Back in July I was asked to confirm whether the mammal in a photo submitted to Nottingham Post was a wallaby. Such requests are usually treated with some skepticism, but the animal pictured near Calverton was indeed a wallaby. At the time, I had no idea that this story would result in a flurry of other sightings, or that when we shared a map of locations on our social media channels to encourage more records – it would result a media storm that reached as far as the wallabies’ native Australia.
Our aim was to encourage people to send in records of wallabies and other species via our website using a platform called ‘Nature Counts’, which enables details to be submitted quickly and easily. We welcome species records all year round and verified records are collated as part of national recording efforts which help build a better picture of species numbers and distribution. Up to date records help us monitor the relative health of species and habitats and also help identify trends resulting from negative impacts such as climate change – or the spread of non-native species such as the wallaby. Species recording can also be a great way to learn about and to connect with nature and can become a hobby in its own right, rather than being an adjunct to activities such as bird watching or photography.
Uploading a record is very simple and because most of us now carry a mobile phone with a built-in camera – some of the guesswork can be removed from identification. Seeking out and identifying less popular species can offer opportunities to discover species never-before recorded locally or even nationally. If you fancy making new or at least rarer discoveries, I’d suggest going small. Fruitful areas include micro-fungi and micro-moths and groups such as fungi or mosses have the added benefit that they don’t move – giving plenty of opportunity to study them up close! Whether you are fascinated by a particular type of plant or animal, want to get more involved in systematic recording or just spot the occasional interesting species whilst out walking the dog, I’d urge you to share your records online. You never know, you may just spot a rarity or something that sparks a media scrum like the Calverton wallaby did.
Recording the birds in your garden is a good place to start and as the winter draws in and natural food becomes scarce, look out for species such as siskin and lesser redpoll amongst your usual visitors. If visiting wetland sites such as our Idle Valley and Besthorpe Nature Reserve, look out for egrets including cattle egret, flocks of pink footed geese and for whooper swans alongside mute swans.
Get involved
To upload local species records via Nature Counts visit www.nottinghamshirewildlife.org/record.