Submitting Wildlife Records to SEWBReC

 

We welcome records of all wildlife seen in the South East Wales area. We prefer for records to be sent via our online recording database SEWBReCORD ( www.sewbrecord.org.uk) or via the LERC Wales App.

We also have video guides for various aspects of SEWBReCORD which you can find on YouTube.

On SEWBReCORD you can either create an account, allowing you to view and manage all your own records, or submit casual single records without creating an account. Please see guidelines below. We have video guides for various aspects of SEWBReCORD which you can find on YouTube.

If you have any issues, questions or comments on the SEWBReCORD system, please feel free to contact us at info@sewbrec.org.uk.

 

Guidelines for using SEWBReCORD with an account

  • Go to www.sewbrecord.org.uk and click on "create new account". Please complete the form with your details, including a valid email address so we can contact you if we have questions about your sightings. You will then be sent an email to confirm your account (if this does not arrive, please check your spam folder and contact us on info@sewbrec.org.uk if necessary).
  • Once logged in, you will be taken to the home page, which displays recent sightings. From the top menu bar, select "Record" and then chose from the options, according to how many records you would like to submit.
  • For a single record, choose "Enter a Casual Record", and for a list of several species at the same location choose "Enter a List of Records". Either option will take you to a form with several fields to complete. Please complete as many as possible. The fields marked with an asterisk are compulsory. The comments box can be used to add brief details about the behaviour or ecology of the species, for example breeding signs in birds or host medium for a fungus record.
  • The form also includes a map. Please navigate the map to the location of your sighting, and zoom in to select a grid reference. We prefer grid refences of at least 6 figures when possible.
  • Once you have completed the form and submitted the record, you can use the "Explore" tab to view your own records, and all those held on the SEWBReCORD system.
  • If you would like to report a bat of unknown species, please select Chiroptera as the species.

 

Guidelines for using SEWBReCORD without an account

  • Go to www.sewbrecord.org.uk/casualrecords
  • You will be taken to a form with several fields to complete. Please complete as many as possible. The fields marked with an asterisk are compulsory.
  • Please provide a valid email address, so we can contact you with any questions about your sighting.
  • The form includes a map. Please navigate the map to the location of your sighting, and zoom in to select a grid reference. We prefer grid refences of at least 6 figures when possible.
  • If you would like to report a bat of unknown species, please select Chiroptera as the species.

 

Other methods of data submission to SEWBReC

If you prefer not to use SEWBReCORD for any reason, please use one of the below alternatives:

  • To submit records while out in the field, you may like to use the LERC Wales App.
  • To submit large quantities of records, please download our Recording Spreadsheet (Excel format) and email it to us.
  • To submit records on paper, please download our Casual Sighting Report Form (Word format) and then return via post.
  • For single one off records, you can pass details of your sighting to SEWBReC via letter, email or phone. Please remember to include what you saw, where you saw it (a grid reference and location name), the date of sighting, your name and contact details plus any other relevant information.

 

Other recording systems

If you prefer to use a different online recording system, please see below guidance:

  • iRecord website and app: Records submitted on the iRecord (https://irecord.org.uk/) website and app are all made available to SEWBReC, and will be added to our database on a similar timescale to SEWBReCORD.

 

  • iNaturalist: Some records submitted on iNaturalist (https://uk.inaturalist.org/) are made available to SEWBReC. The following requirements must be met in order to reach our database:
    • The "Observation Licence" type must be amended to CC0 or CCBY, which allows commercial use of the data. You can find a guide on how to amend your licence type here. (Please note, SEWBReC is a not-for-profit company but our work is still considered commercial under the rules of copyright.)
    • The record must reach "research grade" status, which is achieved when two or more iNaturalist users agree with the species identification.

 

  • Other apps / websites: There are many recording routes for individual species groups and projects. If you are unsure if your data will reach us via a route not mentioned above, please email info@sewbrec.org.uk to check.