MapMate: Reset Sync option

For MapMate users: just added "What to do if you have a problem syncing records" to my website. This explains how to use the "Reset Sync" option so that you resend all your records in order to ensure that none have been missed, e.g. if a sync file has got lost or corrupted.

(Won't mean much to you if you don't use MapMate!)

Ask your MP to support Butterfly Conservation

Butterfly Conservation are asking for help to ensure all MPs are aware of an Early Day Motion highlighting butterfly declines:

Members of Parliament have registered their alarm at the decline in butterfly numbers and said a big thank you to all the volunteers who participate in UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme.

More than 50 MPs have signed an Early Day Motion tabled by the MP Bob Russell, who represents Colchester and is a long-time Butterfly Conservation member.

It states that:

"This House registers its deep concern at the decline in the butterfly population, with numbers reported by the charity Butterfly Conservation to be at their lowest for 25 years, with the small tortoiseshell showing the biggest decline of 81 per cent; congratulates the thousands of volunteers who each year provide information for the UK Butterfly Monitoring Scheme operated by Butterfly Conservation and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology; welcomes the comments of Sir David Attenborough, President of Butterfly Conservation, who is promoting an appeal to raise funds for the charity's Stop Extinction Appeal; and calls on the Government to promote cross-departmental policies to assist in safeguarding Britain's butterflies"

If you think this EDM should be supported, please check Early Day Motion 8 to see if your MP has signed, and if they haven't ask them to do so.

A sample letter to MPs can be found via Upper Thames Branch of Butterfly Conservation

Find out who your MP is here

New key to plants

The long-awaited new "Vegetative Key to the British Flora" (by John Poland and Eric Clement) is nearing completion. BSBI are now advertising a pre-publication offer: if you order before the 17th April it will cost £20 inclusive, whereafter it will cost £25 plus p&p.

You can download a flyer for the book from the BSBI website (see the top-right-hand corner of the site).

The authors claim that (with experience) you'll be able to identify most plants within 60 seconds! (personally I'd be happy if I could get somewhere near identifying most plants within 60 hours ...)

revised MapMate user queries

Ages ago I circulated a set of MapMate user queries to extend the standard "Browse all records" query with extra details, including determiner, national status for rare species, some higher taxon classifications, etc.

I was recently asked to revise these queries, updating and slightly extending them. The revised versions can be downloaded here.

(see the fourth bullet point "SQL text (.txt file) for custom User Queries to browse records with additional details")

web resources for moth recorders

I've been invited by Moths Count to give a presentation at the English moth recorders conference (Birmingham, 31 January 2009) on how moth recorders are using the web. The presentation itself (with audio now available again) can be seen below, and below that are links to the sites mentioned in the presentation. This is by no means a complete set of useful moth websites, but it does pick out some that I think are really good examples, and especially useful to moth recorders (and if you want more here's my full list of Lepidoptera-related links.)

Moth recording resources on the web

View more presentations from Martin Harvey. (tags: wildlife_recording moths)

Information and photos
Perhaps the most familiar site for information and photos of adult moths is UKmoths. For early stages, UKleps has an astonishing set of photos, covering the full life cycle for many species. British leafminers gives comprehensive information on that group of moths (and see also British insect miners, which covers non-Lepidopterous leaf-mines as well). For those moths that need dissection to be identified see the Lepidoptera dissection group.

Egroups and forums
The best-known and longest established egroups are on Yahoo: UKmoths, UKmicromoths, the migrant recorders network and UKleps. There are an increasing number of web-based wildlife discussion forums as well, many of which include moths. One of the most popular of these is Wild About Britain, with over 25,000 registered members. You can also discuss moths on Facebook via Moths aren't scary they rock!!

Making identification easier
Ideas for improving identification resources on the web include making it easy to compare similar species; making it possible to annotate images online; and encouraging better labelling of photos and of the 'determinations' (identifications) associated with them (e.g. documenting who has identified them and when).

The Suffolk Moth Group has an excellent feature on its species pages, which allows you to compare similar species - you can compare photos, flight periods, habitats etc. (example species account). Kuvia ja havaintoja perhosista (moths in Finland) covers some moth species in detail (including carpets and pugs), and has a great feature where you can click on the moth photos and each opens up in its own window, making it easy to arrange and compare them side-by-side.

One of my current jobs is with the iSpot website, part of the OPAL project at the Open University. iSpot aims to connect beginner naturalists with a supportive community of experts and fellow enthusiasts. If you're knowledgeable about moths or wildlife, can you spare some time to help others learn about what they've seen? And if you're involved with a recording scheme or society then get in touch to find out how you can be 'badged' on iSpot, with links through to your own website.

Other resources
For maps and grid references (including 1940s maps and aerial photos) try the superb Where's the Path (but you may need to catch it early in the morning as Ordnance Survey restrict the number of map views per day). The BSBI's Herbaria at Home project has a tool for checking which vice-county a grid reference of place name falls in.

For researching associations between plants and moths (and other insects) the Biological Records Centre has put its Database of Insects and their Foodplants online. And try the Suffolk Moth Group again for the Field Tips - month-by-month info on what moths (especially caterpillars) can be found where.

Predictive mothing
Several county websites have set up a "what's flying tonight" feature, using the county records to show which species are most likely to be seen (as adults) on any date. See versions for Norfolk, Suffolk and Somerset (I find they are useful even if you live a long way from these counties).

New developments
One of the most innovative moth websites is Norfolk Moths. Species info, distribution maps, online recording and many other features, including Mobile Moths, which reformats all this mass of data so that it can be accessed via mobile devices such as iPhones and Blackberries. You can also follow Norfolk Moths on Twitter.

Don't forget to turn the computer off and do some mothing sometimes as well!

Using SlideShare for MapMate presentation

I've used the MapMate species recording database for about seven years now, both at home and in my jobs, and I've run a number of training workshops for people wanting to use this program. I've just been experimenting with putting up my 'MapMate overview' presentation onto SlideShare. The procedure I used was:

• Create a powerpoint presentation
• Record a commentary to go with it - I recorded mine in Powerpoint 2007, but this was a bit of a pain, and I ended up having to edit the commentary using the WavePad Sound Editor (a great free download), so will record it separately next time
• Upload the presentation to SlideShare
• Upload the audio to a file store (I used Internet Archive)
• Use SlideShare's slidecast tools to link the audio to the slides

The result:

MapMate wildlife recording database

View SlideShare presentation or Upload your own. (tags: wildlife recording)

(NB that this presentation is now available for others to use under a Creative Commons Share Alike licence)

new web pages on insect identification

Not found time for blogging lately, but have just added a coupe of pages to my website, on insect identification resources in general, and Coleoptera in particular. Have a look at the pages and let me know if you have any additional suggestions for useful information on these subjects.