TCV

Connecting people and green spaces

Citizen Science resources

There is a Citizen Science project out there for everyone – no matter your age or ability. On this page you will find the following information:

Citizen Science surveys and recordings by season

A list of various citizen science/general conservation tasks by season can be found here.

There is a Citizen Science project out there for everyone, below is just a few examples of some you can get involved with…

Project finder

Year-round surveys

  • Dead Good Deadwood by TCV – Suitable for all ages. Deadwood is an important micro-habitat that supports nutrient recycling, carbon storage and soil stability.
  • Nature’s Calendar by The Woodland Trust – Suitable for all ages. Help scientists to monitor the effects of climate change on wildlife by recording the signs of the changing seasons near you. From leaf buds bursting to birds arriving and blackberries ripening.
  • Ancient Tree Inventory by The Woodland Trust – Record any ancient or old trees and put them on the map.
  • The Scottish Invasive Species Initiative – record sightings of six key species – American mink, Giant hogweed, Japanese knotweed, Himalayan balsam, American skunk cabbage and White butterbur. Any other non-native species in Scotland can be reported here: Scotland’s Environment 
  • WeeForests by EarthWatch – Suitable for all ages, can be done with kids or adults. These small forests are an outdoor learning resource and many types of surveys can be completed. Check out the survey guides: Resources
  • OPAL (Open Air Laboratories) project – Recommended for ages 10 and up. This project is no longer active so new data isn’t saved anywhere, instead the data is kept locally by whoever completes the survey. The surveys and resources are still available online.
  • Peoples Trust for Endangered Species – Record different wildlife species and habitats from stag beetles to hedgerows. You don’t have to be an expert and there’s no big-time commitment.
  • National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme on MammalWeb – test your mammal and bird ID by classifying images from wildlife cameras.
  • The Great Nurdle Hunt – reduce plastic waste and chemical pollution in our seas, on our beaches and in the wider environment.
  • The Big Microplastic Survey – this survey can be done on the coast, riverbank or lochside. It takes about 30 minutes to do and most of the items you need can be found around the household or are available at a minimal cost.

Spring (March, April, May)

Wildlife to observe and record:

  • Hedgehogs – report sightings of live/dead hedgehogs
  • Badgers – report sightings of live/dead badgers and active setts
  • Butterflies and moths – keep an eye out for the first butterflies/moths of the year
  • Ticks – record tick sightings and help track ‘tick season’
  • Birds – winter visitors are leaving and summer visitors start arriving. Look out for swifts, chiffchaffs and ospreys.
  • Trees & Plants – leaves/flowers are starting to blossom
  • Invasive species – report sightings of 6 key species

Summer (June, July, August)

Wildlife to observe and record:

  • Hedgehogs – report sightings of live/dead hedgehogs
  • Badgers – report sightings of live/dead badgers and active setts
  • Butterflies and moths – keep an eye out for the first butterflies/moths of the year
  • Ticks – record tick sightings and help map the distribution of ticks in the UK
  • Birds – birds are breeding and raising their young
  • Trees & Plants – plants are in full bloom
  • Invasive species – report sightings of 6 key species

Autumn (September, October, November)

Wildlife to observe and record:

  • Dragonflies –look for darters and hawkers
  • Butterflies and moths – look for red admirals, speckled wood, carpet moths.
  • Ticks – record tick sightings and help track ‘tick season’
  • Birds – summer visitors are leaving, winter visitors are arriving
  • Trees & Plants – starting to seed, late-flowering species
  • Fungi – many species first appear in autumn along with the damp, colder weather
  • Hedgehogs – report sightings of live/dead hedgehogs
  • Badgers – report sightings of live/dead badgers and active setts
  • Invasive species – report sightings of 6 key species

Winter (December, January, February)

Wildlife to observe and record:

  • Dragonflies –look for darters and hawkers
  • Butterflies and moths – most butterflies and moths overwinter in the larval or pupa stage.  
  • Ticks – record tick sightings and help track ‘tick season’
  • Birds – record winter visitors 
  • Trees & Plants – record first proof of flowering plants.
  • Fungi – the damp, colder weather is perfect for fungi
  • Hedgehogs – report sightings of live/dead hedgehogs
  • Badgers – report sightings of live/dead badgers and active setts
  • Invasive species – report sightings of 6 key species

Resources and activities for schools/youth groups

The links below contain themed activities which are appropriate for Primary through to High School ages. It is also worth checking the section above titled ‘Citizen Science surveys and recordings by season’

How to record/observe biodiversity

Recording wildlife year-round is one of the easiest and most valuable ways of contributing to the UK’s biodiversity data. You can do this via recording apps/websites or by submitting paper records to your local biological record centre.

Local Biological Record Centres are the focal point for recording local wildlife and regularly run training and surveys that locals can join in with. Their staff are extremely experienced and provide support to submit records and develop identification skills.

Biological Recording In Scotland – BRISC is a charity which promotes the gathering of wildlife data to increase public awareness about biological diversity in Scotland and to ensure that effective actions are taken to conserve nature.

Find your Local Environmental Record Centre here.

The most popular apps/websites for identifying and recording biodiversity are iNaturalist and iRecord.

iNaturalist – app/website where people can share observations of species. It includes an automated species ID tool and allows users to further assist each other in identifying species from photographs.

how to make an observation

how to set the correct licence permissions

iRecord– app/website that brings together wildlife sightings from many sources, so that they can be checked by experts and made available to support research and decision-making. It is operated by the Biological Records Centre (BRC) as part of the work of the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).

To record birds it is recommended you use the BirdTrack app by the BTO. This app doesn’t help with identification, it only managed observation.

Identification tools and equipment

Below are some free apps that can help you identify the wildlife you can see or hear. These apps do not submit anything to the NBN Atlas and are for identification only.

Lots of different apps are available, so it is worth trialling a few to see which one is most suitable for you.

ID guides and books

You don’t need to purchase brand new copies of guides or books. Check out libraries, charity shops and second-hand sites like WorldOfBooks, AbeBooks, eBay and Vinted.

Field Studies Council fold-out guides are laminated, lightweight, illustrated guides that cover a vast range of topics. They often sell packs of guides which work out cheaper than buying multiple individual guides.  

Collins Complete Guide series covering mushrooms, insects, trees, birds and much more. These books are a great guide to have and TCV offices across the country use them – particularly the tree and bird guide.  

Activity Equipment

You can get creative with activity equipment – for example you can put a white sheet of paper in any tray and make it a sampling tray – but sometimes an activity/survey will require specific equipment.

The NHBS site is where TCV purchase a lot of our surveying and monitoring kit from and they have a section specifically for classroom equipment.

TCV-created citizen science content, reports and studies

Practical activities

Guidance and ‘how to’

  • As part of the Scotland Counts project we have done some research to provide guidance to those seeking to involve volunteers in Citizen Science. It includes ideas on current participation in Citizen Science, motivation of volunteers and practical hints and tips for engaging new audiences.
  • Social Media can be invaluable in building communities to support Citizen Science projects. This simple guide gives case studies and practical hints and tips on using social media successfully in Citizen Science.

Citizen Science and the Community

  • Citizen Science – where to begin? Whether you’re an interested individual or a member of a local community organisation, a good starting point is to join in a national wildlife or environmental survey, and there are plenty to choose from! A wide selection of surveys, what equipment you’ll require, and where to share your findings, are highlighted in our guide to Citizen Science in the Community.
  • An example of community participation in Citizen Science is our Flooding Resilience Project which involves volunteers in the monitoring of water levels in communities at risk of flooding, which has increased in recent years with more frequent and severe weather events. The Flooding Resilience Project report for 2021/22 outlines how flooding project volunteers are involved in communities in different parts of the country.
  • Co-created Citizen Science recording with older people – Kinross Day Centre TCV partnered with Kinross Day Centre and Open University to Co-create a Citizen Science method that fits with the areas of interest and abilities of older volunteers.
  • Wildlife recording with volunteers with additional support needs – Cornerstone Galashiels TCV partnered with Cornerstone, Galashiels to learn how to work as a supported group with adults with additional support needs, enabling them to identify and record wildlife.
  • Phenology recording with young children – Dobbies, Kinross TCV partnered with Dobbies, Kinross to learn how Citizen Science could be integrated into their Little Seedlings children’s gardening group.

Reports