Getting Started
You do not have to be an expert to make a valuable contribution to local knowledge of Norfolk’s wildlife. Watching wildlife, whether in your garden, a local park or on a walk you regularly do, adds to the pleasure of being out and about. You may even find recording wildlife becomes the perfect excuse to explore your local area and spend more time outdoors.
In every area of Norfolk there are opportunities to explore and discover wildlife that nobody else knows about. The wildlife of Norfolk has changed greatly over recent decades and continues to do so today. It is only when individuals note what they see that the evidence of new species colonising an area, or familiar ones becoming rarer or vanishing is known.
Wildlife recording made easy
The essentials of any wildlife record are
what,
where,
when and
who.
What – you need to be certain of the correct identification of what you record. As a rule of thumb: ‘If in doubt, leave it out!’
However, this does not mean you have to be an expert in identification. Recording familiar species such as
house sparrows, hedgehogs and bluebells, or just the distinctive species that you can recognise really easily, can still be incredibly valuable. The ‘experts’ are not very good at recording the commonplace and sadly it is not until species become rare that many people start to look out for them.
You do not need to be a great botanist to recognise a
bluebell or a common poppy but does anyone know where all the bluebell woods or poppy fields are? Many useful surveys involve just keeping records of a single species –so if you can recognise a barn owl or a brown hare – then you can easily begin to keep a record of all your sightings.
- Where – records can simply be linked to a place name or parish but it is even better to record onto a map, or to give a map/grid reference. In general, the more precise the location the more valuable the information may be in the future.
Plotting records onto a map, or giving a
six figure grid reference, makes it possible for your records to be added to county-wide or national surveys which are often based on Ordnance Survey (OS) map squares. A village, parish or even a large wood or common may cover more than one map square, so giving a map reference as well as a place name is really helpful. If you are recording on a small site – for example your garden, village green or school grounds – then a single grid reference at the centre of the site will be sufficient for most kinds of survey.
- When – this is easy as long as you remember to make a note on the day you see things! Do remember to include the year as well as the day and month. If you, or someone else, is looking back at them in future years then ’10 July’ may not be enough.
Who – another easy one, but it is good practice, and will add to the future interest of the record, if sightings can be linked to the individual who made them.
If someone else confirmed your identification then this is also worth noting – ‘identification confirmed by...’. This will be especially important if the record is unusual – e.g. a rarity which has not been recorded in the area before, a particularly difficult species to identify, or a record in an unexpected place or at an odd time of year, such as a
swallow in December!
Related questions
Getting started - Why bother keeping wildlife records?
There are so many reasons!
- Your records can help identify areas which are especially important for wildlife in your local area.
- They can provide up-to-date information on local wildlife and identify changes which may be linked to climate change, or factors such as local developments or new farming practices.
- They can help identify areas that local people feel should be protected.
- They can provide information which will help management and enhancement of local areas to benefit wildlife.
- You can create a baseline record which will enable future changes to be monitored.
- They can help identify species in decline or under threat.
- They can identify the sites of rare species and enable them to be protected – some species such as badgers, bats, water voles, great crested newts and rare nesting birds have existing legal protection, but if no one knows where they are then they can’t be protected.
- Wildlife records can be used to encourage local awareness, interest and pride in things that make your area special.
- They can help inform local conservation policies and may be relevant information if future developments are proposed or planning applications made.
- Surveys can be the starting point for future community conservation projects which will help celebrate and protect the wildlife and habitats you discover.
Recording is enjoyable and can be addictive! It is a way to further your enjoyment of wildlife in your local area and once you start recording you will almost certainly notice far more that you did before. It can also be a way of getting to know your local area better, meeting other people interested in wildlife and forming or joining a group to share and develop your identification skills and knowledge of wildlife.
getting started
Getting started - How do I make my wildlife survey really count?
Surveys are often most valuable when they can be repeated over an extended period – this is why it is important that a clear record is kept of the method used to carry out the survey. By using the simple techniques we suggest on our website, your survey could be repeated at a future date by yourself - or others - to show how wildlife has changed over time.
If you, or your group, are able to repeat the same survey each year over a period of several years then you will be able to create an invaluable local record of what is happening to your wildlife. Even very simple surveys can become very valuable if they are repeated regularly in the same area over many years (see the case study about
Robert Marsham).
getting started
Getting started - How can I bring a group of people together to survey wildlife?
Getting started on community wildlife surveys should not be hard work! Wildlife projects which bring the whole community together to explore the local area can also be great fun. Once you know what sort of survey you want to carry out there are lots of ways of bringing people together:
- Hold a public meeting.
- Write about your idea in the parish newsletter, free paper, or local paper.
- Ask for support from existing community groups.
- Write an information leaflet and deliver it door to door in the local area.
- Use local media such as local radio and press.
- See if a local school or college would like to get involved.
Sometimes even working with one other person will make a huge difference.
getting started
Getting started - How do I find out what wildlife information already exists?
- Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS) can provide you with details of any wildlife records held for any location in Norfolk.
- Natural England holds information on wildlife on all Sites of Special Scientific Interest and National Nature Reserves and also maintains an inventory of ancient woods.
- The National Biodiversity Network Gateway acts as a 'data warehouse' for biodiversity information, which can be quickly and easily accessed to understand the distribution of particular species in the UK. Individual records, covering plants, mammals, birds and invertebrates, are stored on the NBN Gateway and these can then be displayed on a map of the UK in a number of different ways.
- Our own website holds information on sites designated as County Wildlife Sites and on wildlife of churchyards in the Churchyard Conservation Scheme.
- Norfolk County Council holds information on ancient trees, local nature reserves and roadside verges designated as Roadside Verge Reserves.
- The Norfolk Records Office holds many historical documents which may include historic information on wildlife.
- Parish and District Councils hold local parish and structure plans, which may include information on local sites of wildlife importance.
- Landowners and gamekeepers may know a great deal about wildlife on their land including species such as deer, brown hares, and foxes.
If you do discover previous survey have been done then this can be a huge bonus. It may be possible to compare your results with previous information and discover what changes have occurred.
Getting started
Getting started - How do I keep safe whilst surveying?
Getting started on most wildlife surveys is no more dangerous than any other walk in the countryside! However, if you will be surveying alone, visiting remote areas, surveying near water or at night (or both) then there are clearly sensible safety precautions that should be taken. We have provided some general advice on how to think through a risk assessment for your survey – click
here to find out more.
Each location may pose specific risks. Individuals and groups need to assess their own capabilities and experience (what is quite safe for one individual may not be safe for another) and identify any specific risks associated with the areas they are surveying. Hazards can vary from traffic through ticks trips and slips to falling trees. Please remember that it is your responsibility to ensure your own safety (and those of others that you ask to help) when carrying out any wildlife survey.
getting started
Getting started - How do I make sure my wildlife survey is legal?
If you are carrying out a wildlife survey on private property, and your survey cannot be done without straying from public footpaths or other rights of access, then you must have permission from the landowner. Even if you are surveying from legal rights of access then we would always suggest letting the landowner know about the survey in advance.
If you are involving children in wildlife surveys, who are not accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, then you may need to have obtained a Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) or Independent Safeguarding Agency check. Current guidance on this can be obtained from:
www.isa-gov.org.uk.
getting started
Getting started - What should I do with my survey results?
1) Keep a copy of the results yourself – if you keep results on your laptop or computer it is sensible to keep a back-up on disc or another hard drive.
2) If you have been surveying on private land then make sure the landowner receives a copy of your survey results – many landowners, once they know about wildlife on their land, are keen to protect it.
3) Your local parish council may well be interested to hold a copy of the results, and this could be valuable to inform parish plans – some species such as bats, badgers, great crested newts and water voles have special legal protection and knowledge of where they are could help prevent damaging developments destroying their breeding sites.
4) Involve the whole community and celebrate your findings.
5) Send your survey findings to
Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service. They are able to transfer records from the survey forms we have provided onto the county-wide biological records system. This means that your local information will become part of the information used to identify which species are in need of conservation action and can help conservation groups target resources at the species most in need of protection. You can submit your records by post or by email.
Getting started