The species list comprises wildlife that has been recorded previously in Leicestershire and Rutland. Additional species are being found all the time so the list will steadily expand. If you have found a species that isn’t on the list, type '+' and then select '+ new species' from the drop down menu on the species box. You will then be shown a pop up box and asked to tell us what species you think it is and what evidence you have. For a new species to be accepted you will either need to send photographic evidence or a recognised expert must have identified it for you.
Read our help page on Getting Identification Help.
All submitted records are checked by our moderators. If a species has been recorded that is unusual or rare we may contact the user for more information. This validation of the records is obviously easier if an image of the species seen is submitted with the record. For certain species, we will contact the County Recorder, or another expert, for their opinion. All validated records are submitted to the Leicestershire and Rutland Environmental Records Centre run by the County Council. We also make records available to the County Recorders (experts who monitor a wildlife group such as beetles) and to the relevant land owner or manager. In this way we will help to add to the biodiversity knowledge base for the area and draw to the attention of land managers the wildlife interest of their sites so appropriate protection and conservation management can be put in place.
Once submitted, users cannot directly edit or delete any record. If you realise that a mistake has been made, please email NatureSpot stating the ID reference. Use the filter and ordering functions on the My Records page to locate the relevant record. The ID is shown in the left hand column. We will then track down the record and make the necessary change.
The most common problem is that the registration email doesn't arrive. This is nearly always because it is getting sent to the junk/spam folder by your email programme. Some email providers, such as BTYahoo filter out what they think are spam before they get to your computer and you have to log onto your online email account to find these. One way around this is to add site@naturespot.org.uk to your address book before the registration email is sent and this should allow it to get through.
We welcome suggestions of other questions we should add to this page.