Category Archives: Blog

Underexplored Freshwater Habitats in Ireland: Case Studies Using Riverflies

Ireland’s freshwater landscape encompasses over 12,000 lakes and extensive river networks, primarily shaped by Pleistocene glaciation. Standard aquatic surveys consistently target riffle zones, boulder substrates, and macrophyte beds, systematically overlooking specialised microhabitats such as seeps, temporary streams, turloughs, and those with groundwater sources including springs and the hyporheic zone of rivers that may harbour unique invertebrate communities.

Using Ephemeroptera (mayflies), Plecoptera (stoneflies), and Trichoptera (caddisflies) as focal taxa, this talk examines distributional gaps and discusses species found in some of Ireland’s specialised aquatic habitats, based on recent surveys carried out at various locations across Ireland.

Poll-A-Gen Needs You!

Poll-A-Gen – a research initiative aiming to map pollinator genomics across the UK – is currently searching for amateur entomologists to contribute to the project by collecting pollinator specimens from anywhere in the UK and submitting them to be barcoded. This blog includes info about how you can get involved.

Pan-Species Listing: How to Become a Super-Naturalist

Pan-Species Listing (PSL) is an exciting initiative encouraging naturalists to record ALL the species they have seen in the UK in a friendly and competitive way that promotes general wildlife recording and biodiversity in the process. In this talk, Graeme Lyons will introduce the PSL approach, describe the benefits of the framework, and then take us on a whistle-stop tour of the relevant ‘groups’ of wildlife in the UK (how to get into them, where to start, etc.). The talk will be sprinkled with lots of nice photos and anecdotes from Graeme’s storied career as an entomologist and pan-species lister.

Hogsmill Valley Biological Recording Project

The Biological Recording Company delivered six Field Recorder Day events at the Hogsmill Valley in south-west London between 2022 and 2025. We recorded plants, earthworms, beetles and pollinators and much more too. Read about what we got up to and what we found in this blog.

Backyard Bees: Private Green Spaces and Pollinator Diversity in Cities

Private green spaces, such as gardens and allotments, have an important role in supporting pollinator diversity within cities. This webinar explores the environmental factors that shape pollinator communities in these spaces, including the influence of both native and non-native plants. We will also examine whether gardens and allotments differ in their ability to provide resources for pollinators and identify which plant species are most frequently visited. This research aims to highlight the importance of private green spaces for sustaining pollinators in urban environments and inform strategies to make cities more biodiversity-friendly.

Barnet Green Spaces Network Training

The Biological Recording Company and Barnet Council are offering Barnet residents and volunteers a range of free natural history training courses and events, both online and in-person.

The Fungus Verification Consultation Project

UK fungus recorders shared their expertise through a national survey and workshop led by the Biological Recording Company and British Mycological Society, shaping a more consistent, reliable, and accessible future for fungal data in the Fungal Records Database of Britain and Ireland (FRDBI).

Revealing Insect Pest Pathways

All plants and animals carry a natural chemical signature shaped by the environment in which they grow and feed. This signature comes from stable isotopes – naturally occurring forms of elements that differ slightly in mass but do not decay over time. The relative abundance of these isotopes varies predictably with factors such as climate, geography, and diet. Stable Isotope Ratio Analysis (SIRA) is a powerful analytical technique based on this principle. It measures these subtle differences in isotope ratios, allowing samples to be “fingerprinted” according to their origin. Over the past several decades, SIRA has been widely used to trace the production and movement of biological materials. This presentation introduces the principles behind stable isotopes and SIRA, and explores how the technique can be applied to identify insect pest pathways. Case studies include house flies and wood-boring beetles, such as the invasive Asian longhorn beetle and Ips typographus.

Changes in the UK Stag Beetle Population

The Stag Beetle – Lucanus cervus – is the UK’s largest beetle. Males can be up to 75 mm long, including their impressive antler-like mandibles which they use to battle each other for access to females during breeding season. It is a truly beautiful species, inspiring amazement in all who are lucky enough to see one. Sadly, evidence from Europe suggests that stag beetle populations are declining across much of their range. But how are they faring in the UK? The south of England was historically recognised as a hotspot for the species. Is it still? A team of researchers from the People’s Trust for Endangered Species (PTES), the Natural History Museum (NHM) and the University of Cambridge set out to find an answer. Distribution records of stag beetles from 1998 to 2022 were analysed and compared with historic museum records going back over a century. The core range was found to have changed little overall, but has declined in the south west of England. Counts of adult beetles recorded together, although not systematic, indicate a worrying decline in abundance across the range. Phenology was also investigated. This webinar will share the findings from this research project, and discuss what can be done to ensure the long-term survival of this charismatic species.

Making the Most of Bird Sounds

Bioacoustic monitoring is becoming an indispensable tool for bird surveyors, ecologists, and conservation professionals—but how do you ensure you’re using it to its full potential? This blog covers the best practices for planning, running, and analysing bird surveys with bioacoustics, with a focus on high standards and practical application.