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Recording Wildlife
How to record what you find
Citizen science involves monitoring the environment through recordings made by the public. These recordings can be of any species—be it a bird, plant, mammal, crustacean, or whatever else you can think of. By sharing this information with researchers and conservation organisations, we can help them identify important sites for wildlife, monitor change and influence where and how they’ll take action to protect the wildlife we love for future generations.
There is no limit to where, what or when you record. If there is a species that you can confidently identify and you have permission to be there, make a note of it.
Remember that every bit of information is important, not just first-hand sightings of the plants or animals themselves. Species abundance (how many individuals of this species you saw), season (time of year), and habitat (was it on a mature oak tree, in a park or field, or skimming across the sea?) are just as necessary to make a note of.
_Jamie_McDermaid-13.jpg "A group of people crouch in the mud around a white survey square on Tyningham beach, monitoring seagrass")
WHERE DO I SUBMIT SIGHTINGS?
Simply submit your recordings to your local environmental record centre. This might be The Wildlife Information Centre (TWIC) if you’re in East Lothian, Fife Nature Records Centre (FNRC) for beyond the bridges, or the Highland Biological Recording Group to name just a few. Search for them easily through the Association of Local Environmental Recording Centre’s LERC Finder, or visit https://www.brc.ac.uk/recording-schemes to find schemes specific to your interests.
Alternatively, you can make recordings through various apps or websites.
_Jamie_McDermaid-2.jpg "Two people crouch on Craigleith Island, recording information on a clipboard")
Wildlife Recording Apps:
- BirdTrack – Store and manage recordings of birds you see throughout Britain and Ireland.
- iRecord or iNaturalist – Here you can make casual recordings of whatever you happen to see, when and wherever you chance to see it. You can even add photos to your recording, which can be really useful when confirming what you’ve seen.
- Mammal Mapper – (the Mammal Society) Record signs and sightings of Britain’s mammals and learn how to identify them.
- Seagrass Spotter – Map the presence of seagrass across the UK and worldwide.
- Swift Mapper – Record swift nests and “screaming parties”.
Wildlife Identification Apps:
- Merlin – Save sightings of birds you see or hear and use the built-in ID tools to identify anything you’re unsure of via photos or birdsong.
- Seek – Use this image recognition app to identify plant and animal species with your phone’s camera and learn more about them along the way.
If you want to be part of a more concerted effort or are interested in a particular group of organisms, there are boundless projects that you can join in on, too. Discover more about Marine Citizen Science Projects, Terrestrial Projects and Online Projects.