Our in-person training courses are designed to develop natural history skills for both professional and non-professional audiences.
Upcoming Training Programme
Check out our upcoming in-person training courses below. Please note that our courses are often popular and spaces can fill up very quickly – book early to avoid disappointment!
Biological Recording 101
🗓️ Tue 03 Jun 2026
📍 Queen Caroline Estate (Hammersmith, London)
💷 £0 Non-professionals, £50 Professionals
🧑🎓 aimed at non-professionals such as Naturalists, Wildlife Gardeners, Conservation Volunteers
Understanding Invertebrate Assemblages
🗓️ Thu 11 Jun 2026
📍 Natural History Museum (London)
💷 £80
🧑🎓 aimed at Site Managers, Ecologists and Conservationists
Earthworm Identification
🗓️ Wed 07 Oct 2025
📍 Natural History Museum (London)
💷 £50 Non-professionals, £80 Professionals
🧑🎓 aimed at Naturalists, Biological Recorders and Conservationists
Training Courses for Organisations
We work with regional and national experts across a wide range of taxonomic groups and natural history subject. Below are some example courses from our portfolio, but please do get in touch to discuss your training needs.
Courses for Volunteers and Professionals
Biological Recording 101 is a 1-day classroom and field-based course that covers the science of species recording.
Learners are taught how they can convert their wildlife observations into high-quality species occurrence data using iRecord and contribute to local and national datasets.
Teaching Natural History is a 1-day classroom and field-based course designed for tutors delivering training courses to adult natural history audiences.
Learners will work through a series of group exercises (all of which have a natural history focus) that highlight good teaching practices and facilitate peer-to-peer knowledge exchange.
Understanding Invertebrate Assemblages is a 1-day classroom and computer-based course designed for site managers and ecologists.
Learners will be taught how to use Pantheon to interpret invertebrate assemblages for sites so that habitat condition for invertebrates is better understood and an evidence-based approach can be applied to site management plans.
Camera Trapping Mammals is a 1-day course designed to introduce participants to the principles and practice of camera trapping for mammal monitoring. We’ll demonstrate how to choose suitable settings, deploy camera traps for maximum success, and how to classify footage. Participants will leave the course equipped with all the skills they need to set up camera traps in their own gardens or other green spaces.
Botany & Fungi ID Courses
In collaboration with botanists Dr Mark Spencer and Henry Miller, we are able to offer a range of botany and fungi courses. Below are some example courses that Mark and Henry have previously delivered for the Biological Recording Company.
Botany for Beginners is a 1-day course designed to introduce total beginners to the world of British botany. Learners are introduced to botanical terminology, plant morphology, botanical taxonomy and identification techniques. The course is largely classroom-based with a small field component (to gather specimens). Students gain practical experience identifying plant specimens from several families.
Botany 101: Using Botany Keys and Guides is a 1-day classroom and field-based course aimed at those struggling to get to grips with complex botanical guides.
Learners are taught how these resources work, the terminology they need to get to know and are given some practice with botanical specimens.
Beginner’s Fern Field ID is a 1-day classroom and field-based course that will provide an introduction to the world of ferns, horsetails and clubmosses.
Students will learn how to use standard botanical keys and hand lenses to develop basic fern identification skills.
Winter Tree Identification is a 1-day classroom and field-based course that gives participants the skills to identify trees in winter. This is a useful skillset to have for any botanist – getting you look at new characters such as developing leaf buds. The course draws on the Trees in Winter AIDGAP by the Field Studies Council, which covers over 70 species and has been used on winter tree identification courses for more than 30 years.
Winter Plant Identification is a 1-day classroom and field-based course aimed at ‘improver’ botanists and early career ecological consultants who wish to develop their skills ‘off season’.
Students will explore the vegetative characters of plant material using The Vegetative Key to the British Flora by John Poland and Eric Clement.
Fungi for Beginners is a 1-day classroom-based course aimed at introducing beginners to the world of British fungi. Through a blend of classroom learning and outdoor exploration, students develop the skills to recognise key morphological features and classify specimens into major groups, gain experience using identification resources, deepen understanding of fungal ecology, and learn the principles of safe and responsible field practice.
Beginner’s Fungi Field ID is a 1-day classroom and field-based course that introduces the identification features of fungi.
Learners are taught how to find and observe fungi in the field, and how to use field guides to identify some of the more common and easier-to-identify species
Invertebrate Identification Courses
Our invertebrate courses are adapted from the structured training pathways developed by the Field Studies Council BioLinks project. We collaborate with a large network of invertebrate specialists, many of which are national experts in particular taxonomic groups. Some example courses are provided below.
Terrestrial Invertebrates for Beginners is a 1-day course designed for beginners to improve their knowledge of invertebrate taxonomy and confidence identifying invertebrates to order level. The course is designed to be classroom-based with a small field component, and can also be adapted to include microscopes if these are available. Aimed at beginners and those with little experience identifying invertebrates.
Field ID of Beetles is a 1-day course designed to introduce beginners to identifying UK beetles (order Coleoptera), in particular recognising key families and identifying distinctive species in the field. The course includes both field- and classroom-based components. The focus is on teaching key skills needed to identify beetles in the field. Participants will also be taught how to submit biological records of beetles.
Field ID of Bumblebees is a 1-day course designed to introduce beginners to identifying the ‘big 8’ species of UK bumblebees. Students build confidence in field identification, learning to distinguish between these important pollinators and understand their varied lifestyles and niches. The course includes both field- and classroom-based components. Participants are also taught how to submit biological records of bumblebees.
Mining Bee Identification is a 1-day microscope-based training course aimed at entomologists with some prior experience in bee identification.
Students explore the ecology and biology of the genus Andrena, before using an ID key to work through a teaching collection of ‘mystery’ specimens.
Earthworm Biology & Ecology is a 1-day training course aimed at those with no previous knowledge of earthworms. The course is designed to give an overview of the science of earthworms and is great for environmental educators, amateur naturalists, students and biological recorders.
Earthworm Identification is a 1-day training course aimed at those wishing to learn how to identify British and Irish earthworms to species level. The course is aimed at those who have a background in natural history and is great for biological recorders, amateur naturalists, environmental professionals, students and researchers.
Biological Consultancy Services
With over 15 years of experience working within the biological recording sector, our Senior Naturalist, Keiron Brown, has the networks and proven skills to provide a range of services for organisations and project. Some example services and publications from previous work are provided below.
- Biological recording project design and development
- Training programme (both in-person and virtual) design and delivery
- Training resource development
- Citizen science survey design and delivery
- Consultation with sector volunteers and professionals
- Report production and dissemination