Recording and submitting sightings
Finding and noticing birds, plants, insects or other wildlife is one of the most enjoyable parts of getting interested in nature, but in many ways it's just the start. By recording and submitting your sightings you can help to build a much clearer picture of where species are found in our region and how their numbers are changing. We use this information to create annual reports and breeding or wintering atlases. Best of all, it's really easy to get started, and your data can actually help conservation/make a huge difference in conservation!
Moth c. Amy Lewis
The downloadable Cheshire (Vice-county 58) recording template for moths, below, is just one vector through which you can start the journey.
It’s designed to be as simple to use as possible and will check and advise you as to whether an input species requires additional information (such as a photo) even before you click on “send”. There’s an entire tab full of information on how to use the spreadsheet and where to send it once your records are input.
What happens next
Generally speaking County Recorders would prefer to receive records during November or December so as to allow time to validate them and get them safely onto the county database as part of the permanent record.
The database already hosts well over one million records and is currently growing by approximately 55,000 records a year. Once all the input, validations and database updating has taken place there comes a period of 6-8 weeks during which time the annual report is produced and made available to whomever wants to download it and records for the year are forwarded on to national records centres.