Take part in the 2022 City Nature Challenge

City Nature Challenge 2022

Friday 29th April to Monday 2nd May

Help put our region on the map in this global nature recording event.

Record your wildlife sightings at any location of your choosing using your phone and the iNaturalist app. Don't worry if you're not sure of the species, other observers will help with ID from your photos.

RECORD are running drop in events, with 2 taking place in Wirral

RECORD are running two events in Wirral to help you get involved. Drop in to find out how you can be part of this amazing international Citizen Science project.

Saturday 30th April
10am - 3pm
Port Sunlight River Park

Sessions all day: Take part in a bug hunt.
11am: Beginners birdwatching walk (meet at the cafe)
2pm: Plant Detectives Walk (meet at the cafe)


Monday 2nd May
10am - 3pm
Wirral Country Park, Thurstaston

Sessions all day: Take part in a bug hunt.
11am: Beginners birdwatching walk (meet outside the visitor centre)

How to take part in the City Nature Challenge
and upload your sightings to iNaturalist

Find out more about these events and how to add your sightings to the Liverpool CIty Region iNaturalist results on the RECORD website:

https://record-lrc.co.uk/swift/cnc

City Nature Challenge 2021

The City Nature Challenge is a global citizen science event, taking place in more than 400 cities from 30th April to 3rd May 2021. Over the four days of the challenge, people across the world come together to share observations of the nature all around us, using the iNaturalist app. It's open to wildlife recorders of all ages and abilities.

The challenge in Liverpool City Region is being co-ordinated by RECORD, Merseyside BioBank and Lancashire Wildlife Trust and this year is the third time that the region has competed. 

How do I take part?

1) Download the iNaturalist app and make an account.

2) Join the Liverpool City Region project:

https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/city-nature-challenge-2021-liverpool-city-region

3) Photograph your wildlife observations and upload to the app. Don't worry if you're not sure of the species - other observers will help to ID from your photo where possible. You can also include sound recordings (e.g. birdsong) and photos of evidence like footprints too.

What happens to the data?

Observations uploaded to iNaturalist are available to Local Environmental Records Centres and other conservation organisations. As always, all records really are vital to conservation efforts. Records of both common and rare species help us build a picture of how our local wildlife is doing, which helps us understand how to protect it.

How many observations are we aiming for?

Last year, 5,946 observations of 978 species were recorded by 180 people in the area and we hope to beat these numbers this time round, but we need as many people as possible to join it to help make this happen!

Where can I find out more?

Take a look at these websites:

City Nature Challenge UK

Lancashire Wildlife Trust

Global City Nature Challenge

Merseyside BioBank

Thanks to RECORD for providing the information and asking us to get involved.

Garden Mammals on My Patch

RECORD's theme for this weeks My Patch campaign is garden mammals.

MY PATCH Week 3 - Mammal Theme

These are often the most elusive garden visitors and we usually only know they're around because we notice signs, like poo or footprints. There are 108 UK species of mammal, from field voles (most numerous with ~60 million) to the Greater Mouse Eared Bat (only 1 individual!).

1 in 5 mammal species face a high risk of extinction in the UK and some have declined by up to 66% in the last 20 years! Recording garden mammals can help scientists understand what's happening to their populations which informs decisions on how to protect them.

Owl Pellets: has anyone ever tried dissecting owl pellets? You can find the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions about owl pellets here.

Mammal poo - not everyone's favourite topic, but its often the main evidence that mammals have been visiting a garden. If you know any young mammal detectives with a particular interest, we have a downloadable activity here perfect for them. They might also enjoy learning the basics of mammal detecting here.

QUIZ of the WEEK: Mammals

Sadly no prizes but email info@record-lrc.co.uk with your answers!

1) How many mammal species do we hold Cheshire records for from the last 10 years?

2) What is our most commonly recorded mammal in the last 10 years?

3) What was our most commonly recorded bat species in the last 10 years?

4) Can you name these mammal footprints?

5) Can you name these mammal faeces?

A reminder of how to join in My Patch

Upload your garden wildlife sightings here OR email info@record-lrc.co.uk if you'd prefer

You can find resources and useful links on this page of our website.

Where you can, we'd love you to share our posts, news etc. about the campaign with your contacts and encourage as many people as possible to get involved. You can also post your own sightings with the hashtag #MyPatch to help spread the word and share with others what you've been up to.

Birds on My Patch

For just over a week RECORD have been encouraging people to connect with nature at home, through recording garden wildlife as part of the My Patch campaign. The theme for last week was 'Becoming a Wildlife Recorder' and this week's theme is.....BIRDS!

Female House Sparrow, Passer domesticus.
Did you know... a group of sparrows is called a 'Quarrel'.
We think it's the perfect name for these noisy garden visitors!

Observations

So far, we have over 100 Garden Wildlife observations on our iNaturalist page, which is brilliant! Thank you to everyone who's joined in and please keep your records coming in.

Add your Garden Wildlife Sightings here:
https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/my-patch-from-record-lrc


Online Resources

We're trying to make it easier for those people who might not regularly record wildlife to get involved (as well, of course, as those of you who are already pros!). This includes young wildlife enthusiasts and their families. Take a look at our online resources page for some helpful guides, tips and activities and feel free to share these with anyone you think might be interested. Perhaps you know someone who is looking for homeschooling ideas or similar?

INCLUDING:

Garden Explorers Collection - activities for young wildlife recorders great for ages 5+

What makes up a Wildlife Record? - learn about what information is needed to make your records as useful as possible

Out and about recording sheet - useful to note down what you've seen whilst out in the garden, all ages

AND MORE...


This week is BIRDS. We'll be adding more bird-related resources and links and would love you all to get involved by telling us about the birds you see in your garden.

QUIZ of the week... Bird Records!

Sadly there are no prizes, but we thought this might be a fun addition to our weekly email, reply to info@record-lrc.co.uk with your answers.

1) How many Cheshire bird records in total do we hold from the last 10 years?

2) Which bird species do we hold the most records for in Cheshire (in the last 10 years)?

3) How many different species of bird do we hold Cheshire records of (within the last 10 years, including sub-species)?

A reminder of how to join in My Patch

Upload your garden wildlife sightings here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/my-patch-from-record-lrc

You can find resources and useful links on this page of our website.

Follow us on facebook or twitter for the latest updates.


Where you can, we'd love you to share our posts, news etc. about the campaign with your contacts and encourage as many people as possible to get involved. You can also post your own sightings with the hashtag #MyPatch to help spread the word and share with others what you've been up to.

RECORD My Patch

Last week RECORD launched a new campaign called ‘My Patch’ and would love you to join in…

We’re challenging you to keep enjoying nature, whilst staying at home. Explore your garden and appreciate the amazing diversity of wildlife found there. We’re aiming to gain an insight into the species found across Cheshire’s garden habitats and would love you to join us through recording the wildlife you see in your patch.

Throughout the next few weeks we’ll show you how easy it is for ANYONE to contribute to conservation through biological recording at home. Gardens provide crucial habitat for many of our, often threatened, UK species. Yet these mini-ecosystems right on our doorstep are often ignored when it comes to wildlife recording. The more we understand about what lives there, the better we can help and protect it.

Each week, we’ll share tips, guides, resources and activities for all ages to get involved with. This is all about working together (whilst keeping apart) to get as many good quality biological records as we can whilst having fun and enjoying the outdoors.

Please remember to follow government advice at all times whilst recording wildlife.

Follow us on social media keep an eye on your emails to stay up to date.

How Do We Join In?

Upload your garden wildlife records to our new iNaturalist Page

We'll be uploading resources and useful links to this page on our website.

Where you can, we'd love you to share our posts, news etc. about the campaign with your contacts and encourage as many people as possible to get involved. You can also post your own sightings with the hashtag #MyPatch to help spread the word and share with others what you've been up to.

Hedgehog Citizen Science Project

RECORDS’s next Wildlife Exchange Session at Chester Zoo is hedgehog themed.

We'd like to invite you to our February Wildlife Exchange Session. Find out about an exciting new citizen science project all about hedgehogs that you could be involved with.

Wednesday 26 February

7 – 9 pm

Mottershead Suite, Cedar House, Chester Zoo

Book your FREE place via Eventbrite:

https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/wildlife-exchange-session-chester-zoo-hedgehog-project-tickets-91828428301

When was the last time you saw a wild hedgehog?

These much-loved animals have often been voted the nation’s favourite native species. But in recent years their populations here have declined dramatically, with rural hedgehog numbers plummeting by around 50% since the start of the century.

The species faces many threats including agricultural intensification, urban development and roads. However gardens, parks and other green spaces can provide perfect hedgehog habitat.

Chester Zoo scientists are launching an innovative new project that will see local people using camera traps to survey their garden visitors (including any spikey ones!). The aim is to find out which garden features are important to hedgehogs, understanding the habitat conditions needed for them to thrive. This knowledge will ultimately help to encourage and protect these charismatic animals and inspire communities to improve gardens and greenspaces for biodiversity.

Come along to find out all the details and learn how you could be involved with this exciting new project.

These evenings provide a brilliant opportunity to learn a bit more about UK native species from local experts. If you’re interested in meeting like-minded people in a relaxed environment, there’s also the chance to chat with conservationists, wildlife recorders and others to share experience, knowledge and ideas on Cheshire’s natural history and how we can all play a part in monitoring and protecting it.

What’s more…. There will also be tea, coffee and biscuits!

The event is hosted by hosted by RECORD and Chester Zoo.

Please note photos may be taken at this event for use in RECORD publications.

Dragon Hunters

Could you be a dragon hunter in July?

The British Dragonfly Society is in the process of launching a new citizen science project called the Dragonfly Challenge. This is a fun, educational activity to encourage people to spend more time outdoors over the summer.

Participants, known as ‘Dragon Hunters’, will have to try and find as many of the Challenge's six special species as possible within July. To do this they will have to learn about the species and their habitats, then explore different types of wetlands to find them all.

The species are: Large Red Damselfly, Blue-tailed Damselfly, Common Darter, Southern Hawker, Four-spotted Chaser, and Golden-ringed Dragonfly.

To access and download all the Dragonfly Challenge resources, and for more information, please visit the project page:

www.british-dragonflies.org.uk/content/dragonfly-challenge

Wildflower Hunt

Do you love wild flowers? Would you like to know more about them? And help save them for the future? So would we.

About the Wildflower Hunt

People have less contact with wild flowers than previous generations. There are fewer flowers around us and we seem to have less time to enjoy them.

Taking part in the GBWFH is a great way to enjoy flowers, whether you’re familiar with them or not. And by letting Plantlife know what you’re found, you’ll help our work to make sure that there are more flowers and that people can enjoy them.

www.plantlife.org.uk/wildflowerhunt/

Seabird Food Survey

Did you come to our talk about ‘Seabird Ecology’?

You might like to get involved in a seabird food survey, a coastal citizen science project. The survey will look whether wading birds use rocky and sandy shores as important feeding areas, particularly wrack (washed-up seaweed).

It has been flagged as an opportunity from “Capturing our Coast” to get out and do some science. Surveys can take place at any time of year.

For more information, see

https://www.capturingourcoast.co.uk/specific-information/bird-food