We welcome all records from within TWIC’s area, no matter how common or rare – all data contribute to knowledge of species distributions and provide baseline data that allows us to detect future changes.

What to record

Bumblebee ID Workshop at Vogrie Country Park, July 2016. Photo copyright David Palmar, www.photoscot.co.uk.

To ensure a record is valid, it must contain:

  • Who: the full name of the recorder and contact details (to follow up if we need more information)
  • What: the common or scientific name of the species that you saw (you can check current names on the NBN Atlas Scotland)
  • Where: a location name and the grid reference (you can use online sites such as Grid Reference Finder or download the free OS Locate phone app)
  • When: the date of your sighting, ideally DD/MM/YYYY but month and year, or even year, is acceptable too

Feel free to share with us any other useful and applicable information like habitat, number seen, substrate, sex, stage and survey method (e.g. moth trap)

How to Record

It has never been easier to get involved with recording, with many apps like iRecord available to record and submit data on the go. TWIC gets access to the majority of iRecord data after it has been verified. Please note that TWIC is not responsible for external websites or recording apps.

If you prefer, you can enter your sightings into a spreadsheet and email it to us. If choosing this method, it would be helpful for us if you submit your sightings in a batch e.g. annually or bi-annually.

You can also now submit your sightings on our website, below. This is useful if you only have one or two records and want to submit them quickly as you will need to fill out the form for each sighting.

Dawn chorus workshop at Hadfast Valley SWT Reserve, Midlothian. Photo by Natalie Harmsworth.