Thank you to everyone who came out to join us in the Pangbourne Village Hall this past Saturday September 20th for our Autumn Recorders’ Conference! We had a great turnout from those of you in Berkshire and beyond with 46 attendees on the day. As well as getting the opportunity to connect and engage with other experts or with those passionate about recording our environment, we hope you learned something new or found a way to get involved further with initiatives or events near you.
As usual we kicked off with an update from Steve Wilkes, TVERC Director of what TVERC’s been working on recently. He also introduced three new team members: Laura Doughty as Ecology Manager, Katharine Flach as a Biodiversity Data Officer, and Siobhan Edney as a Biodiversity Data Assistant.
Following this, Rob Curtis, Biodiversity Officer provided insights into the latest field surveys of Berkshire’s Local Wildlife Sites. Ellen Lee, Biodiversity Data Manager for Species Data presented an overview of TVERC’s species records database, which now contains well 5 million records! She discussed what we’re doing to identify and fill geographic or temporal gaps in the data we provide.
Our first main speaker of the day was Catriona Bass who spoke passionately about her work at Long Mead Wildlife Site. Her presentation, titled “A Connected Community Approach to Protecting and Restoring Local Landscapes,” explored the power of community engagement in conservation and the progress made in restoring habitats in and around Long Mead.
After a short break we returned to hear from Stuart Croft, Senior Ranger at Blackwater Valley Countryside Partnership who gave his presentation “Boosting Barn Owls in Wokingham Borough”. Alongside plenty of great owlet photos he explained the basics of barn owl ecology, how his group chooses sites to put up owl boxes, and the importance of liaising with volunteers and landowners to give owls the best chance at thriving in Berkshire.
We had a ton of interest from people looking to give speed updates this year – thank you! Lesley Dunlop from the Berkshire Geoconservation Group & Oxfordshire Geology Trust offered a fascinating look at building stones and the interesting rocks (including ferricrete) that may be hiding inside. Sofia Marlasca Aparicio, a PhD student and recent TVERC micro-intern, shared findings on deadwood invertebrate records and suggested ancient woodland sites for further survey work. Marcus Simmons previewed his afternoon workshop on free mapping tools and encouraged participation in an upcoming moth and bat workshop on October 18, and to get in touch at marcus@cagoxfordshire.org.uk if interested. Jon Cole from BENHS updated attendees on the Insects of Dinton Pastures project, highlighting novel species and new trapping methods. Judy Webb concluded the session with a compelling talk on the conservation of rare plants such as Orpine and Maiden Pink in Oxfordshire.
After lunch, participants chose between two engaging workshops. Bob Cowley led “20 Unmistakable Tracks & Signs,” a hands-on session that introduced mammal tracking techniques with humour and enthusiasm. Meanwhile, Marcus Simmons and Julian Parfitt guided attendees through practical tips for using free mapping tools in species recording and nature recovery planning.
The afternoon brought a second round of speed updates. Ruth Staples-Rolfe shared the latest from the Mend the Gap project and highlighted how the initiative supports community recording efforts. Des Sussex spoke about wildlife monitoring across the Windsor Estate’s diverse habitats. Sara Kandiah closed the session with an update on the Churches Nature Count Initiative, encouraging participation in this national biodiversity recording effort.
To close out this year’s Autumn Conference, we welcomed Robin Scagell from the UK Glow Worm Survey. His captivating talk explored the fascinating biology of glow worms as well as the quirks of surveying them, and why it may be easier (or harder!) than you might think.
A massive thank you to our speakers and workshop hosts for the informative and interesting talks, and thank you to all our attendees this year – we hope to see you again soon!
A special thanks to the WISH Partnership for supporting this event.