Wise words Roger - good to see you on WAB
I agree with everything you have said, regarding records - when we (putting my Tachinid Recording Scheme hat on) say 'all are welcome' we really mean it ...
Tachina fera,
Eriothrix rufomaculata - common as muck but they must be in more squares than we have dots for them so we must still be data-deficient. The minimum we need in terms of data is:
- Grid Reference (O/S Landranger or Lat/Long style - even a post-code is better than nothing and can be converted usually)
- Date of sighting
- Recorder's name
... though we won't complain if you also include:
- Location name
- Habitat
- any host/rearing information, if you have it
- etc.
I remember chatting with a reptile & amphibian recorder a while ago and he made a very valid point that now we worry about the decline in reptiles & amphibians across the country but when he looked back in old journals he had real trouble finding records for frogs and grass snakes because back then people considered them too common to bother recording. It was only when people thought they were declining that they started to do really serious recording and by that time it was too late!