Recording and mapping the presence and distribution of plants and animals creates a clearer picture of wildlife communities in the isles – it helps identify population trends and informs conservation decisions. There are gaps in what we know about many species in the North Isles, including some familiar plants and animals as well as those that are rare or endangered.
Getting started
You can get involved in this project by sending in your wildlife records to the Orkney Wildlife Information and Records Centre, by helping to survey one of our target species projects or by joining in with events and activities that will be organized in the isles between 2021 – 2023.
Watch the video below to see Orkney naturalist Tim Dean, explore his local patch in Kirkwall during the Covid-19 lockdown and discuss why making a record of wildlife can be useful now and in years to come.
You can record wildlife anywhere – your back garden, on a daily walk or any location that you visit. Each time you visit a site there is a chance to spot something new. In the video below, Tim looks at what you might find in a sand dune – in this case, at Churchill Barrier No.4.
What information do I need to send?
- Your name
- The name of the plant or animal that you recorded.
- Location – preferably a grid reference, or a place name as close to the sighting as possible.
- The date of the record.
Where do I send my records?
You can send individual wildlife records or a batch of records collected over a period of time. Send them directly to the Orkney Wildlife Information and Records Centre by email: or post to Sydney Gauld, Orkney Library and Archive, 44 Junction Road, Kirkwall, Orkney, KW15 1AG
or
to the County Recorders for the different species groups. Their details can be found on the Orkney Field Club website here.
Target species and special projects
Click on the images below to find out more about some of our target species and ways to help survey and record their presence in the isles.