The Solution

The answer to this problem is for us to start sending in records of what we have seen, but also to alert others in the community as to what wildlife is around. So we are setting up a Foot of the Wolds area wildlife sighting WhatsApp group and if you register below we will add you to that group. Then when sightings are made by anyone in the group you will get a message alerting you to where to see the species reported. For example this summer we had a number of Turtle Doves around the village – a species which has declined from 250,000 in the 1960’s to less than 50,000 across the whole UK. We get some rare birds on passage as well including Wheatears and Ring Ouzels this year and in the winter flocks of Golden Plover and Pink footed Goose. However, there are significant gaps in the records. For example has anyone seen Grey Partridge or Lapwing breeding anywhere in the local area or seen Brambling amongst the winter flocks of finches? Seeing the Fallow, Roe and Muntjac deer on village area walks is becoming more common but what about weasels and stoats or water voles – have they been seen locally? What species of plants, bats, butterflies, moths, bees, hoverflies or dragonflies can we find locally? When does the first Cuckoo arrive each year and what is the latest date we still see Swifts?

What we are looking for is anyone who lives or visits the area covered by the map below to submit records of any species they have seen. Where possible please send a photo with the record but it is not always possible to do that especially for birds, bats, butterflies, mammals etc, so where you have seen something that you can’t photograph then please mark your level of certainty (possible, probable, certain) and how you recognised it (eg for birds, seen or heard). You do NOT have to be an expert and records of any species of plant, fungi, amphibian, reptile, bird, mammal or invertebrate are welcome. If you can’t identify it yourself from the photograph one of the Opwall team or our academic associates or one of the volunteer experts on iNaturalist will identify it.

We need to record the species by 1km square. So for any records submitted please identify from the map below which square you saw the species as well as the date and time.

Once a quarter those in the WhatsApp group will get a Foot of the Wolds area wildlife report by email. The Opwall team will also upload all the records into iRecord so the species lists for each 1km square can be improved over time and incorporated into official reports about the wildlife value of the area.

It’s important to identify where in the Foot of the Wolds area you are when submitting information to us, and to do this we’ll be using the Ordnance Survey (OS) grid system. We’ve created a map that you can download below to find your location.

Download a jpg map of Foot of the Wolds with Ordnance Survey Grids

Download a pdf map of Foot of the Wolds with Ordnance Survey Grids

You can alternatively use the OS Maps online website, located here. Given permission to access your GPS location, you can use the website to find the relevant grid reference. This will give the full one, eg TF 35162 64885 – we however just need the first two digits in each block ie TF 35 64 in this example. Alternatively if you drop a pin to show your location when you send in a record on Whats App then we can figure out which square in which to allocate the record and of course it helps others in the group find where to see that species.

If you don’t have WhatsApp then please just send your sightings or photos to tim.coles@opwall.com

Fill out the information below to be a part of our Whatsapp Group