Recorders' Conference

Established in 2011, the Recorders Conference has become an annual event, welcoming speakers and recorders from Cumbria and beyond.

We aim for a range of speakers and posters on a wide variety of topics - focused on a particular species, group or habitat; results of recording and monitoring projects; and ideas, techniques and resources to help you get involved. The conference offers a chance to meet others interested in exploring nature, share discoveries and learn more about the species which make their home in Lakeland.

Recorders' Conference 2026

Saturday 28th February 2026, 10am-3pm at Rosehill Theatre, nr Whitehaven CA28 6SE 

A summary of the conference will shortly be available from here.

Click the links below to see the slideshows from the conference.

Talks by:

Recorders' Conference 2025 Presentations

Saturday 22nd February 2025, 10am-3pm, at Tullie House Museum and Art Gallery, Carlisle.

A summary of the conference is available HERE. If you would like a slightly more detailed overview, you can view it HERE.

Click the links below to see the slideshows from the conference.

Talks by:

Recorders' Conference 2024 Presentations

Click the links below to see the slideshows from the conference.

Talks by:

Recorders' Conference 2023 Presentations

Videos of the presentations can now be viewed at CBDC Recorders' Conference 2023. You will need a password to access the site which is available to all on request.  You can view the slideshows without the speaker's commentary via the links below.

Talks by:

Recorders' Conference 2022 - Presentations

Open Mosaic Habitats in brownfield sites - Stuart Colgate, CBDC

Updating County Wildlife sites - Deb Muscat, Stuart Colgate, CBDC

 Wildlife in Cumbria Highlights 2021

Designating LGS in Westmorland Dales area - Sylvia Woodhead, Cumbria GeoConservation

Recording the Past:  Black Dubb Sediments - Tom Garner,  Researcher

Improving Cumbria for Pollinators - Carolyn Postlethwaite and Ryan Clark, CWT

Fritillary Butterflies of Morecambe Bay - Chris Winnick, Butterfly Conservation

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Recorders' Conference 2020

Our keynote speaker was Steve Garland, Entomologist and Chair of The Wildlife Trusts England Committee who talked about 'Recording Recovery - Biological Recording for a Wilder Future." The main room contained displays and posters from a range of recorders and societies:

  • Cumbria Dragonfly Atlas Online
  • Cumbria Lichen and Bryology Group
  • Macro photography demonstration using a laptop and plug in camera
  • Cumbria GeoConservation
  • Get Cumbria Buzzing
  • Cumbria Amphibian and Reptile Group
  • Digitally colour coding red squirrel fur and the potential conservation applications
  • Searching for Chrysolina oricalcia
  • Found Species: Tufted Loostrife (Lysimachia thyrsiflora)
  • Second Hand Natural History books for sale
  • Cumbria Fungi Identification Guide for sale

Read more...

Recorders' Conference 2018

This year recorders watched the first camera footage of a Pine Marten in Cumbria and learned more about their hitch hiking behavior from Kevin O'Hara Project Officer Vincent Wildlife Trust.  Delegates also heard about:

  • Rural and wildlife crime
  • Moth recording without a trap
  • Slow-worm Project Update
  • Recording Geological Sites
  • LOST - Looking out for Small Things

Read more about the conference.

Recorders' Conference 2017

Recorders joined our Annual Conference to hear talks that included:

  • National Biodiversity Network Changes and the impact on the future of CBDC
  • Earthworms
  • Slow worms
  • House mouse project
  • Stories from the Wildlife Register CBDC Recording Day highlights

Recorders' Conference 2016

89 recorders joined our Annual conference to hear about:

Local recording updates included:

  • Cumbria Fungi Group – Paul Nichol
  • House mouse project
  • Swifts in the Community – Bryan Yorke
  • Bats in Trees – Rich Flight
  • Mapping Cumbria’s Dragonflies – David Clarke
  • Ecosystem Canaries – Peter Woodhead
  • Trail Cameras and Recording Technology – John Martin

Recorders' Conference 2015

Topics included:

  • Launch of the Cumbria Bird Atlas – Stephen Westerberg, Cumbria Bird Club
  • Movements of Wintering Gees and Swans on the Solway – Frank Mawby
  • Finding and Monitoring Dormice in Cumbria – Tony Marshall
  • Lost and Found Fungi Project – Brian Douglas, Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew
  • Alien vs Predator – the Harlequin ladybird in Britain, Richard Comont
  • Cumbria Geoconservation Group and the Local Geological Sites

Recorders' Conference 2014

Presentations included:

  • What would Darwin Tweet? – Richard Burkmar
  • Polecats and Pine Martins – Elizabeth Croose, Vincent Wildlife Trust
  • CBDC Habitat Connectivity Projects – Moustafa Eweda
  • Recording Cumbria’s bats – Rich Flight
  • Lichens of Cumbria – Allan Pentecost
  • What’s at Witherslack – Jim Thomas

Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre

The Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre at Tullie House Museum, Carlisle keeps wildlife information for the county of Cumbria. Tullie House Museum, in its role as a local natural history museum, has collected and disseminated records of wildlife in Cumbria since its inception in 1893. From the early 1990s the Museum has developed a computerised database of species and habitat records in Cumbria and has taken the central role in providing a local biodiversity data service for the county. This role was restyled as Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre (CBDC) in 2010, a not-for-profit organisation hosted by Tullie House Museum and advised by local stakeholders.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreThursday, October 1st, 2026 at 1:23am
Over the next month, you might see more ladybirds coming indoors - especially if you live in more urban areas of Cumbria like Carlisle and Kendal. While native ladybirds will over-winter in garden sheds, leaf litter and crevices in woody plants or fences, the non-native Harlequin (Harmonia axyridis) is looking for somewhere a little warmer to spend the winter diapause and will enter houses to congregate in corners. These ladybirds are originally from Asia so need drier and warmer conditions than the native species.

The Harlequin is very variable - hence the name. The two examples shown here were collected at the same time in the same place! Some colour patterns can look very similar to the native species but generally Harlequins have brown legs and undersides while native species tend to have black legs/underside. Harlequins tend to be quite large too compared to the more variable sizes seen in the 45+ native species.

Over-wintering ladybirds won't do any damage and shouldn't pose a problem wherever you find them. But if you do find some in your home and they have brown legs, you can be confident that they are the Harlequin. Do record any ladybirds that you see so we can better understand the key locations of Harlequins across Cumbria and how they might be interacting with the natives.

And if you want to see a plentiful number of Harlequins this month, Mayor's Drive near Bitts Park in Carlisle is usually a good spot.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreWednesday, September 23rd, 2026 at 4:57am
Cumbria has over 1500 County Wildlife Sites, many on private land. We are working with @CumbriaWildlifeTrust to provide free surveys of these sites so we can understand their condition and help guide landowners to find management advice and support.

Find out more about County Wildlife Sites in general and across Cumbria using these resources - and contact the Cumbria County Wildlife Sites Project if you think you have a site and would welcome a survey.

https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/wildlife/county-wildlife-sites
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-sites-and-nature-conservation/local-sites-and-nature-conservation
Or the LWS Hub: https://www.localwildlifesites.org/
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreWednesday, September 16th, 2026 at 1:12am
As well as the excellent Plantlife resources and Waxcap Watch, CBDC has two upcoming waxcap training sessions - Thursday 8th October and Sunday 1st November. We're finalising details but do let us know if you would like more information/have priority booking by completing our expressions of interest form:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe5JQ99XCSMMIyUX641NL8EqGz6gXH4C2hItqp9EFL-iFXhKw/viewform?usp=publish-editor
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreMonday, September 14th, 2026 at 5:51am
It is apple season! The apple harvest looks good again this year - albeit with possibly smaller apples than usual. Traditionally managed orchards are good sites for biodiversity but their location and condition in Cumbria are not well understood. If you manage a traditional orchard, tell us about it. Do get in contact if you would be willing to share information about your orchard.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreFriday, September 11th, 2026 at 12:56am
Ever wondered who works at @CBDC and what they do? Over the next few months, we'll feature a different team member each month and find out a little more about their role. So watch out in October for the first profile.....

We asked a well-known AI chatbot to create a cartoon of the CBDC team and it developed this image. Find out what it got right and what it got wrong in the coming months.
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreWednesday, September 9th, 2026 at 1:06am
Biological recording in the autumn months sees a shift from recording flowering plants and summer migrant birds to fungi and winter migrant birds. Look out for the different fungal fruiting bodies that are appearing widely across different habitats at the moment - this year is already looking very promising for fungal forays.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
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