Photo: Wildnet/Matthew Roberts
Community Group or existing recording group
Recording what you see
Somerset Environmental Records Centre (SERC) is the main reference centre for biological and geological information for the county. It holds data on wildlife sightings, types of environments and geological information for Somerset. The species and habitat data the record centre collates helps to form the basis for setting conservation priorities for Somerset.
The data the record centre gathers on sites, habitats and species across Somerset is used to inform conservation strategy, development planning, and for research. Individuals and organisations can access this information through the data enquiries service. Enquirers seeking data for non-commercial activities, such as wildlife recording, conservation work and academic research, can usually access the data for free.
SERC has been helping to monitoring Somerset’s biodiversity for over twenty years. SERC work very closely with Specialist Groups such as the Somerset Butterfly Group to plan county activities, share knowledge and data and develop a good network of advice and support.
All sightings are important, from butterflies to hedgehogs, to the birds and the bees, so get out and about and record what you see! SERC is interested in all records – please don’t assume that we already know. Records of rarities are always useful and can aid conservation efforts, but equally important are records of widespread species. All records can be useful for plotting the distributions of species both locally and nationally, and for detecting trends.
iNaturalist is a really great platform for recording wildlife data, It's been around a while, is a trusted and well-supported platform and can be accessed either through a website your laptop or via an App that can be downloaded onto your smartphone. Like many things, getting the hang of a new way of doing things can be initially challenging but its always worth it! Once you have set up an iNaturalist account you can join a single project – such as The Big Count or join the broader Great Somerset Wildlife Count project, where you’ll be able to see all our counts. So bookmark the site, download the app on your phone and you can be popping in your sightings on the go and seeing them on the map straight away!
Photo: Richard Burkmar
Specialist Groups
There are a number of specialist interest groups dedicated to conserving and recording Somerset’s rich wildlife and varied geology. Joining these groups is one of the best ways to get actively involved in recording and get support from fellow enthusiasts.
SERC
Community Wildlife Mapping
Launched in October, SERC began their community mapping project in conjunction with the Taunton Wards and are now starting to see other parishes take the first step and set up their community mapping projects on iNaturalist.