I recently had the opportunity to run a group workshop at the 2025 Biological Recorders Conference for Cornwall and Isles of Scilly – a fantastic day dedicated to celebrating the vital wildlife recording efforts in Cornwall. Held at the University of Exeter’s Penryn Campus, the event brought together a diverse group – from those just starting their wildlife observation journey to seasoned experts, all sharing a genuine passion for the county’s natural wonders. It was inspiring to network with fellow enthusiasts, and the range of workshops and insights into the latest projects was truly exciting.
This year’s focus, ‘Data for the Future: Recording Nature in a Changing World’ was particularly thought-provoking. The conference explored the recent shifts in recording methods, including the increasing adoption of structured monitoring, the exciting technology used in recording and the value of traditional techniques. It was a valuable day, and I’m looking forward to sharing some of my key takeaways from the event.
Key highlights
It was great to connect with so many people with unique and varied interests. I spent most of my morning meeting lots of likeminded people who are interested in biological recording, chatting all things equipment and answering lots of questions about the kit. Throughout the day, I attended some interesting talks from a number of researchers and organisations. My highlights are as follows:
Pollinator Responses to Urban Green Environments – Oliver Poole, University of Exeter
Oliver’s research focussed on planting green spaces, and whether green spaces are working for both pollinators and people. His research wanted to find out what delivers the most benefits to these groups, and interestingly, his results showed that a mix of native and ornamental plants had the best scores for pollinators and people.

Sea Bass Monitoring, Robin Bradley
This talk centred on the work of a volunteer group, who record data on juvenile bass in the Fal, Helford and Camel estuaries to analyse the strength of each successive year class. Their valuable data has now been validated and added to a larger dataset that will contribute to work across Europe. I particularly enjoyed the wider message of this talk, which emphasised the importance and value of community and citizen science in the wildlife space.

Tor to Shore – Recording Opportunities, Dr Gwen Maggs
Another interesting talk discussing the Tor to Shore project, an expansive undertaking from Cornwall Wildlife Trust to create a Local Nature Recovery Network spanning across land and sea. The talk discussed the project, and the work on the Trust’s farm, linking to lowlands, an expanding sand dune system, and into the sea with seagrass and maerl habitats.
Data for the Future: Hardware in the Field
I had the opportunity to speak in a group workshop, where I demonstrated some wildlife recording kit and discussed the different types of hardware that can be used for a range of monitoring. It was great to demonstrate the capabilities of wildlife equipment and their applications in the field, and I was able to cover a wide range of monitoring including traditional methods, acoustics, telemetry, video and thermal imaging.
I started with a focus on traditional monitoring, before moving on to advancements in the sector and its technology across a range of habitats and environments. I covered a range of equipment, from bat detectors and camera traps to thermal imaging and our upcoming NEWTCAM. It was great to receive such interest in the kit, and with wildlife technology becoming more and more accessible, it is a great opportunity to share the latest technology to wildlife recorders in the South-west.
It was great to meet so many likeminded individuals interested in biological recording and I particularly enjoyed the emphasis, and appreciation of, citizen science and the value that community can bring to conservation. Overall, it was an inspiring day, and I look forward to attending next year’s conference!