Get Involved

There are many opportunities to get involved with species recording both locally, here on the Island and nationally in wider campaigns

Species of the Month (iWatchWildlife)
We run a programme of selected a species most months that we’d like to know more about to boost our current, local records. We ask users on Social Media to share their observations. We then capture those observations and convert them into permanent species records.

We welcome all species records at any time of year. You can download a basic wildlife form below to get you started. If you need any help with ID, we can help or put you in touch with a local expert.

We also feature one species as our ‘Species of the Year and for 2024 it’s Frogs and Toads, find out more below…

Follow us on Facebook @iWatchWildlife and Instagram #iWatchWildlife

Downloadable basic wildlife recording form

‘Species of the Month’ – February to December 2025

Feb – Frogs, Toads & Spawn / March – Brown Hare  /  April –  Adder  /  May – Hedgehogs  /  June – Stag Beetle  /  July – Great Green Bush Cricket  /  August – Tiger Moths /  September – Kingfisher / October – Curlew / November – Wax Caps / December – Mistletoe

Frogs (Melanie Parr) , Toad (Ian Whitmore), Spawn (Keith Marston) / March – Hare by Nick Edwards / April – Adder by Mike Cotterill / May – Hedgehog by Graham Hendy / June – Stag Beetles PTES / July – Great Green Bush Cricket by Allan Jackson / August – Tiger Moths / Sept – Kingfisher by Keith Marston / October – Curlew by Jim Baldwin / November – Wax Caps / Dec – Mistletoe

Species of the Year  2025  – Barn Owl

Throughout 2025, we’ll be asking for your Barn Owl sightings across the Island.

These wonderful birds, so linked with our pastoral heritage have declined drastically in the UK during the past 100 years. This is thought to be due to a combination of factors such as habitat loss, barn conversions, changes in farming techniques and use of harmful pesticides.

Barn Owls are most active at dawn and dusk when they search for prey in open country, farmland and woodland edges.

Contact us with your records this year:
email: iwatchwildlife@gmail.com or Social Media @iWatchWildlife / #iwatchwildlife or on paper sent to IWNHAS HQ

We will require a date, location, the Recorders’ name (and photo ideally) to create a species record please.

Barn Owls in flight by Danny Vokins (top)  and Maria Yule (above)

Other ways to get involved with wildlife recording

If you enjoy using Social Media, then Facebook is a good place to start. There are a number of local general wildlife groups which are a fantastic resource for getting to know local species and what’s about when. They can help put you in touch with experts if you need help with identification (though pictures are essential).

Isle of Wight Nature
Isle of Wight Flora and Fauna
Island Insects
IOW Dragonflies and Damselflies
Isle of Wight Birding
Isle of Wight Butterflies and Moths
Isle of Wight Bat Group
Isle of Wight Fungi
Wight Swifts
Isle of Wight Marine Conservation Hub

Here are links to other local surveys that you may wish to get involved with:

Red Squirrel sightings (Wight Squirrels)

Bird Recording (British Trust for Ornithology) – there are many bird surveys including Wetland, Farmland and Garden birds run by the BTO that need your help. For further info, contact our BTO IW Representative Jim Baldwin on wightbto@hotmail.com.

*Hants & IW Amphibian Survey – Hampshire Amphibian and Reptile Recording Network (HARRN) is producing a new atlas mapping out species across our two counties, and would really appreciate your records.

The Great Egg Case Hunt – You can become a citizen scientist by helping find and record shark eggcases.

Spot a Tiger – share your observations of Tiger Moths with us / wightmoths@gmail.com

Seagrass Spotter – a downloadable app where you can become a citizen scientist contributing to marine conservation with just a few taps of your phone.

* if submitting your observations to a regional or national survey, please make sure you also send your records to our county recorders to ensure your records are also captured locally in the Isle of Wight Species Database.