Recording

The recording of wildlife is the main aim of the Club. Every observation counts, no matter how insignificant it may seem to the recorder and from any location, including our own gardens . When all our records come together they form a strong basis for conservation measures.

A record is not necessarily a remarkable sighting of something never before seen in the area nor the discovery of a species new to science, although either would be acceptable. A record, for the Clubs purposes, is a note of anything in the natural history field that you have seen or heard. Many people keep a personal notebook in which they jot down observations as they occur or as soon as possible afterwards.

The preferred method of recording for the Club is via the NatureSpot Website HERE. We have set up a recording project “Loughboro’ Nats“. All records posted through this method can be accessed by the Club and used for Heritage species write ups.

Everyone is encouraged to send in their records from anywhere in Leicestershire and Rutland but especially from the Charnwood area. It doesn’t have to be rare. For example, we have too few records of Moles. Common species can suddenly become rare (or vice versa).

Members can still send their records on a simple spreadsheet or text file to include the following information:

Please note the Location, Species, Quantity (a guestimate is acceptable but try to avoid “several”, “lots” or “a few”, as these can be interpreted differently by individuals), Date and Time, and Comment on anything of interest especially if there was breeding activity involved.

Please email Margaret McLoughlin your records at the end of each quarter:

loughboroughnaturalists.records@gmail.com

To ensure your records are utilised in Heritage, the quarterly Deadline Dates are:

Q1: January to March – April 10th

Q2: April to June – July 10th

Q3: July to September – October 10th

Q4: October to December – January 10th

Download a PDF Recording Form Here: Open with your PDF reader.