maryatkinsonwildonline: RECORDING WILDLIFE

RECORDING WILDLIFE

We can just go for a walk and enjoy what we see, but how much more useful it would be if we recorded what we see. This can be turned into really useful information to help build up knowledge of our wildlife. Without this basic body of information, no conclusions can be drawn, nor can any properly thought-out measures be taken to help safeguard wildlife under threat.

Cornwall is most especially well-recorded with a long history dating back to the mid 1600’s. Over time the names of many plants and animals have changed; possibly the place names have been changed or weren’t noted except in very general terms, but nevertheless there is a thread of information coming down to us for almost 500 years! This knowledge has for many years been collected and entered into our county wildlife records data base, at first onto a card index and then computerized in the years following.

Stella Turk whose husband Dr Frank Turk first began to collate the records for Cornwall.

She was made an MBE for her work at the Cornwall Biological Record Unit over many years. She was also an expert Conchologist.

Making a record

There are 4 W’s essential for a nature note to become a valuable and useable Record.

What? Is the name of the thing!

Where? Where was it found, seen, heard, collected? A 4-figure Grid Reference is essential, (and preferably 6 or even 8) together with the name of the place or the nearest place name printed on the Ordnance Survey map . ’round the corner from Mrs Jones’ isn’t much help!

When? The date the thing was seen.

Who? By whom? (Stick to the same name or confusion can arise. I found that in my early recording days I had gone down as M. Atkinson, MGC Atkinson and Mary Atkinson)

The first collected records of plants in Cornwall, by Davey, published in 1909 and reprinted in 1978

The next book appeared in 1980 by Len Margetts, then Botanical Recorder for East Cornwall, and another renowned botanist, Dick David.

By 1999 the records were all on computer on a programme called ERICA (Environmental Records in Cornwall Automated). This showed distribution maps derived from hundreds of thousands of Botanical records contributed by many recorders and verified by the Botanical Recorders for West and East Cornwall (Colin French and Rose Murphy respectively.)

Unlike previous books, this Flora mapped the records by grid reference, at tetrad scale, ie 2x2 kilometre squares.

This month we have seen the publication of Cornwall’s latest plant distribution atlas A Flora of Cornwall, a magnificent though weighty tome by the West Cornwall County Plant Recorder, Dr Colin French. It has a very comprehensive introduction, including a detailed history of plant recording and the founding of the Cornwall Biological Records Unit. The bulk of the book shows details of all the plants found in Cornwall together with photos and distribution maps for the majority of species. Altogether it is a well-presented, well-illustrated mine of information.

This Atlas is fully up-to-date, showing the distribution this time on a one square kilometre scale.

Over the years there have been various groups of people in different areas of Cornwall with either a general interest in Natural History, or special interest groups. This is a way of sharing interests, increasing our knowledge and forming friendships and many of the groups of plants and animals have County Recorders who will help identify, verify and collate the records for their particular speciality.

Changing circumstances change our interests and available time. The County Wildlife Trust has facilities for families to engage children’s interests, while the more specialized groups appeal to people who no longer have young children at foot. And a host of reference books and the Internet, together with the County Recorders will support those who prefer to work alone.

Being a member of the Cornwall Wildlife Trust and the more local Caradon Field Club here in SE Cornwall, I got roped into more intensive plant recording when out on a walk near Rame Head with Tony in about 1980. We met two elderly ladies who at once came up to us and one said to Tony,

“Here’s a nice tall young man. Please can you reach that and pick us a piece?” and she pointed up to a tussock of tall coarse grass growing on top of the bank above our heads.

And thus I got to know Rose Murphy, then the County Plant Recorder for East Cornwall. She had at the time started surveying the plants of Cornwall for an impending Distribution Atlas. (This preceded Colin’s, coming out on 1999 and following earlier atlases) Soon we met up at Liskeard railway station every Wednesday for getting on for ten years. Rose lived in Camborne (as she still does) and didn’t drive, so it was especially useful for her to have drivers with an interest in plants up here in East Cornwall. We spent many hours and many miles, delving into all manner of lanes, footpaths and inaccessible corners in search of plants to add to her meticulously-kept records.