NESBReC recording was a lifeline during Covid because we moved here just before the
pandemic started. It offered connections for a new life in Aberdeenshire. Three years on, and
it is still a very rewarding pastime. It continues to be highly motivating, and spot-on for
physical and mental health. The driver to get out and record local wildlife year-on-year is how
I’ve come to truly appreciate our biodiversity; not just to note that it exists, but to do so over
time, and in the same local areas.
We often spend our free time out and about walking in different parts of Aberdeenshire. Recording is something I can do wherever we go. It’s lovely to be in different habitats and have new sightings – and better than nothing to come home with even just one or two records. Sometimes I have to force myself to switch off so that I can just walk faster to keep fit – and I also know that I can be a frustrating walking companion when I get sucked in!
I was a bit of a wildlife generalist before becoming a recorder, tending to be most interested in mammal and bird ecology and behaviour. As a recorder though, I’ve got to know plants better, and the smaller wildlife like invertebrates and amphibians. Many a happy morning, afternoon, or even half-hour have been spent studying things up close and photographing them, or really listening to bird song and calls – especially in spring. Time has just vanished.
The important thing for me is to be confident about a record, so I didn’t submit too many
species records early on. For back-up, it has become a habit to take a photograph, a video or
an audio recording whenever I can. Of course, it’s not always possible as the subject can have a
habit of disappearing! However, back-up is useful for any NESBReC follow-up identification or
confirmation queries – which has happened a couple of times. The number of records I’ve
submitted since 2020 has grown every year. It’s a symbiotic relationship: helping NESBReC has
helped me to learn about, as well as enjoy, our biodiversity.
Various methods have proved useful for learning to identify (ID) species:
Þ Training online – there are many free or inexpensive sessions/workshops.
Þ Training in person/in the field – some are free or there is a small charge to cover expenses.
Þ ID guides – there’s a huge array available out there, as well as the internet. The Field Studies Council does a range of affordable laminated fold-out field guides – which are invaluable if you’re just starting.
Þ ID apps (using your mobile camera and/or microphone) – try to sense check these too as they can come up wrong sometimes, but they are getting more sophisticated as time goes on. NESBReC will check if your record is doubtful or an anomaly.
Þ Camera trapping – I’ve deployed my trailcam in the garden, and under licence with Forestry and Land Scotland.
Þ Volunteering – in my case: in Aberdeenshire – for NESBReC, the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project, the National Bat Monitoring Programme and the National Plant Monitoring Scheme; and pre-pandemic – for our children’s schools’ wildlife gardens, local government, wildlife trusts, wildlife charities and a national park. Practical tasks, school visits to nature reserves, school outreach and survey projects have been invaluable for my overall understanding.
Of course, I will never have an encyclopaedic knowledge of wildlife, but each year I’m becoming better informed, I’m getting to really know my own area, and my experience is starting to contribute positively to my recording. I certainly never stop learning. It is rewarding that all of us recorders make a difference. I like the fact that, by taking the time and effort to send in species records, I help to provide baseline information that is used by multiple organisations or even private individuals. I relish being part of the process to achieve a better balance between protecting our natural environment and reducing the impact of human pressures. (We can’t just multiply and keep taking; we should try to give back and be part of the solution too.)