Nature Recording Hub
Discover how to record the wildlife in your urban environment.
Survey calendar for beginners
If you want to help track the wildlife in your city’s green areas, you can use our calendar to find easy surveys that suit your schedule and skill level.
You can join many UK monitoring schemes that welcome your observations. Most of them offer training and guidance for beginners or learners.
Download the full calendar, or browse the highlights below.
Download calendar
You can download the whole calendar of activities, divided up by month and category.
Highlights from the calendar
All year round activities - highlights
🐦🐸 🌼🍄🐝🌳General
Nature's Calendar (Woodland Trust)
Record a variety of events in nature to track the impacts of climate change and weather on our wildlife
🦔 Mammals
Living with Mammals (People's Trust for Endangered Species)
Record mammals, and their tracks and signs, you see in urban areas
🐦 Birds
Garden BirdWatch (British Trust for Ornithology)
Record weekly lists of the birds which visit your garden all year round
🦋 Insects
Garden Butterfly Survey (Butterfly Conservation)
Submit butterfly records from your garden, community green space, allotment or balcony
🌿 Marine
The Big Seaweed Search (Natural History Museum/Marine Conservation Society)
Search for 14 seaweed species at any UK seashore, any time of the year
🦎 Reptile
Garden Dragon Watch (Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust)
A quick and easy survey for reptiles in your garden
Spring highlights
🦇 Sunset Survey
Bat Conservation Trust
Spend an hour at dusk or dawn looking for bats and other nocturnal wildlife
Duration: April - October
🐦 Nesting Neighbours
British Trust for Ornithology
Monitor active birds' nests in your garden
Duration: February - September
🐸 PondNet Common Toad and Frog surveys
Freshwater Habitats Trust
Visit each pond in a 1km square in March or April to see if frogs, toads and their spawn are present
Duration: March - April
Summer highlights
🔵 DragonflyWatch
British Dragonfly Society
Beginners' guide to recording dragonflies
Duration: May - September
🐦 Swift Mapper
RSPB
Report sightings of swifts and nest sites
Duration: May - July
🦋 FIT Counts: Monitor Pollinators
UK Pollinator Monitoring Scheme
Carry out a 10 minute count of the number of pollinators visiting a flower from a list of 14 target flowers
Duration: April - September
🔵 Big Pond Dip
Freshwater Habitats Trust
A simple survey which can be done every year to monitor the health of your pond
Duration: May - August
Autumn highlights
🦎 General Reptile Surveys
Froglife
A PDF booklet with guidance for reptile surveys which can be undertaken anywhere with suitable habitat, such as in a garden or allotment
Duration: March - October
🔵 Willow Emerald Watch
British Dragonfly Society
Track the spread of this damselfly across the UK
Duration: July - November
🍃 The Great British Hedgerow Survey
People's Trust for Endangered Species
Assess the structural and habitat quality of hedgerows
Duration: April - October
🐾 National Harvest Mouse Survey
The Mammal Society
Help survey for harvest mouse nests
Duration: October - March
Winter highlights
🐦 Big Garden Birdwatch
RSPB
Spend one hour recording the birds in your garden or local park on a specific weekend
Duration: One weekend in January
🐾 National Harvest Mouse Survey
The Mammal Society
Help survey for harvest mouse nests
Duration: October - March
🌼 New Year Plant Hunt
Botanical Society of Britain and Ireland
A survey to see what plants are flowering over the New Year
Duration: Four days over the New Year
🐸 National Amphibian Survey - Frogs and Toads
Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust
Carry out four visits of ponds to look for common frogs, toads and their spawn
Duration: January - April
Other collections of surveys and schemes
- Spring activity day
- Summer activity day
- Autumn activity day
- Winter activity day
- Survey calendar for beginners