Current SNS Surveys

STAG BEETLES

      Colin Hawes, who has been working on stag beetle research for several years is very keen to have any records for this endangered insect which has an important population here in Suffolk. Our site has a record form which can be filled in on line and which will send your record autonatically to Colin by email. It is recommended that you read the form before looking for stag beetles as you will then know exactly what information is useful. To go to our recording form use the link in the floating menu or click here.

 

THE WALL BROWN BUTTERFLY – a Single Species Survey

      Older visitors to this website will recall the Wall Brown Butterfly as a common sight from their youth, but younger visitors will find this a strange recollection. In the last few years the numbers have declined enormously and so this butterfly has been selected for a more intensive survey for which we ask the help of SNS members and the general public. This survey is being initiated by Mark Nowers with the assistance of Rob Parker. Full details are available on the Wall Brown web page so to read more then click here.

 

GENERAL RECORDS

     

The County Recorder System

      If you have records of wildlife in Suffolk that you would like to contribute to the databse of the Suffolk Biological Records Centre there are a number of County Recorders which handle specific groups of wildlife. To find out which recorder would like your records please visit our County Recorders page which will give you the correct address to send your data to.

The Basic Data Requirements

      There well may be much more information you will record in addition to the data listed below but for meaningful recording a minimum of the following is required for every record.

      Species Name

      : Latin is preferred for the name of the species you are recording but English is quite acceptable, particularly for birds and mammals.

      Location

      The name of the place where the record was made or a sketch map of the site.

      Grid Reference

      A Grid Reference of at least 4 figures (e.g. TM/1445)is an absolute must though 6 figure references are preferred (e.g. TM/143452). All Ordnance Survey maps have instruction on how to read a Grid Reference and you can get more information from the SBRC website. Post Codes are not accurate enough, especially in rural areas. For an easy way to find any Ordnance Survey Grid Reference in Britain try Keith Balmer’s handy ‘Grab a Grid’ page on the Bedfordshire Natural History Society website at: http://www.bnhs.co.uk/focuson/grabagridref/html/index.htm

      Date

      The day, month and year of the record

      Name

      Your Name (and address if a new contributor) of the person who made the record and the name of any other person who confirmed your identification.