IDENTIFYING AND RECORDING LOCAL WILDLIFE

Following an earlier item from FERN about recording wildlife, this is a response to a request for further information

FERN can help you to take an active role in protecting and enhancing valuable wildlife and habitat in your community. Combined local action can have a significant impact in the protection of threatened species and habitats at both a national and international level. Wildlife recording is easy to do. You don’t have to be an expert to take part. FERN will supply you with a range of tools to get you started.

Suppose you found a species of animal that you had never seen before. How would you identify it? Identification keys for a wide range of plants and animals are available to assist you in distinguishing between various species. Keys are commonly used to determine the genus and species of a specimen. They are particularly useful when many species look alike. An identification key allows users to choose among species traits to identify individual species

Still having difficulties? FERN can put you in touch with local experts who cover a wide range of different species groups and who can assist you in identifying your local wildlife. Whether you provide a specimen, photograph or even a simple description of what you saw, experts are available to further assist you and narrow down and distinguish between often hard to spot differences. Individuals are listed below, and can be contacted through Shelley McCann on 01592 413793, email shelley.mccann@fife.gov.uk or Simon Scott on 01592 413550, email simon.scott@fife.gov.uk:-

Flowering Plants – George Ballantyne; Moths – Keith Bland; Wetland Birds – Allan Brown;

Bats – Phil Berkinshaw; Mammals and Creepy Crawlies – Gordon Corbet; Birds – Norman Elkins; Reptiles and Amphibians – Tom Gray; Bryophytes – Bill Hay; Aquatic Bugs – Thomas Huxley; Coastal Birds – Ronnie Morris; Snails and Slugs – William Penrice; Bumblebees and Butterflies – Anne-Marie and Chris Smout; Badgers – Gordon Wardrope; Fungi – Tony Wilson

Conservation management and wildlife protection needs a sound base of information. FERN maintains an environmental database containing a vast array of information and addressing a broad range of ecological and practical conservation needs; including habitat and species distribution and abundance, protected sites, landform and land processes data, among others.

This year FERN has identified three primary species that we would like your help to survey, namely red squirrel, tree sparrow and field scabious. But this is in no way a complete list. Records are also needed for many additional species, such as badger and bats, which are considered priority biodiversity species and are legally protected in the UK and for several more common, though often under-recorded species. Local community support is needed to meet conservation goals and protect biodiversity at a local, regional and national level.

Shelley McCann, FERN, Fife Environmental Services