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Sussex biological recording news

Hello! This is a very different spring than the one we were expecting, but spring has arrived nonetheless!

SxBRC is still functioning as normally-as-possible, from spare rooms and dining-room tables across Sussex. Our data request service is still up and running for commercial and non-commercial enquiries and all members of staff are available to contact via email should you wish to get in touch.

While for obvious reasons there won't be any in person events advertised in this edition of the newsletter, there are still lots of opportunities to enjoy and learn about biological recording from wherever you are sheltering, and we hope that this newsletter inspires you to continue to stay in touch with the natural world and record if you can.

Happy reading!

- The SxBRC Team

Hawkweeds of South-East England

Mike Shaw, Sussex botanist and former BSBI County Recorder for West Sussex has published BSBI Handbook 20 Hawkweeds of South-East England, which hopes to encourage more recording in the south-east for this tricky group. The handbook will be published in April retailing at £35, but you can purchase it for £30 inc p&p until the 31st May from the BSBI website

You can read an interview with Mike about his inspirations for putting together this handbook and the work that went into it on the BSBI blog. Mike has also promised us a hawkweed 'Species of the Month' very soon, so stay tuned!

Congratulations Mike!

NBN collates Covid-19 advice

The National Biodiversity Network has set up a page on their website where everyone can access the latest advice from national schemes and societies in relation to biological recording and ecological surveys during the coronovirus pandemic. If you're not sure what the current advice is for a scheme or society you usually contribute data to, please check the details regularly as government advice changes.

RSPB Puffin project photos of puffins carrying food in their beaks

Upload your Puffin snaps for science

If you've got some holiday photos of puffins stashed away in a drawer or old memory stick, the RSPB are asking you to upload any with Puffins carrying food in their beak for their Puffarazi project which aims to learn how the diets of puffins has changed over time.

Image credit: RSPB

Species of the month: Holly Blue

April's species of the month is a blue butterfly everyone has the best chance to see across Sussex, the Holly Blue. The first brood of the year is on the wing now, and can be found in gardens and roadside verges. You can read Michael Blencowe's account and take a look at the Sussex distribution on our species of the month page, and don't forget to send us your records if you see one!

Image credit: Nigel Symington

Local News and Blogs

Alice Parfitt was excited to see a Purseweb Spider on her walk

Graeme Lyons celebrated 10 years of blogging with a his top 10 wildlife sightings

Clare Blencowe wrote a blog about r usts outside her back doorstep

Brad Scott wrote a blog about his local patch for bryophytes and filling in the gaps

Rachel Bicker is 'Lockdown Listing' everything she can in her Brighton front garden

If you're missing out on your usual butterfly walks, Bob Eade has been posting some wonderful images from his daily walks including this beautiful Grizzled Skipper

If you purchased a copy of The Stoneworts of Sussex, there is an amended map for Chara vulgaris that you can download from the Sussex Flora website to replace an erroneous duplicated one.

Keep an eye out for Hoopoes! Sussex Ornithological Society have received 18 sightings so far this year, the highest in recent years. (a few more were spotted over the weekend!) Send SOS your sightings if you spot one!

Biological Recording Events and Opportunities - Stay at home edition!

If you've been missing a bit of friendly biological recording competition, Sussex Wildlife Trust are running a weekly Back Garden Bird Race through their blog and the Sussex Wildlife Trust Nature Table Facebook group - Everyone is welcome to take part, whether you've got a garden overlooking a nature reserve or just a window in central Brighton. You can catch up with previous weeks through Michael Blencowe's Corona Wildlife Diary daily blog (where you can also find excellent fox cub content!)

The BTO have made the Back Garden Bird Watch free through the Covid-19 lockdown

The British Arachnological Society are running a Garden Spiderling survey and a Cellar Spider survey, details are on twitter where you can follow the hashtags #gardenspiderlingsurvey and #cellarspidersurvey

...and if you think spiders might be your new biological recording obsession, the BAS are also giving a free copy of the fantastic 'Britain's Spiders' field guide to anyone that joins BAS and pays by direct debit between now and 31st May

Butterfly Conservation have advice for those wanting to contribute sightings from home

FSC BioLinks project are running some free virtual training sessions with a guest speaker presentation and time for questions. They're also on the lookout for more speakers, so if you've got a topic you'd like to present on, please get in touch via the form at the bottom of the page, and let us know so we can advertise it to the Sussex recording community!

Helen Roy is giving an 'Introduction to identifying and recording ladybirds' webinar on Thursday 7 May from 1200 to 1300 - details TBC

The Centre for Ecology and Hydrology have compiled some thoughts and resources on recording on your back doorstep including links and videos to schemes that can be taken part in at home, and resources for identification.

National News

You can read the February newsletter for the Soldierflies and Allies recording scheme online

Butterfly Conservation has released a European-wide app for recording 500 species of butterfly, which they hope will make recording easier for butterfly enthusiasts and help to monitor trends across Europe

Stowaway lizard found in a bag of spinach in Cardiff

Dr Dan Danahar has made a video about the arrival of Long-tailed Blues in the UK (with a cameo from our own Bob Foreman!)

The UK Sarcophagidae Recording Scheme is now on Facebook

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Sussex Biodiversity Record Centre · Woods Mill · Henfield, England BN5 9SD · United Kingdom