CBDC Publications

From time to time, CBDC publishes short reports from the local recording community on various topics related to biodiversity and recording in Cumbria. If you wish to contribute a document to be considered for publication on the CBDC website please contact our Recording Officer.

Extended Cumbria Wildlife Reports are also published by CBDC: these are available on the Wildlife Reports page.

New Publications for 2025:

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No 1. Inventory of Urban Gull Colonies in Cumbria (Issue 3.)

The past fifty or so years have seen a dramatic increase in the numbers of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breeding in urban areas in Cumbria. Great Black-backed Gulls have also taken to breeding in built-up areas but in much smaller numbers. To the end of the 2015 breeding season a total of 45 urban gull colonies had been identified in the county. This short report provides an inventory of these colonies, together with an indication of their current size, nesting habitat, and, where known, their date of formation. Issue 3 – published September 2021

Download (PDF):No 1. Inventory of Urban Gull Colonies in Cumbria

Birds in Cumberland in the 18th Century

No. 2 Pug Moths of Lancashire and Cumbria

Brian Hancock provides an extremely useful guide to the locally resident species of a group of moths that can provide some identification challenges to recorders; the pug moths. With the helpful aid of annotated images, maps and graphs, each of the 42 species is given an individual account detailing identification, distribution, status, flight period and food plants. There are also tips on how and where a recorder might find the more uncommon species and references to some of the most significant records.

Download (PDF):
No. 2 Pug Moths of Lancashire and Cumbria

Birds in Cumberland in the 18th Century

No 3. Ornithology in Cumbria in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries:  A Bibliography.

This document presents a list with full bibliographic details of publications relating to birds in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands published between the 16th and 19th centuries, together with details of where copies of the documents can be found (if known).

Download (PDF):
No 3. Ornithology in Cumbria in the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th Centuries: A Bibliography.

Birds in Cumberland in the 18th Century

No 3b. Bibliography of Ornithology in Cumbria, Part B, 1900-1949.

This report is a compilation of material published between 1900 and 1949 inclusive on the ornithology of Cumbria. It has been drawn up partly on the basis of four previous bibliographies, those by Mullens et al (1920), Shackleton (2010), and Armsby (2015), together with additional material identified during the preparation of this document.

Download (PDF): No 3b. Bibliography of Ornithology in Cumbria, Part B, 1900-1949Bibliography of Ornithology in Cumbria, Part B, 1900-194

No 3c. Bibliography of Ornithology in Cumbria, Part C, 1950-1999.

This report presents a list, with full bibliographic details, of publications relating to birds in Cumberland, Westmorland and Lancashire North of the Sands published between 1950 and 1999 inclusive, together with details of where copies of the documents can be found (if known).

Download (PDF): No 3c. Bibliography of Ornithology in Cumbria, Part C, 1950-1999

No 3d. Bibliography of Ornithology in Cumbria, Part D, 2000-2024.

This report is a compilation of material on the ornithology of Cumbria published between 2000 and 2024 inclusive, and follows the form and structure of earlier parts of this series of bibliographies dealing with material published between 1500 and 1999. It has been drawn up primarily on the basis of systematic searches of local and national ornithological publications and taking into account the material contained in two earlier bibliographies, one by the Cumbria Bird Club published in 2014, and the other by A.F.Armsby in 2015.

Download (PDF): No 3d. Bibliography of Ornithology in Cumbria, Part D, 2000-2024

No 4. Birds in Cumberland in the 18th Century

J. Heysham’s ‘A Catalogue of Cumberland Animals’ published in 1794 includes the first serious attempt to list the birds found in Cumberland.
Robin Sellers, a local ornithologist, has transcribed, annotated and edited the section listing the Cumberland birds.

Download (PDF):No 4. Birds in Cumberland in the 18th Century

Birds in Cumberland in the 18th Century

No 5. Transcripts of the Annual Reports of the Natural History Record Bureau, Carlisle, 1902-1912.

In 1902 Carlisle Museum established a special unit called the Natural History Record Bureau to act as a focus for the collection of records about natural history in the area around Carlisle and Lakeland generally, and in so doing, created what was in effect Britain’s first biological records centre. In the twelve years of its existence the Natural History Record Bureau’s principal output was its annual report, published initially in the Carlisle Journal, the city’s twice weekly newspaper, and later in The Zoologist. This document presents a transcription of these annual reports.

Download (PDF): No 5. Transcripts of the Annual Reports of the Natural History Record Bureau, Carlisle, 1902-1912

Transcripts of NHRB 1902-1912

No 6. Checklist of Cumbrian Coleoptera

This checklist by John Read covers all the valid names of 2,388 species of Coleoptera from 90 families known to occur in Cumbria, England, UK (vice counties 69 Westmorland and 70 Cumberland), along with their author(s) names and year of description using the most recent classification framework. Updated March 2022

Download (PDF): Checklist of Cumbrian Coleoptera, including VC69 & VC 70

Checklist of Cumbrian Coleoptera 2021

No 7.  A List of the Birds of Cumbria

This report presents a list of the birds known to have occurred in Cumbria between 1 January 1800 and 31 December 2024, together with a summary of the status of each species and their conservation categories. It also makes clear what the criteria used to decide which species should be included in the list are, and relegates to a Supplementary List species known to have occurred, but which fail to meet all the criteria for inclusion in the main list.

Download (PDF):  A List of Birds of Cumbria

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No 8.  A Bibliography of Cumbrian Coleoptera

This bibliography is a compilation of the relevant literature published in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries on those species of coleoptera known to occur in Cumbria, which mainly includes, the old Watsonian vice counties of Cumberland 70 and Westmorland 69. It has been compiled from a large number of journals (both national and regional), survey reports (published and unpublished), printed books and on – line computerised documents: approximately 1,400 references are listed in the present document.

Download (PDF): Chronological list of publications on coleoptera in Cumbria

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No 8b.  A Bibliography of Cumbrian Coleoptera
Authors arranged by year in chronological order. October 2023.

Download (PDF): A Bibliography of Cumbrian Coleoptera Authors by year (Oct 2023) – John Read

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No 8c.  A Bibliography of Cumbrian Coleoptera (2022)
Index of families and superfamilies.

Download (PDF): Bibliography of Cumbrian Coleoptera Index (Oct 2023 – John Read

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No 9. Cumulative index to species and families of Coleoptera recorded in The Field Naturalist (New Series) Volumes 1 – 13, 1956 – 1969

This index includes all the species of coleoptera recorded in the Field Naturalist. The volume number is indicated in bold type and the issue number is in brackets. This is then followed by the page number. Synonyms are indicated by squares brackets immediately following the specific name. An index of authors and contributors has also been provided.

Download (PDF): Field Naturalist cumulative index

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No. 10 Issue 1: Index to species of Coleoptera recorded in the Carlisle Naturalist – Volumes 1 – 20, (1993 – 2012)

This index includes all the species of coleoptera recorded in the journal, and it also includes those species that have been referred to indirectly. In some cases certain species have been recorded under common names only and these have been given the appropriate scientific name in the index. Also the same species is indexed under a different scientific name, ie. Coccinella 7-punctata is also given as Coccinella septempunctata.

Download (PDF): Index to species of Coleoptera – John Read

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No 11.  A short biographical account of the life of John Walton, naturalist and entomologist, together with an annotated list of his publications on coleoptera by R. W. J. Read, October 2022

John Walton (1784 – 1862) was a British entomologist and coleopterist who specialised in the family Curculionidae. Very little is known about his life and work. However, two quite detailed obituaries are provided by (Anon 1863a) and (Anon 1863b), and Michael Darby in his online Biographical dictionary of British Coleopterists gives a brief account of his life. Rye (1874) in his annual report on British coleoptera provides a list of all Waltons publications on beetles which were published in the Annals and Magazine of Natural History.

Download (PDF): John Walton biography and his publications on coleoptera

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No 12.  The biological records and correspondence of  Thomas
Coulthard Heysham (1791-1857), naturalist of Carlisle, March 2025

The purpose of this paper is to bring together in one place the natural history records of the Carlisle naturalist Thomas Coulthard Heysham, who was active during the early half of the 19th century. It provides a fully referenced catalogue of his publications and all his species records appearing in his own and other works. It includes a listing of published biographies and obituaries, and information relating to the auction dispersal sale of his library and collections of natural history specimens. The work concludes with a listing and brief notes on Thomas Heysham’s contacts and correspondents, alongside information on where such correspondence is to be found.

Download (PDF): Thomas Coulthard Heysham biological records and correspondence

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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 CentreTuesday, April 1st, 2025 at 10:59pm
CBDC will be speaking at Bothel Community Wildlife Group next Tuesday, 8th April, ahead of the Bioblitz in May. Come along to find out more about recording, what makes a good record, how records are used to inform decision making across the county and what tools are available to help you on your recording journey! Naturalist Polly Pullar will be the main speaker of the evening....
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreMonday, March 31st, 2025 at 9:47pm
Looking forward to speaking @Tullie Lunchtime Talk today!
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreFriday, March 28th, 2025 at 10:55pm
First bluebell of the year!
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreFriday, March 28th, 2025 at 4:39am
We'll be speaking about Cumbria Wild Watch at the next @Tullie Free Lunchtime Talk so come along to find out more! 1pm on 1st April

Book your free place: https://tullie.org.uk/events/cumbria-wild-watch-free-lunchtime-talk/
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreTuesday, March 25th, 2025 at 10:02pm
The countdown to Cumbria Wild Watch 2025 begins today!

In three months time, the largest community science survey in Cumbria will take place. You can get involved by recording all the wildlife you see between 26-29 June 2025. So mark this weekend on your calendars and watch out for more information of how to take part over the coming weeks.
Cumbria Biodiversity Data Centre
Cumbria Biodiversity Data CentreTuesday, March 25th, 2025 at 12:31am
It is officially spring and we are now looking forward to our recording days (and bioblitzes) this year. The programme is on our website and you can book a place/express an interest in attending these events - all are welcome to come along and practice your wildlife recording skills.

https://www.cbdc.org.uk/get-involved/recording-days/

More events will be added as they are confirmed.