All wildlife sightings matter. We welcome records of any wildlife you have observed in Berkshire or Oxfordshire. Here are several ways you can share your findings with us:
Sharing single sightings
To submit details about a single or one-off sighting, you have two options:
- Use our reporting form.
- Use our recording app, iRecord.
Multiple sightings
For multiple sightings, there are three possibilities:
1. Use iRecord
It’s easy to share your sightings through our recording app. Here are some videos to help you use iRecord:
2. Using other recording apps
If you use another recording app or website, download your data as a .csv file and email it to us at tverc@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
3. Collate records on a spreadsheet
Use our Excel template to collate multiple records. This approach saves us time in processing the data, and it provides you with a searchable record of your sightings. View our guide to using the Excel input form for recording.
Remember to take photos to help us verify your sightings.
To prevent duplicate entries in our database don’t submit your record to multiple recording tools. And don’t submit a record to us in more than one format.
Create a useful record
To create a record we can import into our database, you must include specific information. Remember ‘the four Ws’:
- Who saw it?
- What did you see?
- Where did you see it?
- When did you see it?
You can provide additional details:
- abundance - how many?
- stage - adult, flower and so on
- sex - female or male
- evidence - photos
- how? - record type
What happens to your records
When your records reach us, we acknowledge them promptly. If you submitted records via email, that is how we will contact you. If you do not hear from us within a week, feel free to reach out at tverc@oxfordshire.gov.uk.
We are committed to the highest possible standards of accuracy with the data we hold. When we receive your data, we first log it. Next, we verify and validate it. Finally, we incorporate it into our database.
Verification
We examine the records you have submitted and ask, “Could this species have been observed at this specific place and time?” Many of our records come from experts, so we just check that there are no obvious errors.
For other records, our in-house expertise is sufficient to check the data. However, if the species is one that is commonly misidentified (such as otters and water voles), we may contact you for more information. Occasionally, especially when dealing with rare or challenging-to-identify species, we may consult a local expert.
We always bear in mind that new species continually emerge due to climate change. Just because something hasn’t been previously recorded doesn’t necessarily mean it hasn’t been correctly identified.
Validation
Before we enter your data we check that it has a valid 'who', 'what', 'when' and 'where'. Using our GIS software, we double check the grid reference you provided. Your written descriptions of where you saw a species help us cross-check.
We rely on recorders like you
We are a not-for-profit organisation. We rely on receiving data from every source possible to improve our database of environmental information. Your wildlife records will help protect and enhance our environment by improving our data quality and quantity.