Other techniques

Bird walk photo by David Knight 1/2
Outdoor learning at Holme 2/2

In other sections of our surveying toolkit you will find details of techniques for surveying particular types of wildlife or habitats, but there is a whole range of other interesting and enjoyable things you can do to discover and record the natural heritage of your local area. This section gives you a few ideas for practical projects that can be conducted by individuals or groups. These can provide a much wider picture of what the local area is actually like to live in as well as an historical record of what can be found there.


Put pencil and brush to paper

Your records will be significantly enhanced if you can support them with a rough sketch or a more detailed drawing or painting. It does not matter if you cannot draw well; even siimple sketches help to record important detail and making them is a good way of honing your observation skills. Over time you will improve and, by trial and error, learn which techniques produce the best results for you.

You can use photographs as a basis for your art work. The flexibility and clarity of digital photography is an excellent way to capture images of wildlife of scenes you may later wish to draw or paint.


Get snapping

Taking photographs of the wildlife and scenery in your area is an excellent way of recording what can be found there and what the local area and local habitats look like at a particular point in time. Changes to the landscape can be recorded and details of local buildings and landmarks can be preserved for posterity. Make sure your images are stored with information including the date and the location where they were taken.

The advances in digital imaging have made photography accessible as never before. Even the most basic compact digital cameras produce high quality results that can be easily processed and stored in electronic and hard copy format. Old images also scanned, enhanced and stored electronically to provide a fascinating archive.

It’s a record…!

Have a look at our image gallery which is a unique pictorial wildlife record of what has been seen in Norfolk.
All your really need to get started is inspiration and imagination. There are no set rules and you can express your interest in wildlife and wild places in whatever way you wish, using whatever medium you favour.

 

Make a date with wildlife

The study of the timing of natural events is called phenology. The first long-term study in the UK of nature’s calendar was carried out by Robert Marsham, born at Stratton Strawless in Norfolk in January 1708. For many years he recorded 27 ‘Indications of Spring’. These included the timings of trees coming in to leaf, bird migration, butterfly appearance and amphibian breeding.

You can carry on this important work locally by recording such things as:

The date of the first...
  • flowering bluebell you see
  • frogspawn you see
  • swallow you see

All these observations are of great importance in helping to measure the impact of climate change on Norfolk’s wildlife. For more information  please visit Nature's Calendar.

 

Wax lyrical

Why not have a go at putting your thoughts about wildlife and your local area into verse or creative prose? It is not difficult and there are no rules to follow.

They get called adders
but mostly they subtract
from the less numerate frogs,
then multiply in bearing live
their young by long division.

(Bob Ward, North Norfolk)


Did you know…? The writings of the famous poet John Clare include the first known records of 65 bird species for Northamptonshire.


Would you like to tell us how you have recorded wildlife in your parish? Click here.

Download all species and habitat survey forms here.


Please find all of NWT's Survey Forms here.

Please remember to send your wildlife records to Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service (NBIS) – make your records count!

Norfolk Biodiversity Information Service
Environment Transport and Development
County Hall
Martineau Lane
Norwich
Norfolk
NR1 2SG

Email: [email protected]
Website: NBIS

Top tips are our forte…

For a small fee we can organise a wildlife art or wildlife photography workshop for your community. Contact Norfolk Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Information Service on 01603 598333 or email [email protected].

 
 

Need help identifying that mystery animal or plant?

Upload your photograph here or email the photograph to [email protected].