Recording Surveys
Even a short walk through the countryside can provide several exciting sightings of welsh wildlife; these chance encounters can be used to increase our knowledge of the species. Many local groups run surveys or record sightings. Have a look below for a relevant group, then get involved and help increase understanding of that species.
Terrestrial Environment
Mammals
Going nuts for Dormice!
Volunteers will be going nuts across the South Wales area this autumn looking for signs of one of Wales’ rare and elusive mammals.
Our knowledge of dormouse distribution at a local level in South Wales is still quite poor and we need volunteers and community groups to help out with a bit of detective work in their local woodlands and hedgerows to hunt for the signs the dormice leave behind. Like many other small mammals, dormice eat hazelnuts. They open them in their own particular way leaving the hazelnut shell with very distinctive marks. With a little bit of practice volunteers can learn to identify which nuts have been opened by dormice and the survey packs.
Bridgend County Borough Council has produced a Dormouse Survey information pack which provides volunteers and schools and communities with all the information required to take part in the survey.
Volunteer Survey Packs
To download a volunteer survey pack click here for surveys in South & West Wales (excluding Gwent)
To download volunteer survey pack for the Gwent area click here
Schools and Community Groups Survey Pack
For a schools and community groups survey pack click here for surveys in South & West Wales area (exluding Gwent)
For a schools and community groups survey pack in the Gwent area, click here
Look out for training events in your area on the Events Calendar section
Living with Mammals Survey
The survey, Living with Mammals, is volunteer-based and runs through April, May and June. Participants are asked to choose a site in the built environment (such as their garden, allotments, a playing field or churchyard) and to record sightings and field signs of mammals for eight or more weeks in the survey period.
This year will be the sixth year that the survey has run and each year we are looking to increase the number of people taking part to get an even more comprehensive picture of the nation's mammal populations.
The project coordinator can provide details or a short article about the survey for a newsletter or send flyers or posters to put in visitor centres.
Contact Hannah Stockwell 020 7498 4533 for more details.
To take part online or to read more about the findings of the survey so far, click on People's Trust for Endangered Species
Natur Gwynedd Partnership
Have you seen a barn owl lately? Where did you see a brown hare whizzing past? Or when did you notice snowdrops flowering this year? If you can help with these types of questions then the Natur Gwynedd Partnership needs your help!
As part of a Gwynedd-wide survey, Natur Gwynedd are looking for records of a range of different wildlife that you’ll see over the next year.
http://www.gwynedd.gov.uk/gwy_doc.asp?cat=5023&doc=9563&Language=1
The mammal Society
The Mammal Society has an enviable reputation for carrying out surveys of British mammals. We are successful because among our members we have a committed band of volunteers who take part in mammal recording and survey work. It is only with YOUR help that we can continue with our survey and monitoring projects that are designed to conserve British mammals for the future. Please contact the office if you want to get involved in survey work - your help will be much appreciated.
The following surveys are currently in progress: National Owl Pellet Survey, Pick up a polecat!, Water shrew survey
Gwent Wildlife trust – Hare & lapwing survey
A partnership of Gwent Wildlife Trust, the five Gwent local authorities, the RSPB and the Game Conservancy Trust are working together to find out more about two well known, but rapidly declining species, the lapwing and the brown hare.
http://www.gwentwildlife.org/harelapwingsurvey.htm
Marine Mammals (porpoises, dolphins, whales, seals)
Marine Awareness North Wales
The group conduct fortnightly cetacean surveys especially focussing on the Harbour porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) any cetacean sightings would be of great interest. Fill in the incidental sightings form and email or post it to the address below.
Contact Nia at the addresses below for information about joining the cetacean surveys and other marine awareness events.
Marine Awareness North Wales
Ymwybyddiaeth Forol Gogledd Cymru
376 High Street
Bangor
Gwynedd
LL57 1YE
nia@saveourseas.co.uk
Tel: (01248) 355030
Seatrust (South and west Wales)
Dolphins particularly Common, Bottlenose, and Risso’s Dolphins, and Harbour Porpoises but also other marine life including; Whales, Seals, Sharks, other Fish, Jelly Fish, Turtles and Plankton are surveyed, monitored and recorded by Sea Trust volunteers in Pembrokeshire. Contact Seatrust at the addresses below to report sightings, to get involved and find out more about what they do.
http://www.seatrust.org.uk/
Seatrust
Tynewydd,
Goodwick,
Pembrokeshire,
Wales
SA64 0JY
info@seatrust.org.uk
Tel: 01348 875639
Sea Watch Foundation
Working with the public, Sea Watch is a national charity, dedicated to the conservation and protection of whales, dolphins and porpoises around the UK.
Report your sightings using the online form at http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/sightingsform.php
For more information and contact details go to http://www.seawatchfoundation.org.uk/
Turtles
The INTERREG IIIA Irish Sea Leatherback Turtle Project
The INTERREG IIIA Irish Sea Leatherback Turtle Project is a collaboration between the University of Wales Swansea and University College Cork. Its aim is to understand the populations, origins and behaviour of leatherback turtles in the Irish Sea.
http://www.turtle.ie/report_jellyfish.asp
The Marine Conservation Society turtle
Since 2001, the Marine Conservation Society has been interviewing fishermen who have accidentally entangled leatherback turtles in their gear around the UK coast in order to gain some insight into why they entangle in certain gears. Very few leatherback entanglements are reported in UK waters each year, but the gear that most commonly entangles them are the buoy ropes of bottom-set static gear such as crab pots, lobster pots, tangle nets and prawn creels.
http://www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/turtles/marine+turtle+entanglement+survey
As part of our collaborative work on the Marine Turtles Grouped Species Action Plan, we encourage sea users and members of the public to report turtle sightings in UK waters via the UK Turtle Code.
http://www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/turtles/report+your+turtle+encounter
Sharks
The Shark Trust - Basking Shark Project
Basking Sharks are fabulous creatures in many ways. Not only are they one of only three filter feeding shark species but they are also the second largest fish in the sea - reaching a mammoth 11 metres long!
With a worldwide presence, Basking Sharks are also summer residents in the waters around the British Isles and the Republic of Ireland and can be seen from cliff tops and beaches feeding on plankton blooming in the warm surface waters.
Info - http://www.baskingsharks.org/
Record your sighting - http://www.baskingsharks.org/upload_photo1.asp?rootid=6215&toptab=4
The Shark Trust – Great Eggcase Hunt
Why does the Shark Trust want you to record eggcases? In recent decades several species of skate and ray around the British coast have dramatically declined in numbers. The empty eggcases that wash up on to our beaches all year round are an easily accessible source of information on the whereabouts of skate and ray nursery grounds. The identification of these critical areas will enable the Shark Trust to propose conservation measures, in order to reverse the decline of these charismatic animals.
http://www.eggcase.co.uk/
Marine Invertebrates
The Marine conservation Society Jellyfish survey
In an effort to understand the ecology of Britain's leatherback turtles, MCS would like you to help record jellyfish strandings on local beaches and jellyfish swarms at sea.
Sightings form http://www.mcsuk.org/downloads/turtles/jellyfishform.pdf
About the survey http://www.mcsuk.org/marineworld/turtles/jellyfish+survey
Id Guide http://www.mcsuk.org/downloads/turtles/jellyfishform.jpg
The INTERREG IIIA Irish Sea Leatherback Turtle Project Jellyfish Survey
Report your Irish Sea Jellyfish sightings.
http://www.turtle.ie/report_jellyfish.asp
Marine Conservation Society – Fanshell Survey (Atrina fragilis)
The UK has populations of a remarkable marine creature, and the Marine Conservation Society needs information on it! The rare fanshell (Atrina fragilis) appears to be concentrated in sheltered locations of UK waters, but we are lacking accurate population data. It is hard to find, and exists in mud, sand and gravel habitat. It is most likely to be seen by fishermen as part of the catch when hauling in nets from the seabed, or by divers.
http://www.mcsuk.org/downloads/mcsprojects/fanshell_leaflet_final.pdf
http://www.mcsuk.org/mcsaction/wildlife-protection/fanshell+survey
The Seahorse Trust runs the British Seahorse Survey
The survey has been running since 1994 and was set up to look for and monitor the populations of Seahorses around the British Isles and Ireland. This information will be used to form the basis of legal protection and conservation strategies for these highly vulnerable and environmentally sensitive animals.
http://www.britishseahorsesurvey.org/form.htm
Conchological Society
Here you will find access to details about the Society; its activities, publications and meetings; details of our Research Grant scheme; current recording projects; fun pages with a light-hearted approach to molluscs; and much, much more.
http://www.conchsoc.org/Frame_index.htm
The British Trust for Ornithology
The BTO has considerable expertise in the design, implementation and analysis of a range of projects from intensive studies to extensive surveys. It runs a number of national, annual surveys through its volunteer network to monitor the status of many of our bird species across a range of habitats.
http://www.bto.org/survey/
Marine habitat surveys
Seasearch
Seasearch is a national project for volunteer sports divers who have an interest in what they're seeing under water, want to learn more and want to help protect the marine environment. The main aim is to map out the various types of sea bed found in the near-shore zone around the whole of the British Isles. In addition we are recording what lives in each area, establishing the richest sites for marine life, the sites where there are problems and the sites, which need protection. http://www.seasearch.org.uk/
The Marine Life Information Network for Britain and Ireland ( MarLIN )
Warming seas, non-native invaders and human activities are all affecting our marine environment. Records of marine life are needed to inform decision-makers, to track changes, to find out why things are changing and, let's not forget, because recording is fun!
http://www.marlin.ac.uk/rml/
All species surveys
Porcupine – marine natural history society
Porcupine runs a marine species recording scheme for its members and any other interested parties. The main reasons for doing this come from: a) the interest of society members in marine biogeography and species ecology; b) the recognition that knowledge of species distributions is often very poor; and c) that many important records are lost because most existing recording schemes do not cater for the collation of informal records.
http://www.pmnhs.co.uk/recording.htm
Amphibians & Reptiles
Froglife - Snakes in the Grass survey
During the summer months, gardens throughout many parts of the UK can become an occasional stop-off for the largest of Britain ’s reptiles: the grass snake.
This national survey aims to find out more about the gardens and the circumstances in which grass snakes are observed so that we can better inform the public on snake-friendly gardening in coming years.
http://www.froglife.org/snakesinthegrass.htm
Froglife - Frogwatch campaign
In the past 30 years common frogs have been seen to populate many urban areas of the UK . The public’s increased appetite for garden ponds coupled with this frog’s opportunistic nature have made these animals a common sight in even the most isolated, urban backyards.
In 2005, Froglife launched Frogwatch, a national survey to find out more about urban distributions of common frogs, about their habits and about their garden habitats. The campaign is ongoing and we require as many respondents as possible...
http://www.froglife.org/frogwatch.htm
ARG UK
The ARG UK is a network of wildlife volunteer groups, which aim to protect & conserve the native amphibians & reptiles of the UK.
A list of groups in Wales - http://www.arg-uk.org.uk/contactsfurther.htm
Online recording - http://www.arg-uk.org.uk/please_send_in_your_records.htm
Birds
Gwent Ornithological Society
Local wildlife groups and councils in Gwent have come together to double their efforts to help the nationally threatened Tree Sparrow.
Once common in the Gwent area, the Tree Sparrow is now a very scarce sight. Some 20-years ago, Tree Sparrows were fairly widespread especially on the Gwent Levels. Just 10-years ago there were still good size winter flocks to be seen but sadly that’s no longer the case and today you would be hard pressed to spot a Tree Sparrow anywhere locally.
http://www.gwentbirds.org.uk/
The British Trust for Ornithology
The BTO has considerable expertise in the design, implementation and analysis of a range of projects from intensive studies to extensive surveys. It runs a number of national, annual surveys through its volunteer network to monitor the status of many of our bird species across a range of habitats.
http://www.bto.org/survey/
Gwent Wildlife trust – Hare & lapwing survey
A partnership of Gwent Wildlife Trust, the five Gwent local authorities, the RSPB and the Game Conservancy Trust are working together to find out more about two well known, but rapidly declining species, the lapwing and the brown hare.
http://www.gwentwildlife.org/harelapwingsurvey.htm
Insects
British Dragonfly Society
Recording the occurrence of Dragonflies and Damselflies is of primary importance in enhancing our understanding of these fascinating insects and taking significant steps towards their protection and the conservation of their habitats.
http://www.dragonflysoc.org.uk/frameset.htm?home&home
Bees, Wasps & Ants Recording Society
BWARS is the national society dedicated to studying and recording bees, wasps & ants (aculeate Hymenoptera) in Britain & Ireland
http://www.bwars.com/
Butterfly Conservation - Butterflies for the New Millennium
It can take as much or as little time as you like and you can do it anywhere you see a butterfly that you can identify, whether in your garden or at the top of a Scottish mountain. By recording butterflies you can make a big difference to their conservation and contribute to major scientific research.
http://www.butterfly-conservation.org/bnm/download.php
Plants
Veteran Tree Survey’ of ancient trees in Gwent
‘Old, gnarled and knotty trees? - let us know about them’ says Gwent Wildlife Trust’s Rebecca Price. The Trust is looking for volunteers to participate in its ‘Veteran Tree Survey’ of ancient trees in Gwent. Some volunteers have already braved the cold weather to start the process but Gwent is a large place and we are really keen to find more people to get involved.
http://www.gwentwildlife.org/ancientTreeSurvey.htm
British Bryological Society
In a European context, Wales is particularly rich in mosses and liverworts, having a combination of a damp and mild ("oceanic") climate, relatively clean air, and a variety of suitable habitats. However, many species have become rarer in recent decades due to factors such as habitat loss and pollution, and measures to ensure their conservation have become increasingly important.
Recording of mosses and liverworts in Britain (including Wales) is coordinated and carried out by British Bryological Society members.
Plantlife
By keeping a watchful eye on endangered plant species you can help ensure their survival. Plantlife run a different simple plant survey each year. The surveys are open to all the public and you do not need to be a botanist to take part.
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk/plantlife-wales-get-involved.html