| Butterfly Conservation |  |
| saving butterflies, moths and their habitats |
|
|
|||
|
||||
| East Scotland Branch | ||||
|
||||
|
Branch Moth Recording Recording moths is an important part of Butterfly Conservation's work. There are many and varied moths throughout East Scotland and it is well worth spending the time to study them. The National Moth Recording Scheme was set up in 2007 to provide a national database for the macro moths in the UK. This is a major step forward for moth recording in the UK. The branch's moth recorders validate all submitted records and send them on to for part of the National Database. The NRMS have issued the Scottish Macro Moth List which is useful in understanding the status of the moth species in the country and therefore provides a useful guide for observers. Submitted records will be validated and submitted to the NMRS. To further add value for moth conservation records may be shared with other moth recorders, with relevant biological records centres, with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, and with other recording schemes and conservation organisations. In return we will try to provide information and support to you, e.g. if you want help with identifications or to know what has already been recorded at your site or in your area contact the relevant County Moth Recorder. We are very keen for people who record in their gardens or in the field to send in their moth records. Your records may be of day flying moths, seen on wall around outside house lights or trapped using specialist light traps. Submissions should be made preferably using Excel to all recorders. Template submission forms are available on, a pilot basis, that ease both record entry and also the recorders' incorporation into the Vice County database. The Vice County recorder may query records from recorders, particularly inexperienced trappers. Please do not be offended by this. It is very important that records on the central database are accurate and we are anxious to avoid unverified records of certain difficult species being entered. Many species are common and easy to identify, but many can only be identified by genitalia examination. Between these two extremes are moths whose identification may be tricky, and records from experienced observers may be accepted more easily than those from the new moth trapper. Some VC Recorders may issue a grading list with an indication of the evidence required for particular species, but even this should be regarded as a guide based on your experience.
If you have seen a moth that you can't identify then you might find it on Butterfly Conservation's day-flying moths web page. Otherwise you could try UKMoths. Alternatively you can post your photos on our identification forum. Please include details about the habitat and particularly the size of the moth in your posting. Other branch members may well be able to help. See the Forum User Guide.
The ScottishMoths YahooGroup has a membership across the country and you are encouraged to consider joining. Group members will certainly be able to identify most moths that you post there. The geographical area covered by East Scotland branch is divided up into recording areas called Vice Counties. Each Vice County (VC) has an assigned recorder as listed below. Vice County borders are not shown on most maps. If you are unsure which VC is applicable when submitting records then you can use the following link to convert from grid reference to VC.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| Copyright Butterfly Conservation © 2009 East Scotland Branch |
|
| Privacy and Copyright Statement |
|
|
Butterfly Conservation is a registered charity and non-profit-making company, limited by guarantee. |
|
|
