Special recording projects

The following special recording projects and surveys are powered by the Record Pool. All records entered through these projects goes into the main record database and in addition they also collect special infomation for their surveys!

Make the Adder Count

www.recordpool.org.uk/make-the-adder-count

Make the Adder Count encourages experienced observers to gather data in a standardised way (by making at least three and, ideally, five or six, counts of snakes) so that information may be pooled to build a picture of trends in adder populations nationally.This survey aims to encourage springtime counts of adders, with the objectives of informing local conservation projects and gathering a long-term surveillance dataset (recording started in 2005).

The project documentation comprises a custom Record Pool Survey form, a survey guidlines page and additional questions about the survey site. All records submitted to the project are also entered on the main Record Pool database.

Whats in your pond?

www.nmni.com/CEDaR/frogs/Whats-in-your-pond.aspx

An exciting new citizen science project for Northern Ireland, which encourages people to record the common frogs and smooth newts they see in their school and garden ponds. This information will be used to find out more about how the only two native amphibians to Northern Ireland are distributed across country, and to protect them better. The records collected are being collated by The Centre for Environmental Data and Recording (CEDaR), which is the Local Records Centre (LRC) for Northern Ireland and will be made available for conservation purposes. 

This project has used an embedded Record Pool recoding form on their own website,so all records submitted to the project also go into the main Record Pool database.

Scottish grass snakes

www.scottishgrasssnakes.org

This project is run by Chris Cathrine, Director of Caledonian Conservation Ltd who is currently researching the Grass snake in Scotland. Until 2010, it was generally believed that wild grass snakes (Natrix helvetica) do not occur in Scotland. However, three confirmed records were made in Dumfries & Galloway between 2009 and 2010, and there are other unconfirmed but possible records from elsewhere in Scotland. Research has since shown that grass snakes are present in Scotland, but we do not know if they are recent arrivals or their current range.

This project comprises of a Record Pool Survey form, a project information page and additional questions about habitat. The project helps us learn the distribution of Scotland's largest terrestrial reptile. All records submitted to the project also go into the main Record Pool database.

LARA (Lancashire Amphibian & Reptile Atlas Project)

www.lara-project.org.uk

LARA's objective is to produce the first amphibian and reptile atlas for the vice counties of South and West Lancashire, an area now covered by Lancashire, Greater Manchester and Merseyside. The Record Pool has provided a custom recording form which is used on the LARA project website. Records entered also go into the main Record Pool databse.

If you feel that your project would benefit from a custom Record Pool recording form or mini-website, please get in touch. 

If you'd like to use a standard Record Pool recording form on your website, or promote the Record Pool, please see our Linking the Record Pool to your website page.