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 Date: 2012 SECTION 1 INTRODUCTION Guide to Recording Wildlife Version 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 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 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 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 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.