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:

• Jody Fergusson, Cumbria Local Nature Partnership - Overview of Nature Recovery in Cumbria
• Martin Harris, CBDC Recording Officer - CBDC Recording in 2025 Wrapped!
• Carrie Hedges, University of Cumbria - The Dynamics and Future of Montane Scrub in Cumbria and the UK
• James Cobbold, Raise: Cumbria Community Forest - A Neuroaffirming Volunteer Programme for Woodland Creation
• Jude Hartley with Aimee Campbell and John Martin, Cumbria Harvest Mice Project - Cumbria Harvest Mice Project
• David Clarke, British Dragonfly Society County Recorder - The White-faced Darter Introduction Update
• Sylvia Woodhead, Cumbria GeoConservation - Cumbrian Rocks from Space and Other Developments
• University of Cumbria Wildlife Media students - A Community of Recorders screening
• Rachel Hutchinson and Stephen Henderson, Eden Rivers Trust - Using eDNA to Identify Key Species in the Upper Eden Catchment
• Matt Taylor, ecologist and bat surveyor for Duddon Valley Catchment Project - A Duddon Valley Catchment Project: Bat sound monitoring (and its bycatch)
• Mike Douglas, South Lakes Ecology - Bio-acoustic Monitoring for Breeding Bird Survey
• Jenny Garbe, West Cumbria Rivers Trust - A Wilder Walkmill (followed by a guided walk at Walkmill) 

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:

• Martin Harris, CBDC Recording Officer - CBDC Recording in 2025
• Pete Jones, Skiddaw Forest Project Manager at Cumbria Wildlife Trust - Skiddaw Forest
• Rhian Ebrey, Access to Eden Project Manager at Eden Rivers Trust - Access to Eden
• Chris Hind, County Recorder - Birds and Cumbria Bird Club - Birds in Cumbria 2024
• David Clarke, British Dragonfly Society County Recorder - Dragonflies in Cumbria 2024
• Mike Porter, BSBI Vice County Recorder and Flora of Cumbria Group - Recording Highlights Plants in 2024
• Tanya Hoare, Sedbergh Community Swifts - Swifts in Cumbria
• Carrie Hedges, Angus Walsh and Georgie Stephens, Cumbria Woodlands/Plantlife - #Species Survival Fund –Rainforest Restoration Project
• Sylvia Woodhead, Cumbria GeoConservation - Geology Highlights in 2024
• Aimee Campbell, Bothel Community Wildlife Group (BCWG) - Introducing BCWG and Torpenhow Bioblitz
• David Scott-Langley, Cumbria Invertebrate Group (CIG) - Introducing CIG

Recorders' Conference 2024 Presentations

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

Talks by:

• Beth Middleton, Westmorland & Furness Council - Cumbria Local Nature Recovery Strategy
• Joe Clements & Elizabeth Ogilvie, Lowther Estate - Developments at Lowther
• Paddy Palmer & Matterdale Nature Watch - Species & Habitat Recording by the Matterdale Volunteers
• Ian Jackson - Without Geodiversity there would be no Biodiversity
• Mike Porter, Cumbria Flora Group - Vascular Plants Recording Highlights
• Pete Martin, Cumbria Lichen and Bryophyte Group - Lichen Recording Highlights
• Frank Mawby - Why do we Ring Birds?
• John Martin - The Benefits of technology: Discovering things you didn't know were there
• David Clarke, British Dragonfly Recorder for Cumbria - Odonata Recording Highlights
• Chris Hind, Cumbria Bird Group - Bird Recording Highlights
• Suzanne Collinson and Matt Carr, Cumbria Amphibian and Reptile Group - Amphibian Recording Highlights
• Suzanne Collinson, Cumberland Bat Group - Bat Update (see previous slides)
• Steve Garland - Recording Scorpionflies, Snakeflies and Snow Fleas
• Sylvia Woodhead, Cumbria Geoconservation - Revealing the Foundations
• Guy Broome - A History of Biological Recording
• David Jutson - Out of sight but not out of mind: marine shelled protozoans and microcrustacea
• David Perkins - Hairy-foot, long-tongue

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:

• Stuart Colgate, Recording Officer, CBDC - Introduction to species recording and what is CBDC?
• Sylvia Woodhead, Cumbria GeoConservation - Geology Record Highlights
• David Taylor-Norman, West Cumbria Rivers Trust - Riverfly, the secret world of freshwater ecosystems
• Moustafa Eweda, Data Manager, CBDC - CBDC Projects Update
• David Clarke, British Dragonfly Society Recorder for Cumbria - Recorders’ Highlights – Dragonflies
• Mike Porter, Joint Botanical County Recorder - Recorders’ Highlights – A brief summary of Botanical activity in Cumbria 
• Paul Evans, Cumbria Local Nature Partnership Manager - Cumbria’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy – a new approach or just another plan. That’s down to us!
• Stuart Colgate, Recording Officer, CBDC - Recorders’ Highlights - Fungi

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

• • Amphibian, reptiles & Bats - Suzie Collinson, Cumbria Amphibian and Reptile Group/Cumberland Bat Group
  • Fungi - Paul Nichol - Cumbria Fungi Group
  • Harvest Mouse -  John Martin, Cumbria Mammal Group
  • Birds - Chris Hind - Cumbria Bird Club
  • Items of Botanical interest - Mike Porter - Cumbria Botany Group
  • Moths - Guy Broome  and Martin Tordoff - Cumbria Moth Group
  • Lichen and Bryophyte - Clare Shaw, Cumbria Lichen and Bryology Group
  • Dragon & Damselflies - David Clarke, British Dragonfly Society

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