Getting involved and sending wildlife records into BIS

BIS aims to promote and support biological recording throughout its area. We are especially keen to encourage and help enthusiasts to start recording the wildlife they see and send that information into BIS. We will ensure it is checked and authenticated by local recording experts before it is entered into the database. It can then be made available for exchange with County recorders and National Recording Schemes to add to our biodiversity knowledge at a local and national scale.

To make a biological record we need the following information:

• What was the species you saw (Common name plus Scientific if possible)
• Where did you see it (local place name plus 6 or 8 figure grid reference)
• Who was the recorder and, if necessary, who confirmed the identification
• When did you see it (date)

Download a standard recording form that will help guide you to record the required information. We would also be pleased to receive records in electronic formats either from biological software such as Recorder 2002 or MapMate, or in a spreadsheet. Download an excel spreadsheet, which outlines the information we need to import records into the BIS Recorder 6 database.

If you do not feel confident in identifying what you see, you can send us a photo of an interesting plant or animal, or let us know of places you think are of importance for wildlife. We can pass this information on to the local experts for further investigation