Surveys and monitoring
projects
There are always campaigns, surveys and projects
that require input from members of the public, on a national and
local basis. The listing below includes short and long term monitoring.
You don't always have to be an expert, and it is a great way to
learn more with the support of the real experts!
Many of the surveys require you
to register and send in data regularly, however there are also a
number of sightings projects where data can be sent in on a one-off
basis. These surveys are great if you are on holiday in the area,
especially to involve children - many of them include an information
sheet that can be downloaded from the web or requested from the
organisation. Remember to do this before you go away! Surveys of
this type are marked with 
Birds:
Report
finding a ringed bird
If you find a bird, either dead or alive, with an identification
ring on its leg then you can report this to the correct organisation
via this website.
National
Owl Pellet Survey (Mammal Society)
Pellets form a valuable source of information about the diets of
owls and, indirectly, about changes in small mammal populations.
Volunteers collect and send pellets monthly to the Project Co-ordinator
for analysis.
Bird
Track (BTO)
BirdTrack is an exciting project that will look more closely at
migration movements of birds throughout Britain and Ireland at all
times of year. It will also study the distributions of scarce birds
in Britain and Ireland. BirdTrack provides facilities for observers
to store and manage their own records and for forwarding records
to County Bird Recorders. The results will contribute to knowledge
of birds and to their conservation at national, regional and local
scales.
Breeding
Bird Survey (BTO)
Volunteers needed. Can you identify birds by call and song? Then
why not participate in the UK's premier survey for keeping track
of our breeding birds. Just 4-5 hours of fieldwork are required
per year. The BTO are always looking for BBS surveyors in many parts
of the UK, including Scotland.
Garden
Bird Watch (BTO)
The BTO/CJ Garden BirdWatch is a year-round project that gathers
important information on how different species of birds use gardens
and how this use changes over time. Gardens are an important habitat
for many wild birds, providing a useful refuge for those affected
by changes in the management of our countryside.
Scarce
Woodland Bird Survey (BTO)
In 2005 and 2006, the BTO, in partnership with the Joint Nature
Conservation Committee, is undertaking a ‘Scarce Woodland
Bird Survey’ to produce better information on the habitats
used by woodland birds. They plan to look carefully at sites where
these birds occur, and also where they do not occur, with the aim
of identifying critical habitat needs of a range of species. They
would like the help of anyone especially interested in woodland
birds. Full surveys or casual records of key species in woodland
areas can be submitted.
Big
Garden Birdwatch (RSPB)
Annual count of birds viewed in gardens over one particular week
in winter.
Heronries
Survey (BTO)
The Heronries Census began in 1928 and is the longest-running breeding-season
monitoring scheme in the world. The aim of this census is to collect
annual nest counts of Grey Herons Ardea cinerea from as many sites
as possible in the United Kingdom. More areas require covering in
Scotland.
Mammals:
Mammals
on Roads Survey (PTES and Mammals Trust UK)
The trust is asking volunteers to look out for mammals, both dead
and alive, seen during car journeys between July and September.
The survey has been running since 2001, and previous results are
available on their web site. You can enter your data online, download
survey forms, or request an information pack by post.
Living
with Mammals (PTES and Mammals Trust
UK)
The survey asks volunteers to record the animals they see in the
green spaces around them including parks, churchyards, allotments
and gardens for three months in the spring (april to june).
National
Owl Pellet Survey (Mammal Society)
Pellets form a valuable source of information about the diets of
owls and, indirectly, about changes in small mammal populations.
Volunteers collect and send pellets monthly to the Project Co-ordinator
for analysis.
Pick
up a polecat survey (Mammal Society and The Vincent Wildlife
Trust)
The current survey aims to identify any continued expansion in the
range of the polecat since the last survey and to identify the presence
of any feral ferret populations on mainland Britain. The Society
is asking members of the public to keep any polecat bodies found
on the road and contact them. The data will help them to determine
their distribution and monitor future changes.
Great
British Deer Survey (British Deer Society)
The survey has been designed to provide important information about
wild deer populations. In order to promote their welfare and humane
treatment it is important to know where each species occurs and
in what numbers. The second part which will take place between 2006
and 2009 will identify trends in age-class and sex ratio distributions
within the ranges of British deer and determine whether each observation
represents a resident population, an occasional route used by some
species or a one off escapee or release of a single animal.
Plants:
Plant
Invaders (Plantlife)
Help survey three of Britain's most invasive plant species
- Indian Balsalm, Japanese Knotweed and New Zealand Pigmyweed.
Deadline: 1st November 2006
Plantlife
- Juniper Survey.
Send your recordings of juniper with grid reference and altitude
to the Society. Forms are available for the full survey, or specialised
for climbers/ mountaineers.
Ancient
Tree Hunt (The Woodland Trust, The Tree Register and the Ancient
Tree Forum)
Ancient trees are a wonderful part of our natural world and heritage.
Your help it needed to find all the ancient trees across the UK.
A comprehensive map of all the UK's ancient trees would help us
to conserve them. There are thousands of ancient trees scattered
across our countryside yet to be ‘discovered’.
Elm
Map - an initiative to map Britain's surviving mature elm trees
and aims to raise awareness about the importance of elm trees in
maintaining fragile British ecosystems. If you know of, or have
found, a mature elm tree please contribute information to the survey
by entering records online at The
Ancient Tree Hunt website
Marine:
The
Hebridean Whale and Dolphin Trust - Report a sighting
The Trust always wants sightings of cetaceans in the area reported
to them, either through their web site or by post on forms downloadable
from their web site.
Marine Conservation
Society (MCS) - Jellyfish Survey
In an effort to understand the ecology of Britain’s leatherback
turtles, MCS would like you to help record jellyfish strandings
on local beaches and jellyfish swarms at sea.
National
Whale Stranding Recording Scheme
All UK strandings and cetaceans accidentally caught at sea (by-catches)
should be reported directly to the Natural History Museum (0207
942 5155) or via the Scottish Agricultural Centre's Veterinary Investigation
Centre, Inverness (01463 243030). If an animal is still alive then
the SSPCA (Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals)
should be contacted first with a view to keeping the animal alive
and returning it to the sea.
Adopt
A Beach (Marine Conservation Society)
Not quite a survey ... but still a very worthwhile way to help out.
From experience we have found this a wonderful way to get to know
your area and its wildlife better.
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