The Northamptonshire Biodiversity Records Centre as a whole has been very busy lately getting more records into the database and making sure our data is used to influence decision-making. Have a read of our latest newsletter to see what we, and recorders in the county, have been up to. WILDside is as busy as ever as we get closer to the end of our second main field season. Don’t worry though; we still have lots for you to get involved with over the rest of 2018 and beyond!

Gaps on the Map

One exciting thing that we have been asking people to do is help us fill in gaps on the map. There are hundreds of 1km squares in Northamptonshire for which we do not hold a single record in our database. This map will soon be available online but drop us an email if you wish to see which squares are close to you, and help us fill in some of the gaps on the map.

BioBlitzes

We have had a few successful public and private BioBlitzes recently where we bring together people to record as many species as possible within a set time period. This information gives us a snapshot of the species on the site, which not only informs site management but also allows us to engage the public with important sites for wildlife. We had a very successful recording day at Fineshade where expert recorders paired up with a member of ‘Wild Horizons’ who are a group of inspirational young naturalists from Rutland. This meant we recorded over 200 new species (and counting) for the site and learnt from one another too. We have a public BioBlitz on the 1st of September at Hunsbury Hill Pocket Park. Do join us from 10am to 4pm to record as much wildlife as we can on this site, it will be fun for all the family.

Biological Recording Guidance

Our guides to biological recording and using the NBRC website to submit records will soon be up on the website, but do email me if you wish to have a copy of them in the meantime.

Upcoming Workshops

On the 14th August at 7:30pm we have a walk at Abington Meadows Wildlife Trust Reserve to see what wildlife we can record. Whether you are experienced at biological recording or have never done it before, this event will be an excellent opportunity to see the site from a different perspective.

Places are running out on our ‘Training the Trainer Workshop’ which is coming up in September. This workshop should help anyone who is considering running wildlife training events and workshops. It will provide ideas on how to plan and structure a day, the sorts of hand-outs which participants find most helpful, and how to get the best out of a field trip. A limited number of free places are available on this workshop for those involved in biological recording.

Rabbits!

Our next seasonal survey is asking you to report sightings of rabbits! Yes, you read that correctly. Despite being widespread, we have relatively few records of rabbits for Northants so would like your records. Please look out for more information about this on our website soon.

Join in!

We are just over half way through this project now, which is constantly evolving to try to make it as beneficial to recorders as possible. All feedback on how we can do this is most welcome.

Our Facebook Group now has over 150 members and is a great community of people interested in recording Northamptonshire’s wildlife. There you can get help with identification along with keeping up to date with events and what other people in the county are seeing! You can also keep up to date with the project by emailing me and asking to be added to the mailing list. This project is all about supporting recorders in the county, so if there is any way we can support you or you have any questions, please drop us an email at WILDside@northantsbrc.org.uk