Wildlife Records Digitisation Project Update (3)
Assynt Wildlife Records Digitisation Project
This Project is supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Scottish Natural Heritage
This project, which commenced on 1st February 2018, formed part of the Field Club’s successful bid to the Coigach and Assynt Living Landscape Partnership. Funding was by the Heritage Lottery Fund and Scottish Natural Heritage. The project end date was 30thSeptember 2019.
The bid included proposals to upgrade our original 2009 website, and make more raw data regarding Assynt’s wildlife available in one location. We also hoped this would encourage the contribution of more records to us.
There were clearly a large number of wildlife records, held in various different formats, spread throughout Assynt. The project’s aim therefore was to collate as many of these records as possible into standardized raw data sets (excel spreadsheets). These would then be posted on our website making this data much more widely available.
At the end of the project’s first year slightly more than 27000 records had been collated and made available on our website.
By the end of the 20 month project the total number of records processed was just short of 58000. This effort continues however so more wildlife records will regularly be added, but on a voluntary basis.
UPDATE August 2024
We have just updated a number of the spreadsheets that form the core of this project. This update covers to the end of 2023. The species covered in this update are: Amphibians and Reptiles, Basking Shark and Sun Fish, Bats, Cetaceans, Fungi, Land Mammals, and Seals.
Once again we are very grateful to those who have generously supplied us with their records. The increasing volume of raw data held on our website is thanks to numerous members of the public submitting sightings.
Of course, all those sightings have to be gathered and added to the corresponding species spreadsheet. That work is still ongoing thanks to the voluntary effort of two Field Club members.
The total number of records currently processed to the end of 2023 stands at 63300.
The full list of spreadsheets can be seen and easily viewed by visiting the project’s homepage.
Thank you.