Making Records
A biological or wildlife record is an observation of a wild animal or plant that has been recorded - on paper, computer, video or audio tape.
The minimum information needed for such a record is:
- What animal or plant has been observed
- Where it was observed
- When it was observed
- Who observed it
Additional information will make the record more useful and can include:
- How many individual plants or animals there were
- What they were doing
- Whether they were adults and/or immatures, males and/or females
- What habitat they were in
What animal or plant has been observed
Precise records are better than vague records, so a record of 'Song Thrush' is better than a record of 'a thrush'. However, we need accurate records rather than guesses, so only record what you know to be correct. If you are not certain if you saw a Song Thrush or a Mistle Thrush then it is better to record 'a thrush'.
If you are not familiar with a particular group of animals or plants then there are several ways to learn how to identify them. There are many identification guides in Rotherham Central Library, many web sites which can help with identifications and there are expert naturalists in South Yorkshire's museums and naturalists' societies.
From time to time there are one-day courses on animal and plant identification hosted by a local authority, society or university - contact their web sites for details.
Where it was observed
Precise location details are better than vague ones so, if you are reporting something seen in your garden or a neighbour's garden, then put the address in. If your observation is out in the countryside then include a map showing the location as accurately as possible.
If you visit a site regularly, or are planning to visit a new site, then contact us and we will supply you with a map on which you can mark individual sightings.
Grid references are helpful in pin-pointing sightings but should be in addition to a description of the site, not an alternative.
When it was observed
An accurate date is better than a vague one and for current records please note down the date with every observation.
However, if you are reporting an old observation and you cannot remember the date then do not guess. 'Early 1990's' or 'Spring 2000' are quite acceptable dates in such a case.
It is not usually necessary to be more precise than a date, though there are a few occasions where time of day is useful - birds flying over, for instance. If you are counting mobile animals such as birds or butterflies then a time (or a range such as 0830-1100hrs) is also useful.
Who observed it
Always include the name(s) of the people who have made the observation. Many recording schemes do not accept records without this information.
If you are submitting records to Rotherham Biological Records Centre (or anyone else) for the first time then include full details - your full name, address and post code, telephone number and e-mail address.
How many individual plants or animals there were
There are many ways of indicating abundance, from the accurate to the vague. If an accurate count is possible then please do that. If the number is an estimate then please indicate that (e.g 6-8, c150, 1,000-2,000).
Plant surveyors use the DAFOR system for indicating abundance - Dominant, Abundant, Frequent, Occasional or Rare. There is a fair amount of personal interpretation in these rather vague terms but they are useful.
If the animals or plants differ from each other then give different numbers for each if possible. Please indicate if you are reporting a family party, with numbers of young.
If the plants or animals are behaving differently then give different numbers for each if possible.
What they were doing
It is always useful to know what animals are doing. This is easiest with very visible or noisy ones such as birds or butterflies. Please indicate if they are feeding, roosting, flying over, singing, etc. If you are reporting something you heard but did not see, then please make that clear.
If they are in dispute (mobbing a predator, disputing territory) include the species they are interacting with. If they are feeding and you can identify the food (e.g. butterflies feeding at flowers) then please include it.
Plants do not 'behave' in the same way but please indicate if they are flowering or fruiting, in bud or just the remains of dead stems. Do not assume that I know that you only records plants in flower!
Whether they were adults and/or immatures, males and/or females.
Age
It is useful to know if the animals or plants are mature or not.
Plants can be seedlings, young plants/saplings, young trees or mature plants/trees.
Most insects will be adults but some caterpillars and the young of some other insects (e.g.Water Scorpion) can be identified.
Immature vertebrates range from eggs/spawn, tadpoles/nestlings to well grown but dependent juveniles and to (semi)independent immatures. If they are adults then please say so.
Gender
In some cases the males and females are easily separated on sight. In this case, please indicate which one(s) you are recording. Please DO NOT write 'male' if you really mean 'singing' - always record what you observe, not what you infer.
What habitat they were in.
There are many ways to indicate the habitat that a plant or animal is living in, from a 'common sense' approach to a scientifically accurate one. The former is quite acceptable.
Please indicate the general habitat/land use - woodland, grassland, marsh, open water, bare ground, buildings, etc. If you can add to this by describing the type of woodland (broad-leaved, conifer or mixed), the size of the open water (is it still or running?) or the management of the grassland (tall, grazed by cattle, invaded by scrub, etc.) that information will be useful.
Any other details
Most records refer to live animals but please indicate if you are reporting a road casualty, dung, molehills, characteristic feeding damage, empty egg-shell or something else other than a living one.
If birds are flying over then please indicate the direction of flight. If there are several flocks or individuals going in the same or different directions then please make that clear. 6 individual birds flying south over a period of 2 hours is not the same as a single flock of 6 birds. In both examples it is helpful to indicate the time or period of observation.
If you are reporting someone else's observation then it would be most useful to include their name(s), but make clear that the observation is not your own.