So, firstly please let me apologize for not really updating my
blog recently. I was busy with exams and then once they had finished I was busy
with sleep. Anyway, now I am back and ready to go again.
One of the advantages of being a student is the copious amount of summer holiday that you get. This year I literally have 4 months off. This is great but can get a little boring, so to spice thing up a bit I set my self a challenge. Now this is not epic endurance training for a marathon. No no, this is a challenge related to biological recording. Please don't just stop reading because it doesn't sound particularity headline grabbing; let me explain.
If you have had a poke around my blog (and
if not why not) you will probably have stumbled upon my page about biological
recording, it's here in case you want another look. From it you will learn that
basically I think that biological recording is important and is one of the
easiest ways to contribute to conservation. It was following in this vein that
I decided to set myself the '100 Days of Recording Challenge'. It doesn’t take
a genius to work out what this challenge entails, essentially it is about recording as many different species as I can over a 100 day period.
I am focusing my recording efforts on the area around my home and town to try to highlight the amazing diversity of species that can be found in a relatively small area; Of course I will also record things that I see elsewhere within Wiltshire. I am recording anything: a blue tit on the bird feeders, its a record. Working out what species of slug I have found, its a record. In order to record, store and submit all my sightings I am using a website called living record.
This website is dedicated to biological recording set up in such a way that you can find the relevant location on a map and add details of what you saw ans when you saw it. It is quick and easy to use, additionally all the records are sent to country-based experts who verify the data and pass it on the the Local Environmental Record Centre. This means that the records submitted are passed on to the right people and used as soon as possible, The aim is to try to add records daily of the species I see.
So if I had been more organised this post would have been uploaded on day one, however that didn't happen. 12 days into the challenge and I am doing well, I have recorded 88 species and a total of 91 individual records. Of these 36 are bird records.
Biological recording is really easy to get involved with, just record everything and anything you see, this can be apart of a wider recording effort such as a bioblitz or long term recording scheme, or just as ad-hoc observations. Both have great value to conservation. A great start would be to do some recording as part of the Wildlife Trusts 30 days wild initiative for June.
If you want to follow the challenge check out #100daysrecording on twitter
To find out more about Living Record click here.
One of the advantages of being a student is the copious amount of summer holiday that you get. This year I literally have 4 months off. This is great but can get a little boring, so to spice thing up a bit I set my self a challenge. Now this is not epic endurance training for a marathon. No no, this is a challenge related to biological recording. Please don't just stop reading because it doesn't sound particularity headline grabbing; let me explain.
 |
| A Wasp Beetle |
I am focusing my recording efforts on the area around my home and town to try to highlight the amazing diversity of species that can be found in a relatively small area; Of course I will also record things that I see elsewhere within Wiltshire. I am recording anything: a blue tit on the bird feeders, its a record. Working out what species of slug I have found, its a record. In order to record, store and submit all my sightings I am using a website called living record.
This website is dedicated to biological recording set up in such a way that you can find the relevant location on a map and add details of what you saw ans when you saw it. It is quick and easy to use, additionally all the records are sent to country-based experts who verify the data and pass it on the the Local Environmental Record Centre. This means that the records submitted are passed on to the right people and used as soon as possible, The aim is to try to add records daily of the species I see.
So if I had been more organised this post would have been uploaded on day one, however that didn't happen. 12 days into the challenge and I am doing well, I have recorded 88 species and a total of 91 individual records. Of these 36 are bird records.
 |
| Blue Tit |
Biological recording is really easy to get involved with, just record everything and anything you see, this can be apart of a wider recording effort such as a bioblitz or long term recording scheme, or just as ad-hoc observations. Both have great value to conservation. A great start would be to do some recording as part of the Wildlife Trusts 30 days wild initiative for June.
If you want to follow the challenge check out #100daysrecording on twitter
To find out more about Living Record click here.
