People in Cumbria are being encouraged to take part in a wildlife recording effort this summer.
Cumbria Wild Watch with Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) is starting this summer between June 27 and 30.
Cumbria is home to many places where distinct wildlife calls its home, such as mountains, lakes, woodlands, estuaries, beaches and cliffs, as well as parks and gardens.
CBDC, partnered with Cumbria in Bloom, is asking people in Cumbria, residents and visitors, to record the wildlife seen around them in an hour between the two dates, record what they see (plant or animal), where it was seen (grid reference), when it was seen, and who saw it.
This data is then to be sent to the CBDC.
The wildlife survey aims to build a better understanding of the wildlife of Cumbria to find out what species are seen, where, and in what numbers.
CBDC said it is also asking schools in Cumbria to record the wildlife on school grounds, school gardens or on field visits around the county on June 27 or 28.
Observations should be made over one hour and can include all plants, animals and fungi that one can confidently identify.
If you are not sure what you have seen, you can take a photograph and use iNaturalist to help you identify your sighting, CBDC said, adding that the app can also be used to record observations.
Cumbria in Bloom (CIB), which organises yearly horticultural competitions and champions wildlife conservation, said it’s ‘very conscious of the collapse in biodiversity in recent years’ and a ‘record to know what we have’ is necessary.
A CIB spokesperson said: “The CBDC’s predecessor, the Natural History Records Bureau, was set up in 1902 in Tullie House Museum.
“CBDC holds over 2.1million wildlife records and is the oldest record centre in the country.
“CBDC was officially launched on the October 22, 2011 at the first Cumbria Wildlife Recorders Conference at Tullie House Museum.
“As a result, CBDC is both a very young local records centre but also the oldest.
“CBDC continues to collect biological records, a tradition lasting over a century, for the Centre for Lakeland biological records at Tullie House Museum, a tradition unbroken since the time the information was beautifully recorded in a ledger.
“Cumbria in Bloom is partnering with CBDC to encourage all our supporters and volunteers to record what they see.”
They added that participation provides ‘the incentive to do your bit for wildlife recording in Cumbria’.
While observations can be recorded with pencil and paper or on a phone, CBDC suggests using the iNaturalist app for newcomers because it makes it easier by being able to identify wildlife from photos and downloads location data and records it meaning grid references do not need to be sought independently.
For more information, go to https://cumbria-in-bloom.org.uk/cumbria-wild-watch/.
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