@ecorecord.bsky.social
The Local Environmental Records Centre for Birmingham and the Black Country - Tag us with your wildlife sightings and we'll add them to our database!
This weekend is a great chance to take part in our 28 Birds Later recording challenge! Try to record 28 different bird species during the month of Feb. 🦆🦚
Visit the iNaturalist page for the rules and to check out what other people have already spotted!
uk.inaturalist.org/projects/28-...
We will be taking part in the 2026 City Nature Challenge, along with over 500 other urban areas worldwide!
If your area doesn't already take part, you still have time to register! (until 30th January!)
For more info, visit www.citynaturechallenge.org/organizers
Date for your diary!
Read more about the City Nature Challenge and how to take part here: www.bbcwildlife.org.uk/CityNatureCh...
(page yet to be updated for 2026)
Its almost time for our annual challenge, 28 Birds Later! 🦉
Try to record 28 different bird species during February in Birmingham and the Black Country! 🦆
Add your records to iNaturalist (both photos & audio count) via the link below, and check out the rules.
uk.inaturalist.org/projects/28-...
Read reports from some of the Birmingham and Black Country Invertebrate Group surveys from last year, plus other updates:
mailchi.mp/10b4765cac7c...
While the snow might be disrupting your day, its a great opportunity to check what wildlife has been exploring your garden!
Here are some fox tracks spotted this morning! 🦊
www.wildlifetrusts.org/how-identify...
It's the final West Midlands Recording League Table of the Year!
There's been a bit of change since last time, with Wolverhampton rising to 4th in the league by number of species!
Solihull had a good month with the biggest increase in species (161) and biggest % increase in Observations (37%).
As the days get colder, our resident birds are joined by migrants fleeing the harsher weather of northern and eastern Europe. Redwings and fieldfares arrive in their masses, seeking out berries that provide a vital winter food source.
This Fieldfare was spotted by @jsmithy1943 on iNaturalist.
Looking to grow your species ID skills?
Join the list for the upcoming iNaturalist ID-a-thon event - a global initiative from mid-December to mid-January to help identify observations from around the world!
For more info, join the mailing list at cdn.forms-content.sg-form.com/329e8835-c55...
Mild, wet weather means fungal fruiting bodies are popping up everywhere! Here's a few we found in Walsall. We think these are Hare'sfoot Inkcap, Alder Bracket and Spectacular Rustgill fungi.
20.10.2025 14:24 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
The leaves are brown and the sky is grey, but there’s still plenty of wildlife to discover! Here are a few autumn sightings from our area, shared on iNaturalist this week:
1. Collared Earthstar (alexexploring on iNaturalist)
2. Knot Grass Moth (delrington)
3. Orange Peel Fungus (avoidasher)
Well done to Birmingham which saw the biggest increase in the number of new observations, recorders and species this month, and well done also to Newcastle-under-Lyme who had the biggest increase in the percentage of new observations, recorders and species.
uk.inaturalist.org/projects/wes...
Here's the latest West Midlands Wildlife Recording League Leaderboard!
Places are ranked by number of species observed in each area in 2025 on iNaturalist.
To take part, simply upload photos of wildlife you see using the free iNaturalist app/website!
One more 2025 Invertebrate Survey date? Oh go on then!
mailchi.mp/636f2fb32a78...
We spotted another of our Wild Walsall priority species at Shire Oak Park.
This Bell Heather plant was found growing in the heathland, and it is hoped that @bbcwildlifetrust.bsky.social will be able to positively manage the habitat here to help it to spread.
Photo by Mike Poulton
Another fantastic green beetle-y find at Shire Oak Park was this tiny but stunning tortoise beetle (Cassida hemisphaerica) - found by Mike Poulton & photographed by Mark Webster. This is a rare species, associated with campions and is our 1st B&BC record and our *RECORD OF THE WEEK*
03.09.2025 09:29 — 👍 0 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Last Saturday we went hunting for Tigers at Shire Oak Park in Walsall and we found this wonderful Green Tiger Beetle, which is a heathland specialist.
The survey was being carried out by B&BC Invertebrate Group as part of the Wild Walsall Project, made possible by the National Lottery Heritage Fund
Next week we have, not one, but TWO upcoming wildlife events:
WEDS: Wildlife Walk & iNaturalist training session at Pelsall Common 🦋🌼🐦⬛📱
SAT: Invertebrate survey at Shire Oak Park 🐝🦗
Details here: mailchi.mp/9784bbbf5bdd...
You can help your area climb the league by submitting wildlife sightings using the free iNaturalist app/website!
Each month we will highlight the town or city that makes the biggest gains!
uk.inaturalist.org/projects/wes...
Exciting News!
We have now expanded our iNaturalist Wildlife Recording League to include some other towns and cities in the West Midlands region!
Which place will record the most wild species by the end of 2025? It's currently very tight at the top!
Happy Black Country Day! Have you spotted this 'Black-Country' coloured moth this year? If so please let us know!
14.07.2025 09:39 — 👍 3 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 0
#InsectWeek
There are almost 300 species of hoverfly in the UK. They are important pollinators and consumers of aphids, and although some of them might look like wasps, they are actually harmless!
Many species are quite easy to identify - here's a selection below:
3) Red Marsh Ladybird - Coccidula rufa. Found on Reed, rushes, Reedmace, wetland grasses.
25.06.2025 18:12 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 0 📌 02) Water Ladybird - Anisosticta novemdecimpunctata. Usually found by water as it feeds on the aphids on waterside rushes.
25.06.2025 18:12 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 01) Hairy Reed Beetle - Donacia cinerea. These used to be very common but have become very scarce in the last 10 years or so with not many UK sightings since 2010. This is our first B&BC Record!
25.06.2025 18:12 — 👍 1 🔁 1 💬 1 📌 0
It's Insect Week!
To celebrate we thought we'd share with you some of the interesting wetland beetles that we recorded on our field Visit to Ryder's Mere in Pelsall last Saturday. Thanks to Mark Webster for the brilliant photos!
Non invertebrate highlights included Red Deer, Raven, Kestrel, Toad as well as hundreds of baby frogs!
Our next invertebrate survey is taking place tomorrow at Ryders Mere in Pelsall. If you'd like to come along, drop us a message and we'll let you know the details!
We had a great time exploring Goscote Valley on Wednesday! We were there carrying out a B&BC Invertebrate Group survey and highlights included tons of ladybirds and yellow and black longhorn beetles, as well as lots of day-flying moths.
20.06.2025 12:25 — 👍 2 🔁 0 💬 1 📌 0
Help us track Bell Heather and Cross-leaved Heath in Walsall!
They may be present in heathy sites such as: Pelsall North Common, Rough Wood Chase LNR, Clayhanger Common and Shire Oak Park.
Existing records of our Wild Walsall focal species are shown on this map:
uk.inaturalist.org/observations...
