In particular, the Trust are keen for the public to monitor the wildlife in and around the county’s rivers to help to build a clearer picture of the impacts that pollution from agriculture and sewage is having. Over the last few years, the drifts of water crowfoot, with their pretty white flowers, which were a key feature of the River Wye, have disappeared. Historically low numbers of salmon are regularly reported and many fish were found dead following last summer’s droughts.

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust’s Head of Conservation Claire Spicer says:

“We know many species in our rivers are suffering from the effects of pollution but it’s vital we have data to evidence this. The more information we have, the better we can understand the issues and target our conservation work to support the rivers’ recovery.

You don’t need to be an expert naturalist to take part. Records of common species and easily recognisable species such as mute swans, kingfishers or otters are all important, as well as less familiar species. Herefordshire Wildlife Trust also has an A to Z of wildlife on its website so you can do a bit of research before submitting a record if you’re not quite sure.

The records from the public will complement the data we regularly collect as part of specific surveys of particular sites or habitats to give us the most rounded picture possible.”

record.herefordshirewt.org/

When logging a sighting, participants are asked to name the species and location as a minimum and can also add detail on whether the animal is male or female, an adult or juvenile and a description of the surrounding habitat. You can also upload a photo.

Records are verified by experts on submission and the data also feeds into the National Biodiversity Network’s database, meaning records can be used by ecologists and scientists across the country to inform national policy decisions about nature and the environment, and national assessments of biodiversity, as well providing information to support local conservation work.

The website is also a great way to record wildlife you see in your garden, your local area or local nature reserve. Participants also retain access to all the records they submit so you can compare data year on year to see which species you are seeing more of, or less of, in your patch.

The new recording system was first created as part of the ‘More Data for Nature’ initiative, funded by a £127,800 grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, and a further £15,000 from the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts. The ‘More Data for Nature’ project works with local groups to monitor their wildlife sites, and collaborates with Wildlife Trusts from around the country to develop a framework for assessing biodiversity across a landscape scale.

To get involved, head to https://record.herefordshirewt.org/ to record the wildlife you’ve seen.

Notes

Helping Nature’s Recovery

Your records help us make evidence-based decisions to best support nature’s recovery. We know that Nature needs our help. Knowing what species are found in which locations is essential information for helping staff at Herefordshire Wildlife Trust to decide where we need to focus our efforts to help return nature to recovery.

Learn more about the More Data for Nature project

Sharing data with other organisations

Our data is hosted by the Biological Records Centre (BRC) who make our records available under license to national recording schemes, local environmental records centres (LERCs) and researchers at the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

Learn more about the BRC

Reviewed by experts

Hosting our records with the biological records centre (BRC) means we have access to the wealth of expertise of iRecord verifiers who can confirm the species identity of records submitted to Nature Counts. Of course, this is in addition to our knowledgeable staff at Herefordshire Wildlife Trust!

Learn more about iRecord verification

Published on the NBN Atlas

Our data is regularly published on the National Biodiversity Network (NBN) Atlas. This means anyone can see what data we hold, and see how it fits in with the wider world of biological recording.

Explore our records on the NBN Atlas

Built on open-source software

Nature Counts is built using software called Indicia, it’s the same software that iRecord is built upon. Open source means that it’s free to use and extend. Nature Counts wouldn’t be possible without the many organisations that have contributed to its development.

Learn more about Indicia

About Herefordshire Wildlife Trust

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust is the largest member-based nature conservation organisation in the county, with over 6,500 members, 500 volunteers and 60 nature reserves across Herefordshire. The Trust has 60 years’ experience of managing sites valuable to wildlife and people and runs a variety of projects and partnership initiatives from environmental education programmes to conservation projects to protect, restore and celebrate Herefordshire's landscapes and wildlife. The Trust is part of the federation of 46 Wildlife Trusts based across the British Isles.  For more information visit www.herefordshirewt.org