How to Record - A Check List

A record is simply information detailing an observation of a plant or animal at a given place and time. Below is a check-list of things to take into account when recording.

Record as much information as possible - Always include the following:

Observer	Your name. Include address if not a Sorby member.
Site Name	Select from a 1:50,000 or larger scale Ordnance Survey map. Provide a clear description and/or a drawing, on a seperate sheet if necessary.
Date	Day, month and year.
Species	The full unambiguous name, scientific if possible.
Grid Reference	A 6 figure Ordnance Survey reference of the location of the specimen (E.g. SK/483.777) in preference to site. Instructions for calculating grid references are shown on all 1:50,000 Ordnance Survey maps.

If possible also include:

Determiner	For difficult or critical species, include the name(s) of any person(s) who made the final identification / qualification of the species.
Habitat	Description of the habitat where the observations were made / specimen(s) collected.
Abundance	How many are there? State whether counts are exact or estimated or give an indication of relative frequency (widespread, dominant, localised or isolated).
Behaviour	For animal groups - activity while under observation. Anything considered to be unusual is worth reporting. For plant groups - growth patterns/signs of disease. Associated species should be noted.
Other Relevant Details	Any other information you think may be relevant - time, weather, unusual conditions etc.

Ensure correct identification - don't guess. If you did not identify yourself then include the name of the determiner. If you are unsure, include as accurate a description as possible in the form of notes and/or sketches so that it can be clarified by someone more familiar with the group.
Record what you haven't seen. Sometimes it is important to record what hasn't been found at a particular location. This can be important when surveying for a particular species across a wide area so that distribution maps can show not only where species were found but where they were searched for and not found! Also if you have been noting an abundance of something for several years and all of a sudden it appears to have gone, note it down - it may be important!
Record in the field. Write everything down at the point of observation. Don't rely on your memory until you arrive home/next day/week/month and don't copy from field guides!
Check Grid references. When recording on a large site you can easily cover several grid references.
Don't assume someone else will record what you've seen. This is a point that can easily be forgotten, especially with commoner species.
Record common species. Just because a species appears to be common in your area doesn't mean it is common elsewhere! It is important to record all species you can identify, to allow trends to be identified over time - for example the present decline of the House Sparrow. Similarly, it is also important to record 'rare' species.

Example

An example recording slip (in this case for bird records) is shown below:

SORBY ORNITHOLOGICAL GROUP RECORD SLIP (one per site)
SITE NAME Nitticarhill to Barlborough Road				OBSERVER(S) A.N.Other
10km Grid Sq (2 fig) - SE/SK 47
YEAR.'02. Day Month	GR of bird 4/6 fig	SPECIES	DETAILS Nos, Sex, Activity, Habitat etc
6 5	483777	Whitethroat	1 singing from top of Hawthorn tree in hedge, W side of
			road. Adjacent barley field E4.1.7
" "	482775	Grey Partridge	2 flushed from edge of grass field with cattle E1.2.2
10 5	483776	Green Woodpecker	1 flying into Speetley Plantation from direction of
			Longrybank Wood A1.1.259