That's a wrap on The Recorders Conference 2018! We had a fantastic day with many interesting talks on a wide variety of different organisations, project and species. We want to thank all that came, those that gave excellent talks and all that contributed to a great day.

Also a big thanks to all our recorders those that came and those who couldn't make it, you make what we do possible and are fantastic!

Species of the week this week is the European hedgehog, which should all be heading off to hibernation around now.

Hedgehogs are one of the few mammals that ‘truly’ hibernate meaning they don’t sleep, but rather drop their core body temperature and enter a state called torpor where they reduce all body functions to save energy. This is very different to a grey squirrel who do appear to hibernate but really, they just sleep a lot.

Hedgehogs are one of the more recognisable UK mammals, and they tend to prefer gardens to more rural habitats which can put them in harm’s way particularly around bonfire night (hopefully you all had fun but kept wildlife in mind). European hedgehogs as the name suggest can be found across most of Europe, including the Channel Islands where on two of the islands 25% of the hedgehog population are ‘blonde’ (leucistic) due to a recessive gene and a small gene pool.

The European hedgehog is in trouble in the UK as it is in decline across the UK and here in Cumbria population density is a lot lower than most other areas of the UK. Some theories think that the decline could be due to pesticides that kills off insects that the hedgehog relies on for food. Unfortunately, though there are many factors that could be blamed for the decline and so far, we cannot pinpoint the direct cause if there even is one cause. So, all we can do is continue to monitor population levels and gather more information so that we can continue to try and find an answer to the problem.

As the recorders conference is almost upon us, I thought I would tell you all about what a recorder is and what they do.
The name ‘Recorder’ is given to the all the people that go and gather data and record wildlife that they see. This data is then given to us and we process it and then add it to our database, that way the data can be accessed and used to understand biodiversity in Cumbria. Recording wildlife can be done by anyone they just need to record species they see and provide as much information as possible to improve the quality of the record for example: Where did they see it? What is it? When did they see it? Who saw it and was anyone else there to see it? How many did they see? Any information on what it was doing? Did they get any proof e.g picture?

The information that we gather from all our recorders contributes to the conservation and our understanding of Cumbria and the lake district. For example, we recently used this data to create maps to look at our Atlantic Woodlands (the lake districts rainforest) where they are and where they could be. This information can be found on our website and was created from data gathered by our recorders and LOST who went out and collected information on different plant indicator species. This information can then be used to understand what plant species we have, what we want more of and how this affects different animal species.

So, becoming a recorder is a great way to contribute to science and the future of biodiversity in Cumbria, it is also fun. So, for more information on doing some of your own recording follow the links below and sign up to come to our recorders conference, its free and there will be lots of interesting talks on wildlife in Cumbria.

Species recording sheet I recommend printing the species recording sheet out and taking it with you on outings so you can get the hang of recording and as a reminder of what information is needed for a quality record. : https://www.cbdc.org.uk/recording-wildlife/share-your-records/

Recorders conference sign up: https: //www.cbdc.org.uk/get-involved/recorders-conference/

Thank you Rachel Owen for the great picture of a Yellow Stagshorn fungus, spotted at High Stand plantation near Wetheral.

Wildlife crime in Cumbria.

Cumbria is home to some of the most spectacular and diverse wildlife in the whole of the UK, but this means it is also home to higher levels of wildlife crime. Which is why Cumbria constabulary have specially trained officers that investigate these crimes, and these officers work hard to prevent further crimes in the future. To find out more about the work that our local Wildlife Crime Officers do for our wildlife then come to our annual recorders conference where our wildlife, rural and environmental officer will be giving a talk all about their role.

There will also be loads of other interesting talks at the Recorders conference covering a wide range of topics:
• Slow worm project
• Recording geological sites.
• Moth trapping without a trap.
• Pine marten project.
• Curlew project talk.
So we hope that you have booked your place to attend if you still haven’t then that’s ok places are free and there is still time for you to sign up just follow this link: https://www.cbdc.org.uk/get-involved/recorders-conference/

A new youth nature network for Cumbria...

Some of you may be aware of our new local ‘A Focus On Nature’ group or AFON, but some of you may not yet have heard about it. AFON is a youth nature network that connects, supports and inspires young naturalists across the UK, providing a platform for people under the age of 30 to engage with like-minded individuals, share skills and knowledge, whilst hearing about opportunities within the area. The network also has a mentoring program that connects young naturalists with experts working in within different disciplines of natural history.

We now have our own branch representative for AFON set up for the North West of England which is run by April Windle, who oversees the Looking Out for the Small Things project, focusing on lichens and bryophytes in Atlantic woodlands. AFON is open to anyone who has a keen interest in nature and wants to hear about all the different opportunities available in the North West of England. . It is also a great place to share all the different work that youths have been up to and promote any projects that you have heard of.

So please do join and get involved there are so many interesting things going on and we will share any events going on at CBDC and Tullie house in there to so it’s a great way to get nature relevant information.

Search for the group on Facebook: A Focus On Nature - North West
Then click request to join then when your request is approved you will receive a notification saying you have joined, then you can start sharing amongst your peers.