Countywide survey for mammals, amphibians and reptiles 2015-2024
We are inviting everyone with an interest to take part in this countywide survey to collect data to produce a new county atlas. Restrictions on fieldwork resulting from the Covid-19 pandemic have led to the survey being extended into 2024
The last organised county survey was started in 1970 and resulted in the publication of Michael Clark's book, Mammals, Amphibians and Reptiles of Hertfordshire, in 2001.
This is a joint project lead by a small team, including Jenny Jones (County Mammal Recorder), Ian Flack (HNHS), Chantal Helm (University of Hertfordshire), Tim Hill (Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust), Ian Carle (Hertfordshire Environmental Records Centre) and Dave Willis (Herts Amphibian and Reptile Group), to manage the project.
The survey methods have several components including:
- roving records for all species,
- targeted visits to priority tetrads (2x2km squares),
- targeted surveys for small mammals and reptiles,
- records at/near your home.
We hope to achieve full coverage but at the least we will ensure one intensively surveyed tetrad (2x2km) per 10x10km square.
See our new Mammals Atlas Website with maps for each species to track progress with the survey.
You can submit records now through our HNHS records submission webpage or using this Excel spreadsheet and return it to the Mammal Atlas Team.
To submit records you will need the following information:
- who? your name and email address
- when? the date of the sighting
- where? the location, chosen from the list of sites on the HNHS website, and the grid reference, either 6-figure (e.g. TL236138), 4-figure (e.g. TL2313) or the tetrad identifier (e.g. TL21G).
- what? the species recorded and how many
- what? a live sighting, a dead animal, eg a road casualty or a field sign eg mole hill, badger latrine, fox dropping, frog spawn, bat detector reading.
For example for a sighting east of Baldock, in the 'site' box start typing Bald..... and a list of options will appear, chose the most appropriate one, in this case Clothall near Baldock, then either look up the grid reference on a map or go to the website Grab a grid reference and find the six figure grid reference TL279326, or the 1km square TL2732, or the tetrad TL23R and type this into the comments box.
The more accurate you can be with the grid reference the more useful the record will be for the archive.
For more information on how to give a grid reference see these websites Ordnance Survey or Kent & Medway BRC.
We are working to upgrade the records submission pages of our website to enable you to click on a map to enter accurate grid references for the locations of sightings.
All records submitted through the website go straight into our database, the more interesting records will be displayed on the website on the species groups pages for Amphibians and Reptiles or Mammals.
There will be information to help with identification of species likely to be encountered in Hertfordshire together with guidelines on evidence needed to support records. We are also setting up a system for validating records. Full details will be added here soon and can be sent by post on request.