Recorders Day, Green Park, Aston Clinton, Saturday 1 April 2006

We went along to this as members of the now defunct Bucks County Council Ponds, Pools & Puddles project.  Unfortunately the main protagonist, Martin Harvey (of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes Environmental Records Centre (BMERC)), was very ill with flu, but others from BCC stepped bravely and ably into his chair.

Steve attended two sessions, and R one, on using a digital camera to record wildlife.  Steve was delighted to hear both people had SLR cameras, just like him.  Apparently it completely justifies his new Canon purchase and the extension rings he “had” to have.  One piece of very good advice was to read the camera’s instruction book thoroughly, which he did when he got back home and found out quite a few things. 

R heard a lecture on wildlife recording in general – interesting points, for example so few recordings of rabbits have been done in Bucks they look like an endangered species!  Is the Great Crested newt really endangered, we wondered?  Why do we always record the unusual and ignore the commonplace?  We also heard a lecture on being a species champion (for a moth). 

Leaving was slightly complicated by the car’s hand brake having got stuck, but a few strategic thumps and we were away.  Local rabbits posing for counting and recording purposes when we got home; red kite hiding.

A very inspiring day attended by representatives of many organizations and groups specializing in local natural history or different classes of fauna (eg bat groups) and flora (eg fungi).  We recognized a few faces.  An excellent buffet lunch was had, too.  Specialist bookshop https://www.pemberleybooks.com/ held a display.  To share wildlife news, discussion and identification tips in Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes join the BMERC egroup. Go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BMERC/

and click on “Join this group”.