXONOMY CLASSIFICATION
The organising genius who first devised the scientific name was a Swedish naturalist called Carl van Linné (1707–1778), who is more usually known by the Latinised version of his name,Carolus Linnaeus. He grouped species according to shared physical characteristics. These groupings have since been revised to improve consistency with the Darwinian principle of common descent. Molecular phylogenetics, which uses DNA sequences as data, has driven many recent revisions and is likely to continue to do so.
What makes biological classification different from other classification systems (e.g. classifying books in a library) is evolution: the similarity between organisms placed in the same taxon is not arbitrary, but is instead a result of shared descent from their nearest common ancestor. Such classification is necessarily hierarchical. In a biological classification, rank is the level (the relative position) in a hierarchy.
The most basic rank is that of species, the next higher is genus, and then family.
The formal system of naming species of living things gives each a name composed of two parts, both of which use Latin grammatical forms, although they can be based on words from other languages. Such a name is called a binomial name (which may be shortened to just "binomial"), a binomen or a scientific name; more informally it is also called a Latin name. The first part of the name identifies the genus to which the species belongs; the second part identifies the species within the genus.
When used with a common name, the scientific name often follows in parentheses, eg "House sparrow (Passer domesticus)”.
The binomial name should generally be written in full. When several species from the same genus are being listed, the genus is written in full when it is first used, but may then be abbreviated to an initial (and a full stop) eg, Canis lupus, C. aureus, C. simensis”.
The abbreviation "sp." is used when the actual specific name cannot or need not be specified. The abbreviation "spp." (plural) indicates "several species".
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Risks and Hazards
3.3 RISKS AND HAZARDS
Preparing to record – risk assessments Working in the field inevitably increases the risk of exposure to disease or infection. Below provides some guidance on how to identify and manage some of the more significant risks.
There are 6 key steps to completing a risk assessment:
1. Identify the hazards
2. Identify who might be harmed and how
3. Evaluate the risks (see below)
4. Consider if and how the risk levels can be reduced
5. Ensure that everyone in your group is aware of the risks
6. Review and revise as regularly
An example of the Risk Assessment Form used by RECORD prior to undertaking fieldwork activities can be downloaded from Appendix 3. A standardised scale is used to calculate potential risks. A figure is assigned to both the hazard and the likelihood of its occurrence then multiplied to produce a final score, which ultimately dictates whether it is safe for the activity to go ahead, or not. In some cases it may be feasible to introduce additional measures to reduce the final score. Most organisations will design their own Risk Assessment to meet their individual needs.
Key Hazards Here are some of the key hazards for consideration:
Physical hazards (e.g. slips, trips and falls – extreme weather, difficult terrain, quarries, marshes, quicksand, water bodies) Biological hazards (e.g. poisonous plants, aggressive animals, soil or water micro organisms, insects) Chemical hazards (e.g. pesticides, contaminated soils, site chemicals) Man-made hazards (e.g. electrical equipment, vehicles, insecure buildings; slurry pits, power and pipelines) Personal safety (e.g. working alone – attack on person or property) Environmental impact (e.g. rubbish, pollution, environmental disturbance)
Diseases and infections The following pages provide some details of the more common diseases and infections which may be encountered in the countryside.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Risks and Hazards
LYME DISEASE – bacterial infection Source: Infected tics – tic carrying animals – deer, mice etc.
Habitat: Woodland and heathland.
Affects: Skin, joints, hearing and nervous system.
Symptoms: 3-30 days after bite – pink or red circular rash around the area of bite,Flu-like symptoms, tiredness, headaches, muscle or joint pain. If left untreated – muscle pain, joint pain, joint swelling, temporary facial muscle paralysis, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue syndrome.
Non-contagious.
Diagnosis: Blood test
Treatment: Antibiotics
Prevention:
No vaccine Wear long-sleeved clothing Tuck trousers into socks Use insect repellent Check for tics (including pets)
Remove by gently gripping tic as close to the skin as possible, preferably with tweezers, and pull steadily away from the skin. DO NOT USE A LIT CIGARETTE, MATCH OR ESSENTIAL OILS!
LEGIONELLA - bacterial infection Source:Contaminated water – commonly found in rivers and lakes.
Affects: Lungs – non-contagious – potentially fatal.
Symptoms: High fever and muscle pain.
Treatment:Antibiotics
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Risks and Hazards
LEPTOSPIROSIS – bacterial infection Source: Animals – rat urine.
Habitat: Stagnant water/soil.
Mild leptospirosis - flu-like symptoms, such as headache, chills and muscle pain.
Severe leptospirosis – severe, sometimes life-threatening symptoms, including organ failure and internal bleeding, caused by the bacteria infecting major organs, such as the liver and kidneys.
Treatment: Antibiotics – recovery approx 1 week for mild case – hospitalisation for more severe.
Prevention:
Wear gloves and boots. Cover broken skin with waterproof plasters. Ensure that water does not get into eyes, nose or mouth. Wash hands and forearms thoroughly after fieldwork. Always carry alcohol gel. Rinse and dry all equipment as soon as possible.
Avoid contact with rat urine.
TOXOCARA – bacterial infection Source: Roundworm parasite – from animals to humans via infected faeces. Parasite lives in the digestive system of dogs, foxes and cats.
Symptoms:
covert toxocariasis – abdominal pain, cough, headache. visceral larva migrans – spreads to lungs, liver and heart - fever, abdominal pain, shortness of breath. ocular larva migrans - blurred or cloudy vision and irritation of the eyes. Left untreated, ocular larva migrans can result in permanent vision loss, although only one eye is usually affected.
TETANUS – bacterial infection Source: Open flesh wound – animal waste (including manure).
Affects: Nervous system
Symptoms: stiffness, muscle spasm (jaw muscles – lockjaw), difficulty swallowing.
Treatment: antibiotics for infection.
Prevention: ensure vaccination is up to date.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Risks and Hazards
GIANT HOGWEED Affects:Skin
Symptoms:Severe and painful burns – can take months, even years to recover. In severe cases blindness (permanent or temporary) and death.
Treatment: Antibiotics
Prevention:
Keep any areas of skin exposed to the sap away from sunlight. Wash skin with soapy water. Irrigate eyes (if sap has come into contact with eyes) with eyewash solution. Seek medical advice from NHS Direct
BLUE GREEN ALGAL BLOOMS - bacterial infection Habitat: Inland water bodies.
Symptoms:skin rashes, eye irritation, vomiting, diarrhoea, fever and pains in muscles and joints.
Prevention:ensure tetanus is up to date.
For more informationvisit: NHS Choices website
Guide to Poisonous Plants The Royal Horticultural Society has produced a Guide to potentially harmful garden plants. Incidents of serious plant poisoning in the United Kingdom are rare. Nevertheless it is sensible to ensure that no avoidable risks are presented, and a knowledge of potentially harmful plants should be gained.
Potentially Harmful Garden Plants
Guides to Fungi Field Guide to Edible Mushrooms of Britain and Europe
Mushroom Picker's Foolproof Field Guide
The Mushroom Book
Complete Mushroom Book: The Quiet Hunt
The River Cottage Handbook - Mushrooms
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Recording Sheet
3.4 RECORDING SHEET
The examplebelow shows the basic information to be recorded for input into the RECORD Online Data Input System (RODIS).
Scientific Name Date Location Grid-Ref Observer Determiner Sex/Stage Abundance Record type Comments Meles meles 30/11/2011 Stretton SJ615825 J Smith A Jones Adult 1 Field record
Your information can be entered into a spreadsheet (MS Excel is the supported format) and imported into RODIS providing the column names are present in the order shown.
A sample Recording Sheet can be found in the Appendices
A blank sheet can also be downloaded fromhttp://www.record-lrc.co.uk/downloads/RecordingSheet.xls
The most reliable method of entering data is by using RODIS, where the scientific name can be looked up by entering a common name. This is accessible through several LRC websites, including RECORD, Merseyside BioBank, Greater Manchester LRC, EcoRecord and Staffordshire Ecological Record. This input system allows information to be passed to RECORD for entry into the central database. This ensures that format errors are caught and corrected and that duplicate data is not entered into the data set.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Recording Sheet
Notes on information to record
Scientific Name: The Scientific or Latin Name of the organism. (e.g. Erinaceus europaeus). Use either the Scientific or the English (common) name or preferably both to help reduce ambiguity (e.g. Redshank (bird) and Redshank (plant)).
Date of observation:This can be a vague, or preferably a standard date following Recorder supported formats.e.g.15/05/2011 (preferred format)or15 May 2011; Jun 2011; Summer 2011; or just the year, eg 2011 (least useful format)
Location:The name of the place/site where the organism was observed/seen/found. (e.g. Hatchmere, Delamere, 4 Priory Close, Halton)
Grid Reference:A valid OS Grid Reference including the 100Km square grid letters (SJ). Please use a 6- or 8-figure grid ref whenever possible (e.g. SJ540823).
Observer/Recorder: The name of the person who observed/saw/recorded the organism.
Determiner:The name of the person who identified the organism. NB: This may be same as the Observer/Recorder.
Sex/Stage*:E.g. adult, female, flowering. Leave blank if unknown.
Abundance*:The number or DAFOR abundance or frequency of the organism seen (e.g. 100, 250+, Frequent, Locally abundant, Occasional).
Record Type*: The most commonly used entry is 'Field record' (ie a record made by spotting an organism in the field/outdoors)
Comments*: Any additional information. Please keep comments short and to the point Separate comments by a comma and a space
(e.g. in garden, on pond, calling).
*These are not required fields, but the more information added about a record/observation helps in improving the quality and usability of the data.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information The DAFOR Scale
3.5 THE DAFOR SCALE
In order to make any recorded species data more useful the relative abundance can recorded using the DAFOR scale:
D = Dominant; A = Abundant, F = Frequent, O = Occasional, R = Rare.
If a species seems intermediate between two categories and you are unsure which to assign to it, choose the lower category, e.g. if you are unsure if something was occasional or frequent, choose occasional.
D for Dominant In practice you will rarely, if ever use this. To score D, a species would have to present in well over three quarters of the area being surveyed. Eg.it is possible that in a square that is entirely conifer plantation, that Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) might score D.
A for Abundant Only use A if the species was really very common in many parts of the area being surveyed.
F for Frequent Use F if you found the species in several places in a recording square and there was usually more than just a few individuals in each of these places.
O for Occasional Use O for species that occur in several places in a recording square, but whose populations are usually not very big. You would also use O for species that are very common in one bit of habitat within the square that occupied just a small area (e.g less than one eighth of the area of the whole square).
R for Rare Use R for any species that occur as a small number of individuals in the square. This small number of individuals may be located in one place in the square, or scattered over several different locations within the square. In many squares R is likely to be the score that most species get. If you are not sure if something should score O or R, give it R.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Code of Conduct
3.6 CODES OF CONDUCT
The Countryside Code
The Countryside Code started life in the 1950s as the Country Code. The new version was launched in July 2004. The Countryside Code applies to all parts of the countryside. Most of it is just good commonsense, as it‟s designed to help us all to respect, protect and enjoy our countryside. The Code, which applies in England and Wales, makes it clear what the responsibilities are for both the public and the people who manage the land.
The Countryside Code
Enjoy the countryside and respect its life and work Leave livestock, crops and machinery alone Guard against all risks of fire Take your litter home Fasten all gates Help to keep all water clean Keep your dogs under close control Protect wildlife, trees and plants Keep to public paths across farmland Take special care on country roads Use gates and stiles to cross fences, hedges and walls Make no unnecessary noise.
The Wild Mushroom Picker’s Code of Conduct
General Guidelines
Always seek the landowner's or site manager's permission before you enter land and explain the purpose of your visit.
Follow the Country Code. Try to minimise damage to vegetation, leaf litter, soil and other features. Avoid removing dead wood unless this is necessary to identify a fungus. Take a reputable field guide with you and try to identify as many fungi as you can in situ. Ancient woodlands usually contain a rich variety of different types of fungi and may include some rare species. Particular care should be taken when collecting from these sites.
More advice and guidlelines can be found at The British Mycological Society web pages.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Weblinks
3.7 WEBLINKS
RECORD: Local Natural History sites
RECORD: Wildlife trusts and National sites
RECORD: Species Identification resource sites
Cheshire Wildlife Trust
Nearby.org.uk:Convert between GridRefs, Lat-Long and Post Codes
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Abbreviations
3.8 ABBREVIATIONS
The following glossary provides a list of definitions and expansions for many of the abbreviations and acronyms used within Biological Recording, Biodiversity and Conservation related subjects, especially within the Cheshire region.
ADAS Agricultural Development and Advisory Service ASNW Ancient Semi-Natural Woodland AW Ancient Woodland BAP Biodiversity Action Plan BAPAG Biodiversity Action Plan Action Group BASC British Association of Shooting and Conservation BIS Biodiversity Information System BSBI Botanical Society of the British Isles BTCV British Trust for Conservation Volunteers BTO British Trust for Ornithology CAWOS Cheshire and Wirral Ornithological Society CBC Congleton Borough Council CEC Cheshire East Council CITES Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna CLA Country Landowners Association CLT Cheshire Landscape Trust CoCo Countryside Commission CMG Cheshire Moth Group CPRE Council for the Protection of Rural England CrBP Cheshire Biodiversity Partnership CROW Countryside and Rights of Way CWaC Cheshire West and Chester Council CWARG Cheshire and Wirral Amphibian and Reptile Group CWT Cheshire Wildlife Trust DAFOR A scale to record the relative abundance of each species Defra Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs DETR FormerlyDepartment of Environment, Transport and the Regions (see Defra) EA Environment Agency EC European Community ECUS Environmental Consultants – University of Sheffield EN English Nature EU European Union FC Forestry Commission FRCA Farming and Rural Conservation Agency FWAG Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group GCN Great Crested Newt GCT Game Conservancy Trust GIS Geographic Information System GMEU Greater Manchester Ecology Unit GONW Government Office North West GPS Global Positioning System HAP Habitat Action Plan HCIL Herpetological Conservation International Limited HLF Heritage Lottery Fund
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Abbreviations
ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network ISP Internet Service Provider IT Information Technology IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature JNCC Joint Nature Conservation Committee LA Local Authority LBAP Local Biodiversity Action Plan LCES Lancashire & Cheshire Entomological Society LEAF Link between the Environment and Farming LEAP Local Environment Agency Plan LNR Local Nature Reserve LRC Local Record Centre MAFF FormerlyMinistry of Agriculture, Fishery and Food (see Defra) MF Mersey Forest MVP Mersey Valley Partnership NBN National Biodiversity Network NE Natural England - replacement for EN in 2006 NFU National Farmers Union NGO Non-Governmental Organisation NNR National Nature Reserve NWNU North West Naturalists' Union OS Ordnance Survey PCB Polychlorinated biphenyls PPG9 Planning Policy Guidance Note 9 - Nature Conservation RAMSAR A wetland of recognised International Importance RDB Red Data Book RECORD RECORD - The Biodiversity Information System for Cheshire, Halton, Warrington and the Wirral - (A Local Record Centre) RODIS RECORD Online Data Input System - a facility for entering wildlife sighting information via the RECORD website RSPB Royal Society for the Protection of Birds SAP Species Action Plan SBI Site of Biological Importance SINC Site of Importance for Nature Conservation SLA Service Level Agreement SNH Scottish National Heritage SOAEFD Scottish Office - Agriculture, Environment and Fisheries Department SSSI Site of Special Scientific Interest STW Sewage Treatment Works TWT The Wildlife Trusts UK United Kingdom VREN Vale Royal Environment Network WACG Witton Area Conservation Group WCA Wildlife & Countryside Act WEG Wildlife Executive Group WREN Waste Recycling Environment Network WWT Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 3 Additional Information Acknowledgements
3.9 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thanks and acknowledgements are due to the following individual contributors:
Hilary Ash (Flowering Plants)
Jeff Clarke (Birds)
Rachel Cross(Admin, IT)
FungalPunk Dave(Fungi)
Eric Fletcher (Introduction, More information)
Andy Harmer (Amphibians)
Paul Hill(Invertebrates, Reptiles)
Karen Lawson(Introduction, More information, Coordinator/Risks/Hazards)
Luck Lunla (IT)
Rob Smith (Mammals)
Jack H Swan (Trees)
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012
SECTION 4 APPENDICES
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 4 Appendix 1 Recording Sheet
Wildlife Recording Sheet Name Date Location Grid-Ref Observer Determiner Sex/Stage Abundance Record type Comments
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 4 Appendix 2 Invertebrate Recording
Invertebrate Recording
The Ten Must Haves!
1. Aerial Net 6. Pooter Also called a butterfly net, the aerial net Small insects, or insects in hard to reach catches flying insects. The circular wire frame places, can be collected using an aspirator. holds a funnel of light netting, helping you The aspirator is a vial with two pieces of safely ensnare butterflies and other fragile- tubing, one with a fine screen material over winged insects. it. By sucking on one tube, you draw the 2. Sweep Net insect into the vial through the other. The sweep net is a sturdier version of the 7. Beating Sheet aerial net and can withstand contact with To study insects that live on branches and twigs and thorns. Use a sweep net to catch leaves, a beating sheet is the tool to use. insects perched on leaves and small Stretch a white or light-coloured sheet below branches. For studies of meadow insects, a the tree branches. With a pole or stick, beat sweep net is a must. the branches above. Insects feeding on the 3. Light Trap foliage and twigs will fall down onto the Anyone who has watched moths fluttering sheet, where they can be collected. around a porch light will understand why a 8. Hand Lens light trap is a useful tool. The light trap Without a good quality hand lens, you can't has three parts: a light source, a funnel and a see the anatomical details of small insects. container. The funnel rests on the container Use at least a 10x magnifier. A 20x or 30x rim and the light is suspended jewelry loupe is even better. above it. Insects attracted to light will fly to 9. Forceps the light bulb, fall into the funnel, and then Use a pair of forceps or long tweezers to drop into the bucket. handle the insects you collect. Some insects 4.Pitfall Trap sting or pinch, so it is safer to use forceps to Just as the name implies, the insect falls into hold them. Small insects can be hard to pick a pit – the container that is buried in the soil. up with your fingers. Always grasp an insect The pitfall trap is a simple piece of equipment gently on a soft area of its body, like the that catches ground dwelling insects. It abdomen, so it is not harmed. consists of a can placed so the lip is level with 10. Containers the soil surface, and a cover board that is Once you have collected some live insects, raised slightly above the container. you will need a place to keep them for Arthropods seeking a dark, moist place will observation. A variety of plastic and glass walk under the cover board and drop into the specimen pots is ideal for insects of different can. sizes. 5. Water Trap For flying insects that are attracted to watery surfaces and or nectar. A shallow tray or bowl filled with water and a little detergent.
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Section 4 Appendix 3 Risk Assessment Form
Risk Assessment Form
AREA/TASK ASSESSED ASSESSED BY DATE .
HAZARDS PERSONS AT RISK EXISTING CONTROL ASSESSMENT OF FURTHER NECESSARY RISK ACTIONS
H x L RS
Approved By Checked and Logged By
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012 Record of Versions of Manual
Version 1 Published online June 2012
Version 1.1 Updated content to “Caution” sections under Section 2 - Species Identification - August 2012
Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 1.1 Date: 2012