Wildlife recording

Recording the wildlife that you see is a fun way to get closer to the wildlife around us and a way to contribute to scientific surveys. Cairngorms Nature has worked with i-Record to produce a simple to use form for everyday recording, and there are many different formal surveys you can join as well.

 

i-Record is a simple website for making a note of the wildlife you see. It's very easy to use and designed for all ages and abilities. Records made using this form go into a National Park records centre and then onto the National database (NBN). You can see the records made just using the CNP specific form. And you can see all the NBN records for the National Park.
 

All you need to do to use the forms is register for i-record and then follow the links via the arrows on the right.

Many organisations run formal survey schemes. A lot of them will also offer training and support.

  • Plantlife flora guardians visit known sites of rare and threatend plants like twinflower once or twice a year to monitor habitat and status.

  • The National Plant Monitoring scheme is a new scheme to measure changes in plant populations across the country.

  • The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) runs a number of different surveys to suit different skill levels and time commitments.

  • BTO 'What's Up' is a survey programme specific to the Scottish uplands. Free training and a simple survey that can be dome whilt out for a wlk in the hills.

  • OPAL is a fun, schools and family friendly approach to citizen science with lots of free identification guides, learning packs and resources.

  • Butterfly Conservation offer a varity of monitor and recording programmes from garden counts to formal transects

  • Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels works with landowners and communities to protect the core populations. Report your sighting and help get a clear picture of red and grey squirrel distribution.

  • North East Scotland Biological Records Centre (NESBReC) are producing a mammal atlas. Recording common species like rabbits and hedgehogs is a great start for young recorders.

  • Buglife are gathering data on some of the UKs rarest beetles. One of these, the Violet Oil Beetle, is a priority species for conservation in the Cairngorms.

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