biological recording

All records of Sphagnum in the Merseyside area are rare and indeed very noteworthy, so to find this was a real pleasure, however, Sphagnum squarrosum is a real treat! The species was thought to be extinct in Merseyside; and according to the BBS database, the last known records (located around Formby area) were pre-1950! It just goes to show that there is always something good to be found if you look hard enough!

The latest BirdTrends report, published by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) provides valuable information on the changing status of the UK's bird populations. Updated annually, this year’s report is especially significant in that it provides an early indication of one of the periodic revisions of the UK's “Red List” due to be published at the end of this year.

A new online tool, just launched by the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), opens up the previously hidden world of bats, bush-crickets, and small mammals. The BTO Acoustic Pipeline brings cutting-edge sound identification of bats and other nocturnal wildlife to new audiences, enabling Internet users to find out which species are present in audio recordings they have collected. This will help both interested naturalists and those involved in assessing the importance of sites for rare or protected species.

This species first appeared in Liverpool at Springwood Crematorium in October 2019, a single fruitbody under some Cupressus leylandii near the access road. There are only 38 previous UK records on the national database. A rarity in this area, the only previous record for the North West was in 1953 at Blundellsands. This was also the first UK record.