Suffolk's Biological Data Centre
We curate and share ecological data to inform better decisions and actions to benefit Suffolk's wildlife.
Latest news
The Linder Foundation GrantsThe Linder Foundation support specific projects that focus on land-based projects relating to biodiversity (such as sustainable farming practices) and/or species preservation/re-introduction. The project can be in an urban or rural environment, can be farm-based or within connected farms, and could contain a research element that seeks to provide the evidence base for change. Our average grant is £15,000 and their grant should cover at least 50% of the total project cost. Priorities
Visit Linder Foundation website |
Are you interested in taking part in a Suffolk bat survey?The surveys involve installing static/remote detectors at a fixed location in your garden or local space for up to a week. Bats passing in the vicinity of the microphone will be recorded from sunset to sunrise for the duration of the survey. Recorded bat calls are analysed using the BTO acoustic pipeline, followed by manual verification of the species. Vocalisations of any other small mammal species detected (shrews, mice, voles) will also be identified. The results will be sent to you and SBIS. The surveys aim to gather bat data from locations that might otherwise be under-recorded to increase the distribution data for bats in the county. For more information, contact Huma Pearce, [email protected] |
Spot a hog!Spot a Hog is a citizen science study that aims to test the potential of using data obtained from privately owned camera traps for monitoring hedgehogs and estimating their density. It will be using a novel method that requires a calibration step, for the study team to be able to extract the metrics necessary for the population size modeling. The West European Hedgehog is a species of conservation concern in the UK, as its population has been undergoing a historic decline. To identify the reasons for, and the extent of, this decline data from across the country is needed. Camera traps, or trail cameras, are widely applied in wildlife monitoring. Some amazing initiatives, such as the National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme, uses camera traps to estimate the density of various species. However, camera traps are also increasingly used by private users to observe wildlife in their gardens. This data holds great potential for monitoring urban species, as it can provide information on multiple species in a habitat often not represented in scientific studies. This is also an especially important habitat for hedgehogs, as currently they are more frequently observed in urban than in rural areas. The novel method used in this study requires some additional steps to work out how animals move in front of the camera, and that’s where you come in! The study welcomes anyone who already has a camera trap (or will get one before the start of the survey) in May 2025. You will need to set up your camera according to a protocol available on the website, calibrate the camera following the instructions, and leave it on for a maximum of 1 month. After this, you will need to upload the images to a designated project on MammalWeb. The images will then be available to the public for spotting (i.e. classifying images by species) and the results will be analysed by the project team. Further information can be found on the Spot a Hog website as well as how to sign up. You can also download an information sheet. |
Forthcoming events
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Biological Recording Company: Introduction To Camera Trapping |
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Mammal Society: Getting Involved with the National Harvest Mouse Survey |
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Volunteering with Dedham Vale National Landscape: Coppicing/ Hedge Trimming
Assington Mill |
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Mammal Society: Introduction to eDNA for Mammal Detection |
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Volunteering with Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape: Hedge Coppicing
Hemley |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Workshop: Winter bird photography
Saturday 24 January 2026 |
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Biological Recording Company: An 'Alien' in Antarctica |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Wildlife Live Webinar - Bird Pellets
Online webinar |
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Biological Recording Company: Hay Meadow Restoration |
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Biological Recording Company: One Mother For Two Species: The Complex Lifecycle of Harvester Ants |
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Biological Recording Company: Checking and Validating Your Wildlife Records |
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Biological Recording Company: Subterranean Harvestmen |
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Volunteering with Dedham Vale National Landscape: Woodland Planting
Dedham |
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Volunteering with Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape: Hedge planting
Hemley |
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Mammal Society: Pine Marten: Monitoring and Ecology |
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Mammal Society: Advanced eDNA Survey Design and Data Interpretation for Mammal Monitoring |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Wildlife Live Webinar - White Tailed Eagles
Online webinar |
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Biological Recording Company: Big Rock Pool Challenge: The Power of UK Marine Citizen Science |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Wildlife Walk
Wednesday 11 February 2026 |
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London Natural History Society: Awakening to Birds at 'The Wakes': Gilbert White by John Rumm |
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Volunteering with Dedham Vale National Landscape: Coppicing
Alphamstone |
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Mammal Society: Getting Involved with the Mountain Hare Survey |
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Volunteering with Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape: Ringed Plover Fence Erection
Shotley |
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Mammal Society: Introduction to Stoats and Weasels: Ecology and Behaviour |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Workshop: Winter bird photography
Sunday 22 February 2026 |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Wildlife Live Webinar - Ancient Woodland in Suffolk
Online webinar |
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Royal Entomological Society: Aquatic Insects Special Interest Group (SIG) 2026
Aquatic Ecosystems in the Data Age Date: Thursday 26 February 2026 (9.30am - 3.30pm) and Friday 27 February 2026 (9.30am - 12.30pm) Venue: Online Our Aquatic Insects Special Interest Group event brings together researchers, conservation practitioners and… |
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Mammal Society: Bioacoustics (Two-Part Workshop) |
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Volunteering with Dedham Vale National Landscape: Tree Guard Removal
Higham |
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Volunteering with Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape: Hedge Planting
Walberswick |
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Royal Entomological Society: Invertebrates in the Urban Forest – Forest Invertebrate Special Interest Group (SIG) 2026
Invertebrates in the Urban Forest Thursday 5 March 2026 (9.30am - 4.30pm) Location: Hyde Park learning Centre The Forest Invertebrate Special Interest Group (SIG), in collaboration with The Royal Parks, invites you to an illuminating… |
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Volunteering with Suffolk Coast and Heaths National Landscape: Ringed Plover Fence Erection
Shotley |
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Mammal Society: Introduction to Large Mustelids: Monitoring and Project Coordination |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Talk: Flora & Fauna of Namibia
Tuesday 10 March 2026 |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Wildlife Live Webinar - Biofluorescence
Online webinar |
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London Natural History Society: Britain's Best Known Plant Extinction: Summer's Lady's-tresses R. Kulczycki |
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Volunteering with Dedham Vale National Landscape: Hedge Aftercare/ Gapping up
Alphamstone |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Talk: Climate change, gardening and us
Thursday 19 March 2026 |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Wildlife Live Webinar - Wilder Landscapes in action
Online webinar |
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Mammal Society: Introduction to bat ecology and bat surveys |
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Royal Entomological Society: Student Forum 2026 – POSTPONED
Due to unforeseen circumstances, this event has been postponed. More information will follow in the New Year. We are delighted to announce details for our 2026 Student Forum! This annual two-day event run by the… |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Talk: Wildlife along the Stour
Wednesday 8 April 2026 |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Blyth Valley & Southwold Wildlife Group AGM & Film on canoeing down an East Anglian river
Thursday 9 April 2026 |
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London Natural History Society: Virtual Talk TBC |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Talk: Gulls - more than just chip thieves
Tuesday 14 April 2026 |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Talk: The future of barn owls in Suffolk
Thursday 16 April 2026 |
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Royal Entomological Society: Infection, Immunity & Microbionts Special Interest Group (SIG)
Infection, Immunity & Microbionts Special Interest Group (SIG) Date: Thursday 16th - Friday 17th April 2026 Venue: Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath Join our Infection, Immunity & Microbionts Special Interest Group for a… |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Talk: Wild about Suffolk - Trail camera footage
Wednesday 29 April 2026 |
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London Natural History Society: Saving the Stone Curlew by Keith Betton |
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London Natural History Society: Bringing Beavers Back to London: The Ealing Beaver Project by Şeniz Mustafa |
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Royal Entomological Society: Insect Week 2026
Get involved Find an event Visit the Insect Week Events page to find an event near you during Insect Week. We will be listing some of these nearer the time. Planning an event during Insect… |
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Royal Entomological Society: XIII European Congress of Entomology – External
Welcome to ECE 2026 Join us in Tours, France, in the heart of the Loire Valley, from June 29 to July 3, 2026 for the XIII European Congress of Entomology. Building on a rich tradition… |
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Royal Entomological Society: Ento26
We are delighted to be hosting Ento26 in the city of Cardiff and would like to thank the Ento Convenors for their support with the programme planning. Our Convenors represent four institutions across Wales. Swansea… |
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Suffolk Wildlife Trust: Wildlife Live Webinar - Soil ecoacoustics
Online webinar |
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Data flow
Where our data comes from and where it goes
