Citizen Science and Wildlife Recording
BANG Surveys
BANG participates in formal surveys and monitors various environments regularly. The results are then submitted to local or UK-wide nature organisations, such as:
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TVERC – Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre
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BBOWT - Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust
Submitting data to these organisations, to public bodies and to developers enables them to make informed and sustainable decisions that protect and enhance the environment in Berkshire and Oxfordshire.
We work with several local landowners and farmers, who give us access to their land, so that we can collect data there for them. The data gives them concrete evidence for their actions in caring for habitats and species.
To get involved yourself, you can:
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Take part informally, by just spotting wildlife locally and maybe photographing and sharing your sightings on Facebook Benson Nature Group Facebook
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Take records on paper, add them to a spreadsheet and submit them to organisations such as TVERC.
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Use an app, which can help identify species and some enable you to submit your sightings. Two options are iNaturalist and iRecord.
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See this novices guide, which BANG used to demystify and encourage recording. It also compares and contrasts the different techniques.
Personal Surveys
What We Survey
Birds – A team of volunteers conduct regular surveys on our patch to establish what birds we have, where and in what numbers.
Butterflies – We undertake transect surveys regularly and submit our records to Upper Thames Butterfly Conservation and the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.
Moths – Moth data is collected daily and submitted to TVERC and Upper Thames Moths. We run several public moth trapping sessions each year.
Plants – from time to time we survey plants in specific habitats and submit the records to TVERC.
River fly populations – We monitor these every month as these creatures are very sensitive to pollution from a range of sources. They are a good indicator of the quality and health of the water, which provides the habitat for other insects and invertebrates. Our records go to the Cartograopher.io Web site and any untoward findings go to the Environment Agency.
Water quality – We measure nitrate and phosphate levels in our streams and brooks, as part of Earthwatch UK Waterblitz Project.
Water voles – We record evidence of burrows, feeding stations and droppings along the Thames and the brooks and streams in our villages. We contribute the findings to the wider survey from BBOWT.
Biodiversity - We aspire to monitor the biodiversity enhancements in our new housing developments and the wildlife-friendly green spaces.
Apps for Identifying and Recording
iNaturalistUK - This is the best general option if you don’t know (or are not confident about) what animal or plant it is that you’ve found. The webpage provides an intro to recording, and also links to the app to download onto a phone if that’s your preference for recording.
iRecord - This doesn’t identify the species for you; a human expert does that later when they validate the records if you don’t know what you’ve seen (providing you supply a photo). The webpage (which isn’t as fancy as others) caters for submission of batch records.
iRecord Butterflies - This is the butterfly specific version of iRecord. It shows pictures of what might be flying in the area and also eggs and caterpillars for the listed species.
TVERC - A link to our local record centre. Another good overview of recording. They provide a spreadhseet template if you want to submit records in batches. If you aren’t submitting records on a spreadsheet, TVERC recommends using iRecord.
Share your records | Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre
The NBN - this doesn't accept records from individuals, but this webpage does provide a good overview of the different methodologies / apps for recording.
Record wildlife – a fun way to help nature - National Biodiversity Network