How do I get involved?
There are many organisations collecting records and running surveys that recruit for volunteers or ask for occasional support. There are some things that you may wish to consider before getting started like how much time you want to spend recording and whether you want to record all kinds of wildlife or focus on a specific group. Some surveys are available all year round and others may be during specific seasons or months where species are most active. For instance, swift surveys happen in late Spring / Summer when they migrate to the UK whereas mushrooms are generally best observed in late Summer / Autumn. Some surveying may require going out with a trained specialist, particularly for protected species, whereas other species can be found with minimal preparation in your garden or local park. It is worth considering whether you would prefer going out with a group or doing a survey as an individual as this can affect which campaigns you take part in.
Most recording these days can be submitted through a website or mobile app, but some organisations will still accept handwritten records. Many groups are also on social media so if you are unsure what you have recorded you can ask other recorders; these groups vary from novices to specialists so you may wish to do a bit of digging to find one that fits your knowledge level (i.e. some groups use scientific names of species which can be somewhat intimidating if you are new to recording). Rest assured however that there are many ways to get involved with recording, whatever time, interest or level of experience you have.
