- I can't get the map to work
- Why can't I find any records in my area?
- If a species isn’t listed on my search, does that mean they don’t occur there?
- I have seen lots of species that don’t appear on your list. Do you want to know about them?
- I have sent in records for some species which don't appear on the list when I search - why?
- I think there may be an error in the list of species recorded
I can't get the map to work
If you are having problems accessing the map, please try clicking on the non-javascript link to access a version which may be more suitable to your web browser.
Why can't I find any records in my area
Dumfries and Galloway is a huge area covering somewhere in the region of 6,500km2. Although our central database contains well over 100,000 records there are many parts of the region which we have relatively little information about. Some areas and species groups have much more information than others and we are continuously adding data to our system. We will strive to make as much information as possible available to search via our website.
There are still many data sources that we do not have access to. We are working to incorporate new datasets covering different species groups all the time. If you have records for an area that we don't have access to then please send in your records or contact us to discuss the information you have.
If a species isn’t listed on my search, does that mean they don’t occur there?
No, not necessarily. It simply means we don't hold a record of it on our database at the moment. The list shows you what we know about but there will be many, many other species that we simply have no records for. So if you've seen a species that isn't listed we want to know about it!
I have seen lots of species that don’t appear on your list. Do you want to know about them?
Yes please! There are lots of species we hold very little information about, including many common ones. In fact many of our commonest species are some of the least well recorded on our database. Relatively few people record the presence of species such as Rabbits, Mallards or House Sparrows - things that they may see every day. If you wish to add to the list of species recorded in your area, check out out Recording section to find out what information we need to know. You can download and complete one of our recording forms or send in a record using our online recording form.
I have sent in records for some species which don't appear on the list when I search - why?
There are a number of reasons why a record may not appear on the list. Each year we receive many thousands of wildlife records, and we simply have to prioritise the order in which they are entered onto the computer. Each record is first entered and then checked before it is made available. Periodically, these newly entered records will be updated on the website. It may simply be that your record has yet to be entered or checked on our central database, or that it has not yet been updated on WildSearch. Please bear with us as we continue to add to our central database and update our website.
Records of certain species are considered too sensitive to publish on this website. Some species that we hold records for are therefore omitted from the search results. See sensitive records for more information.
On rare occasions we may re-determine or exclude certain records where the evidence for a species being present is unclear. Some species can, and do, get mis-identified. This will happen to all of us at one time or other, particularly when we are inexperienced - a quick glance at my bird books when I was a child shows up a number of very unlikely sightings which today I would instantly disregard with the benefit of experience. The knowledge and experience of DGERC staff and other local experts is used to confirm the identity of difficult species and to highlight unusual records which may not be considered genuine without further evidence (e.g. this is where photos can often help). Where it proves impossible to confirm the identity of a particular record, or where a species is considered to have been incorrectly identified, these records may be excluded from the results. Maintaining a dataset that is as accurate as possible is important since the information may sometimes be used for very important work.
I think there may be an error in the list of species recorded
We hold many tens of thousands of wildlife records on our central database. The searchable list on the website is derived directly from our central database. Although we try to check our records carefully occasionally we do find errors. If you think that there may be an error please contact us with the species name, tetrad letter and 10km square (the latter will make up a reference for the square you clicked on and is given above the search results table e.g. tetrad P of NX85). We will investigate the records and if they are incorrect they will be corrected in our master database and with the next website update.
