A guide to recording natural history

Why record natural history?

Recording the countryside and wildlife can help us build a picture of natural history and its changes in Leicestershire and Rutland. People have been recording since the 1730s and in the Victorian era many Victorians kept nature diaries, some of which have survived today and still provide a wealth of information.

Getting started

You don’t need to be an expert to record wildlife. Start with something you enjoy watching and/or want to learn more about. Wildlife records do not need to be detailed, all they need to contain is the four Ws:

What was seen—the name of the species. Add the scientific name if you know it. If you can take a photograph even better.
Where it was seen—a wildlife record is more valuable if it has a grid reference. This is a six figure number which is taken from Ordnance Survey maps and pinpoints exact locations, helping identify the area where you were. You could also include an address, postcode, description of the area, nearest village or nearby landmark.
When—give the date of the sighting.
Who—remember to put your name and address on the record so we can contact you about the sighting if we need to.

"A guide to recording natural history" is a leaflet which outlines why, where and what to record. It also provides top tips for recording. Click on the link below to download the leaflet.

Recording wildlife (PDF Document 1.54 MB)

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Produced by the Community Heritage Initiative, which was supported by the Herirage Lottery Fund and Rutland County Council

A guide to recording natural history

Why record natural history?

Getting started

further information