Local Recording Groups

Whether your passion lies with mosses or moths, there are formal and informal groups and societies that can help you learn more about the fascinating wildlife in Cumbria, as well as how to identify and record it. Local groups are a great way of learning more about wildlife!

Featured below is a selection of popular groups we work with in Cumbria. If you’re looking for something specific but struggling to find it, then feel free to contact us and we’ll give you a hand.

Many local groups contribute to the county’s annual natural history report, ‘Birds and Wildlife in Cumbria’ which is published by Cumbria Bird Club. CBDC supports ‘Birds and Wildlife in Cumbria’ by providing data to the authors of the publication’s various reports. Copies of the report are available from the Tullie House shop or from Cumbria Bird Club.

You’re always welcome to send records of any and all species to us directly, via our ‘Submit A Record’ page. If you send a record to anywhere else as well as CBDC, then please let us know so we can manage duplicate records.

If you know of a group or help run a group that isn’t featured on these pages or would like to update the information herein, please get in touch with us!

Natural History Societies

Ambleside Natural History Society

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/AmblesideNaturalHistorySociety/

Website
http://anhs.org.uk/wp/

Arnside Natural History Society

Website
http://www.arnsideanddistrictnhs.co.uk/

Carlisle Natural History Society

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/CarlisleNats/

Website
http://www.carlislenats.uk/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/CarlisleNats?lang=en-gb

Grange and District Natural History Society

Website

https://grangenats.uk/

Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/groups/417932919289474


Keswick Natural History Society

Website 
http://www.keswicknathist.co.uk/

The 2024/5 Meeting programme is HERE.

Local Groups

Cumberland Bat Group

Website
https://www.bats.org.uk/support-bats/bat-groups/north-west-england

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/cumberlandbatgroup/


South Cumberland Bat Group

Website
https://cumbriabats.wordpress.com/


Cumbria Amphibian and Reptile Group

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/589703024785031/


Cumbria Bird Club

Website
https://www.cumbriabirdclub.org.uk/


Cumbria Birding Group

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cumbriabirding/


Cumbria Insects and Invertebrates

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/948454538863929/


Cumbria Mammal Society

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/MammalSociety/


Cumbria Moth Group

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1484989568463053/


Cumbria Botany

Website
http://www.cumbriabotany.co.uk/

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/CumbriaBotanyGroup/


Cumbria Lichens and Cumbria Bryophytes

Website
https://cumbrialichensbryophytes.org.uk/

Facebook Lichen Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cumbrialichens

Facebook Bryophyte Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/cumbriabryophytes


Cumbria Fungi Group

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/336722100236838/


Cumbria Geoconservation

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1900093153583144/

Website
https://www.cbdc.org.uk/cumbria_geoconservation


Cumberland Geological Society

Website
http://www.cumberland-geol-soc.org.uk/events/


Cumbria Wildlife Trust

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/cumbriawildlifetrust/

Website
https://www.cumbriawildlifetrust.org.uk/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/cumbriawildlife?lang=en-gb


National Biodiversity Network – National Landscapes – 

Website
http://www.northpennines.org.uk/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/NorthPennAONB

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/NorthPenninesAONB/

Country-Wide Organisations

BSBI

Website
https://bsbi.org/

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BSBI2011/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/BSBIbotany


British Trust for Ornithology

Website
https://www.bto.org/

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/The.BTO/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/_BTO?lang=en-gb


British Bryological Society

Website
http://www.britishbryologicalsociety.org.uk/

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/britishmoss


British Lichen Society

Website
https://www.britishlichensociety.org.uk/

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/BLSlichensF/


Moth Records

Facebook Group
https://www.facebook.com/groups/RecordingMoths/


Butterfly conservation

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/savebutterflies/

Website
https://butterfly-conservation.org/


The British Mycological Society

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/groups/18843741618/

Website
https://www.britmycolsoc.org.uk/


The Fungus Conservation Trust

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/The-Fungus-Conservation-Trust-formerly-ABFG-194924697239188/

Website
http://www.abfg.org/


Amphibian and Reptile Conservation

Website
https://www.arc-trust.org/Pages/Contact.aspx

Twitter
https://twitter.com/ARC_Bytes


Plantlife

Website
http://www.plantlife.org.uk/uk

Twitter
https://twitter.com/Love_plants

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/LovePlantlife/


Field Studies Council

Website
https://www.field-studies-council.org/

Twitter
https://twitter.com/FieldStudiesC

Facebook
https://www.facebook.com/FieldStudiesC/


Biological Records Center

Website
http://www.brc.ac.uk/home

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/
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
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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.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
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Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
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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