Wildlife monitoring in a nutshell means looking for wildlife such as plants, animals and fungi and then logging what you find, where you’ve found them, and the time/date you’ve found them.  

Other words and phrases are also used to describe elements of wildlife monitoring such as citizen science, BioBlitz and biological recording.  
Some people record their sightings by using apps, some annotate paper maps and record cards which they can then upload onto websites. 
Some people look for a specific group of creatures at a particular spot over time, others might try and log everything they see in a site over a day - there’s lots of different ways you can help record wildlife and you don’t need to be an expert to get started! This blog aims to give an overview of what wildlife monitoring is, why it matters and how you can get involved in a way which suits you best.

Where to start?  

1. Find a site and choose a species or a group of species you’d like to record. This survey calendar displays many of the different wildlife monitoring events you can get involved with across the year – from Big Garden Birdwatch to counting frogs, there’s something for everyone. The calendar is interactive, click on the survey which takes your interest to find out more. 

2. The Natural History Museum in London have created a ‘Nature Recording Hub’ full of top tips and resources. 

3. For further support you can also join your local natural history society or environmental action group. In Bristol, we have the Bristol Naturalists Society amongst many local groups such as the RSPB Local Group, Bristol Ornithology Club and many action groups. 

4. Find out more and get support to monitor wildlife in Bristol-based green spaces owned by Bristol City Council - Monitor wildlife in our parks (bristol.gov.uk).

5. No matter what scheme you take part in, always remember to also log your records with BRERC, our local environmental records centre to inform conservation efforts in the local area. Find out more about BRERC and how to submit a wildlife sighting. 

Why does wildlife monitoring matter?  

Logging the living things around us helps to build a picture of how they’re doing, and the findings can be used to guide conservation action. One of the most well-known and accessible wildlife monitoring projects in the UK is the Big Garden Birdwatch – in 2022 nearly 700,000 people looked out for birds over a set weekend, making birdwatch the largest citizen science wildlife survey in the UK. Big Garden Birdwatch was one of the first surveys to alert the RSPB to the decline in the number of song thrushes in gardens. Since 1979, song thrush sightings during Big Garden Birdwatch have dropped by 81%. First ranked at number 10, in 2022 they came in at number 20. The declines in wildlife are complex with many different contributing factors. Scientists and researchers use this data to build an understanding of what is happening, so we are better equipped to find solutions.  

Wildlife monitoring can help build a national picture of what’s happening, but it is also very important on a local level too. The more we know about a particular site and who lives there, the more chance we have of conserving, enhancing and protecting it.  
An example of this is planning and development, an ecologist will access records about a particular site during the planning process - the ecological consultancy need to include a data search in the ecology report, at a specific distance around the site and they get this data from the local records centre. So, it's important that people send all recordings to local record centres rather than just hold onto them. Then the LPA (Local Planning Authority) ecologists will be able to pick this up when reviewing ecology reports and any protected or priority species will be looked into - e.g. making sure a survey is done if a protected species is discovered and certain mitigation is in place. They would also apply the mitigation hierarchy - e.g. first avoiding impacting on the important habitat feature. The wildlife records can help with this part of the process and better inform what happens on site. 

What wildlife monitoring have we done as part of My Wild City? With the help of volunteers and local people we've monitored the rare bath asparagus, glow-worms, winter birds, spring birds, newts, water voles, harvest mouse nests, bees, butterflies and more! Find out more on our 'Discoveries & Stories' page.

How has it helped guide what happens on the My Wild City sites?

Every month during the winter of 2022-23, alongside local residents we logged all of the different birds we heard and saw at Lawrence Weston Moor. We used a paper map of the site, and walked the same loop each time, writing down every bird we could identify by sight or sound. At the end of the session one person would submit all of the sightings to the Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS), Bird Track, and BRERC our local environmental records centre. As well as helping build a bigger picture about how our cities birds are faring,  the information we gathered also helped us practically manage the land for nature. For example we took into consideration that snipe were using a field we’d be working on in the winter months and made sure we didn’t encroach into their favored feeding grounds!

We’ve also trained local residents to monitor water voles at Lawrence Weston Moor and Saltmarsh Drive Open Space, their presence inspired big changes for the way the site is looked after. We embarked on improving the rhines, using a process known as 'keeching', where we removed silt and vegetation from overgrown banks to enhance the rhine network and extend healthy water vole habitats. Watch the My Wild City water vole case study here to find out more.

A glow-worm discovery in Stockwood Open Space changed the way we managed some of the grasslands, for example where grassland edges met scrub and woodland we've created 'glow-worm bays' - a series of scallops that are cut with hand tools on a rotational basis. With thanks to the Wild City Action Team volunteers a.k.a the Wild Cats! Find out more about glow-worms in Stockwood Open Space.

There are lots of different ways to get involved with monitoring, so much so that the wealth of opportunities and information can sometimes feel a little overwhelming! Keep in mind that we all start somewhere, it’s IMPOSSIBLE to know everything about the natural world, that’s a role saved for mother nature herself!
Your records can make a profound difference in how we can all care for nature, so get stuck in, who knows who you’ll discover!