Getting started with Biological Recording

Citizen Science

You can record your observations of nature and make a vital contribution to scientific research. Records of wildlife observations will contribute to the rich datasets that span centuries and provide valuable information on the current state of nature in the UK.

You can send sightings and photos of any wildlife you see using general online recording websites and apps, such as iRecord.

Help with identification

If you are looking for help identifying the plants or animals you have seen, there are a few things you can try before you submit your records. For example you could post some photographs on Twitter or Facebook asking for species ID assistance. There are a wide range of Facebook pages and Twitter accounts run by groups that cover many different types of species, such as hoverflies, bees and wasps, wild flowers etc. These groups are ideal for getting help with identification and sharing your sightings.

In addition there are forums on websites such as iSpot or iNaturalist, where volunteers are often able to identify species from submitted photographs.

Submit your records

If you are confident about what species you have seen, you can submit details of your sightings, including the date and location plus photographs, to iRecord via its website or app. This online platform is tailored to biological recording in the UK, receiving and verifying more than one million wildlife sightings every year. Many of the recording schemes have taxa-specific record entry forms on the iRecord website and app (e.g.Earthworm Society for Britain recording form), or via their websites (e.g. the Bee Fly recording form on the Soldierflies and Allies Recording Scheme website).

Dedicated volunteer experts associated with national recording schemes and their regional networks review many of the records and help check identifications. By submitting your data to iRecord you are contributing directly to conservation and research, and records are made available to national recording schemes and to Local Environmental Records Centres. The role of volunteers in documenting the state of nature is inspiring.

Brimstone butterfly, a chequered hoverfly and a buff-tailed bumblebee  Pictures by Martin Harvey and Helen Roy

Get involved in pollinator monitoring

When you feel more familiar with different types of species, you could help monitor pollinators at your home location by taking part in the UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme. This is gathering data on the status of pollinating insects across the country. You do not need lots of skill in identifying insects – anyone can take part.

If you have any flowering plants in your garden or balcony or window box, and can spare ten minutes to sit and watch insects visiting flowers when the weather is fine, you can carry out a FIT Count (Flower-Insect Timed Count) between April and September. Please see our video guide on how to do this, and the current COVID guidelines here.

A 7-spot ladybird on lavender, left, a Hebrew character moth, and our Asian Hornet Watch app, right     Pictures by Helen Roy

Interested in specific plants or animals?

There are some fantastic apps that support recording specific groups of plants or animals, including the European Ladybird app, Moths – what’s flying tonight?, Butterflies and Nature’s Calendar.

There are also some invasive non-native species that you could look out for and report through the Alert system. The Asian Hornet has been the focus of lots of attention in recent years – please do send any potential garden sightings to the Asian Hornet Watch app (for Android and Apple phones) or online.

You could also join the Cellar Slug Hunt, a survey run by the RHS following concerns that the invasive Green Cellar Slug has caused declines in the native Yellow Cellar Slug.

 

Get in contact

We would be delighted to hear from you if you have any ideas of activities or would like to update us on your wildlife experiences – please Tweet @___BRC__

There are many other fantastic websites with great activities to get involved with from Every flower counts to Garden Bird Watch and Garden Butterfly Survey

Thank you to everyone who has previously been involved with wildlife recording – your contributions have added so much to our understanding of the natural world.