Whether you formally submit records is entirely up to an individual. There is absolutely no requirement to whatsoever. But if you do pass info on then to make it useful and credible, other information about the observer and sighting circumstances are very often needed for reasons described by Steve above. And, as Steve also says names and recorder data are removed when passing info to, eg Consultants. I have been making my records of birds and other species and taxon available to various recorders for well over 20 years. I know, and am actually hoping, that these data get used in whatever way is useful to protect my local (and sometimes not so local) area and to help decision making. I suppose you could call it a donation to conservation. It makes my sightings worth something.

However, the forum is not a way of submitting records. You simply post them on here and they disappear off the page as the thread moves on, and do not contribute to the formal ecological records of GM ( someone please correct me if I'm wrong)!

Are you wanting to just share what you have seen, or contribute to the ecological record? If the latter, then yes, you will need to provide the info Steve has outlined.



-- Edited by Craig Higson on Wednesday 11th of September 2019 10:51:40 PM

DAtkins wrote:

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 Nobody else?  That's good to know.

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GMLRC shares biological data with many organisations. Those referred to below were just examples. More information about data sharing can be found in the Carbon Landscape Citizen Science Newsletter

GM Local Record Centre wrote:

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The GM Local Record Centre acts as a hub for biological data collected in our county. Any organisation with a bona fide need for access to data for conservation and other legitimate purposes may request records for a specific area. The structure of biological recording in the UK breaks down species into taxonomic groups and geographical areas, so we supply date to the relevant recording organisations for verification purposes to ensure the data we hold is accurate - these include Butterfly Conservation (Lancashire Branch), the GM Bird Recording Group and the South Lancashire Bat Group. Swift and Willow Tit records have been supplied to the RSPB and farmland bird records to the BTO. We also share data with the Environment Agency and the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

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 Nobody else?  That's good to know.

There are four essential pieces of information required for a wildlife record to be valid which are summarised as WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN

WHO is the recorder's name (real name) and this has always been a requirement since the time of Gilbert White whose Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne was published in 1789. Names are used for verification of records. So for example if you find a rare species of butterfly, the GM county butterfly recorder will want to know who the recorder is and probably contact you for additional information or just to inform you that your record has been accepted. However, we always remover recorders' names from data supplied to ecological consultants.

WHAT is the species name. The Simple Record Form uses the Natural History Museum's UK Species Inventory. If a species has been recorded previously (to our knowledge) in Greater Manchester then you will find it in the drop down list. However, if you are lucky enough to find a new species for GM then just drop us an email and we will add it to the dictionary.

WHERE ideally a six figure grid reference for the exact location should be used for all protected and priority species but if this is not possible then a site name and central grid reference. However, the latter option would result in some bizarre mapping with Willow Tits appearing in the middle of Pennington Flash!

WHEN - an exact date is preferable for all records.

The GM Local Record Centre acts as a hub for biological data collected in our county. Any organisation with a bona fide need for access to data for conservation and other legitimate purposes may request records for a specific area. The structure of biological recording in the UK breaks down species into taxonomic groups and geographical areas, so we supply date to the relevant recording organisations for verification purposes to ensure the data we hold is accurate - these include Butterfly Conservation (Lancashire Branch), the GM Bird Recording Group and the South Lancashire Bat Group. Swift and Willow Tit records have been supplied to the RSPB and farmland bird records to the BTO. We also share data with the Environment Agency and the Lancashire Wildlife Trust.

Hello,

Welcome to the forum! You will have probably noticed the following message at the top of the page.

GREATER MANCHESTER BIRDS AND BIRDING (**NOTE: this forum is NOT a method of submitting bird records to the Greater Manchester Bird Recording Group; therefore please take the time to submit your sightings to the group via one of the available methods)

So in addition to posting on the forum, if you would like to convert your sightings (forum posts) in to actual wildlife records which are stored in the GMBRG database and shared with the Greater Manchester Ecology Unit/Local Record Centre there are a number of options which are explained on the Manchester Birding website General Record Submission

Probably the easiest way to start submitting records is option 3 The GMLRC Simple Record Form. You will find a link to it at the bottom of the page. This works best if you register first with the GMLRC website and then log on before inputting records. You should find it intuitive but the attached document (see pages 2 and 3) explain how to register and use the form.

One of the best ways to get into bird and other wildlife recording is to adopt a local patch and visit it once a week (or even daily if you have the time) throughout the year. You will start to notice the different species which arrive and depart as the seasons change and probably most important of all, is to monitor the species that breed on the site. Recording over the long term is really valuable, as you will start to notice increases in certain species, and possibly new birds colonizing the area, as well as decreases in others.

As for which birds to record, the attached UK Biodiversity Action Plan Priority Species list is a good starting point, to which should be added any Schedule 1 Breeding Birds However, many birdwatchers record everything they see and hear , and it is probably more important to record the common birds than rarities, as these make up the bulk of our county avian populations . Although some may disagree with that statement

Living in Milnrow, you will certainly know the Piethorne Valley which is a Site of Biological Importance (SBI). You can view the boundaries of all Greater Manchester's SBIs on GMLRC MapApp Records are used by the GM Ecology unit to review the status of SBIs on a five year cycle and also help to identify and select new sites. When you input your observations into the Simple Record Form it will automatically detect whether the grid reference is within an SBI boundary and this information is added to the location data.

I hope that helps but if you have any further questions on wildlife recording please get in touch.

Steve

Welcome along! I'm sure you'll find loads of useful info on birds and birding. Don't forget the main web page which has loads of good stuff too.