Volunteers help with identifying and recording wildlife

Volunteers recently took part in an event at Stanney Woods, Ellesmere Port to identify and record the wildlife there for conservation purposes.

The event, jointly delivered between RECORD (the Local Biological Records Centre serving the Cheshire region) and Cheshire West and Chester Council, saw volunteers search for and record native wildlife, everything from birds to plants and invertebrates, using ID sheets and electronic devices.

The aim was to enable users to record, and report upon, the wildlife that is observed and create high quality, local biodiversity data for conservation purposes.

Cabinet Member for Climate Emergency, Energy and Green Spaces, Councillor Matt Bryan said:

“This was a fascinating event and a big thank you to everyone who took the time to take part. During the event small groups helped identify species using guides or their own knowledge, they then took photos and helped to accurately record all the information.

“If you are out and about enjoying nature this summer, the Council’s website has lots of information on wildlife to look out for.”

One of many digital methods which can be helpful in identification is called iNaturalist. It can be used to record observations, get help with identifications, collaborate with others to collect this kind of information for a common purpose, or access the observational data collected by iNaturalist users.

The database currently used by RECORD is called Swift, which is a biological recording application.

For more information see the RECORD website: 

www.record-lrc.co.uk 

...to join their mailing list for future events.

Council’s webpage link:

Nature to look out for | Cheshire West and Chester Council

Pictured - Volunteers at the event.