Still spaces for teens on this workshop:

For Invasive Species Week, in collaboration with @ulsterwildlife.bsky.social we hosted two recording workshops with citizen scientists in Cultra & Carrickfergus! Among the many native species recorded, were several invasive species, including those pictured. Submit INNS records on iRecord!

As the summer days stretch long into the evening, you can hear the hum of life all around us as butterflies float past & bees (& their copycats) buzz. Join us for our Summer Wildlife Walk at the @ulsterfolkmuseum & get hands on experience with iRecord! www.ulsterfolkmuseum.org/whats-on/wil...

Can a recording app tell you what that insect in your garden is? Short answer - yes! This insect week, get recording on iRecord - maybe you'll even learn something new! This photo is the larvae of the 7-spot ladybird🐞 Always check AI suggestions as they aren't always accurate. #insectweek

Invasive Species week update: We've produced "A Diver's guide to identifying and recording 10 of Northern Ireland's marine invasive species." with the Invasive Species NI team at NIEA. You'll find a link to the guide on the Dive NI website: dive-ni.org/wp-content/u... Get recording on iRecord!

#insectweek update: Early this month, training kickstarted the Invertebrate Condition Assessment of Murlough ASSI (@nationaltrust.org.uk). Part of a CEDaR & DAERA funded 6 year contract to assess all ASSI sites with invertebrate features, undertaken by Allen & Mellon Ltd. #standtallforthesmall

It's Invasive Species Week, but what does that actually mean? This week, take the time to learn about the invasive species that threaten our wildlife at the link: invasivespeciesni.co.uk/species-acco... As always, keep recording! #INNSweek

Learn how to use iRecord to submit wildlife records that support conservation, research and biodiversity monitoring. A practical introduction to biological recording, data quality, verification and species recording in the UK 🌎 🧪 Enrol here: 🔗 courses.biologicalrecording.co.uk/courses/iRec...

Calling all anglers🎣 SHARE YOUR CATCH! Participate in the NI Fish Recording Project & tell us what you're finding in your local fishing spots! Share pictures of your catch on the iRecord app or our website: www2.habitas.org.uk/records/angl...

We’re delighted to be part of Museums for Nature - a programme by @nhm-london.bsky.social, supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund. We look forward to collaborating with partners to restore pond habitats at the @ulsterfolkmuseum.org. Read more: www.museumsassociation.org/museums-jour...

There's still spaces for our upcoming bees & wasps training course! nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

On Tuesday, we spent a morning in the sunshine looking for hoverflies at Oxford Island. This was the first ID course for our Hoverfly Recording Project! Thanks to Anna Hart for teaching us about this under-recorded species group. Seen a hoverfly? Get recording on the iRecord app!

This common species is often 1st to emerge in spring. Freshwater insects found in wetlands, feed on smaller invertebrates. They have 2yr lifecycles, adults lasting just weeks. Males are large & red w/ black legs. Females have yellow markings, colour forms vary from mostly red to mostly black.

New recording project by QUB - MosquitoNI! 🦟 🔎 Studying which mosquito species are living here & what viruses they might carry. 📸 Seen a mosquito? Report it using their online form: mosquitoni.com/citizen-scie... ❗Note - recording project not hosted on CEDaR Online Recording/iRecord.

New around here? Check out our pinned video & learn how to record with us!

Database Update ❕ Our terrestrial & freshwater data team have added 15031 butterfly records to our database. That brings the total number of butterflies to 219,807! 🦋 You can view our citizen science records on the NBN Atlas, for a more comprehensive information request please email us 🔍

It's Volunteer Week & we wanted to say a huge thank you to all our CEDaR Outreach & Photo Archive Volunteers, who've put in an impressive 52.5 Volunteer Hours so far in 2026! Here are a few of our favourite photos, found by our Photo Archive volunteers to mark the occasion.

City Nature Challenge Results are in! The most observed plant, animal, marine species & fungi are pictured. "Research Grade" iNaturalist obs are verified in iRecord & added to our database! Thanks to all recorders who took part & to @wildbelfast.bsky.social, BugLife & @bsbibotany.bsky.social.

Keen to learn more about Irish hawkweeds (Hieracium)? 2 FREE last minute spaces now available on the @cedarrecordsni.bsky.social- funded Irish Hawkweed Key training workshop at Glasnevin, Tuesday 2 June 12:30-16:00 Interested? email [email protected] to book a place @bsbibotany.bsky.social #botany

What exactly is Batesian mimicry?

Learn how to record wildlife & become a citizen scientist in this hands-on session for teenagers. Mobile phones are encouraged for a mindful recording session @ulsterfolkmuseum.org📲 We'll dissect owl pellets & identify the small mammals they’ve eaten🦉🐾 www.ulsterfolkmuseum.org/whats-on/tee...

Discover the secret world of bats @ulsterfolkmuseum.org 🦇 Spend the evening with us at the museum, use bat detectors & listen to these mammals call at twilight. Tickets at the link: www.ulsterfolkmuseum.org/whats-on/twi...

Our beginner field course in hoverfly identification is fast approaching! Grab tickets: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

🐝Come join us to learn about bees & wasps: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

Saturday’s course in Plant-Pathogenic Fungi was a lesson in looking closer! This understudied group of fungi can affect the yield or pollen production of the affected plant. Many spp are a food source for invertebrates such as slugs! Huge thanks to Jake Dalzell for facilitating this course!

It’s No Mow May @ulsterfolkmuseum.org & lots of native wildflowers are popping up. Let us know what’s growing in your local no mow patch on the iRecord app or CEDaR Online Recording!

Showing a little love to this snap from April's "what exactly is?" post. Our Marine Data Manager photographed this Common Sea Star, regenerating from one limb, while out on a dive!

There's still spaces on our Plant Pathogenic Fungi Course this Saturday - sign up at the link!

Records with photographs are easier to verify! Here's a few tips on getting the right snaps - they don't need to be perfect, they just need to include the correct ID features. You can submit between 4-10 photos depending on weather you use iRecord or CEDaR Online Recording.

Let us know if you hear a cuckoo calling: www2.habitas.org.uk/records/subm...

This week attendees at our Riverflies course learned to identify Mayflies, Stoneflies & Caddisflies (under recorded in NI) to genus level. Thanks to Craig MacAdam, BugLife & Helen James, National Museums NI for their delivery of this course; and to @belfasthills.bsky.social for facilitating!

Species of the month: Common cuckoo (𝘊𝘶𝘤𝘶𝘭𝘶𝘴 𝘤𝘢𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘶𝘴)! 🔎Cuckoos are grey in colour with a long tail, black beak & yellow eyes with distinctive rings. 🐛Their diet consists mostly of insects & hairy caterpillars.

What a great find Mel! www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

Calling all recreational anglers - tell us about your catch🎣 Fish are an under-recorded species group in Northern Ireland, but vital to aquatic habitats and our economy. Submit a photo of your catch on CEDaR Online Recording or the iRecord App: www2.habitas.org.uk/records/angl...

What exactly is starfish regeneration?

It's all a-buzz for our pollinators this summer! Join us in June for a beginner field course in hoverfly identification at Oxford Island. We'll learn the key id features before heading outside to put our new skills to the test. Tickets at link: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

Learn about the fascinating world of plant pathogens in our fungi course this spring. Discover more about their fascinating interactions with native plant species, and how to identify species in the field. See link for tickets: nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

We had a wonderful time last Wednesday, learning all about seaweed. From collection, to identification & pressing, thanks to Christine Maggs for running this course, & to all our fantastic attendees.

City Nature Challenge is this weekend! Get out into nature & get recording! Visit the link to find out how to get involved: mailchi.mp/11d11de3d492... @bsbiireland.bsky.social

To kick off National Mammal Week, we hosted Animal Detectives @ulsterfolkmuseum.org 🕵️ We learnt to ID mammal footprints, homes & poos 🐾 Don't forget you can record signs, as well as sightings, for our mammal recording project! 📲

The brook lamprey (𝘓𝘢𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘪) is the only of Ireland’s three lamprey species that spends its entire life in freshwater! A primitive fish, it is jawless – instead possessing a sucker-like mouth which it uses to move rocks and create nests called redds where it deposits eggs.

We'll be joining @bsbibotany.bsky.social & BugLife at this BioBlitz for this year's #CityNatureChallenge Come along & chat to us about how your @inaturalist.bsky.social records can be used to promote conservation in Northern Ireland! Checkout what Wild Belfast are up to too!

Recording wildlife with us is simple, we only need to know WHO, WHAT, WHERE & WHEN. Get recording today on CEDaR Online Recording or the iRecord App📲

Dive deeper into the world of Freshwater Insects with our 2-day ID course! Mayflies, stoneflies & caddisflies are excellent indicators of water quality, & used in habitat monitoring world-wide. 📆 6th - 7th May 📍 Belfast Hills nationalmuseumsni.digitickets.co.uk/event-ticket...

Species of the month: common swift (𝘈𝘱𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘶𝘴)! 📏In flight they can be seen to have long boomerang-shaped wings & forked tail. They are brown in colour though they may appear black against the sky. 🪰Their diet consists of flying insects, they avoid stinging species.

DiveNI is back! Click the link below to see footage from a recent dive: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ojw...

Strong winds are expected across Northern Ireland over Easter weekend as Storm Dave passes over. Gusts of 50-60mph are forecast with exposed areas facing even stronger winds up to 80mph. In NI, the peak of this stormy weather is anticipated for early afternoon on Saturday 4th.

Looking for an activity over Easter break? Join us for a Wildlife Walk @ulsterfolkmuseum.org as Spring blooms all around us and nature comes to life! 📅10th April ⏰2pm Book tickets: www.ulsterfolkmuseum.org/whats-on/wil...

Search for clues @ulsterfolkmuseum.org where your family can tracking & identifying the tell-tale signs of mammals that live amongst us. This family workshop is a perfect day out for detectives, young and old! See the link for tickets: www.ulsterfolkmuseum.org/whats-on/be-...

April Fish! 🎣 Cuckoo Wrasse (Labrus mixtus) is 1 of our most colourful native fish. A marine species living in rocky reefs. 🧡Females are pink-orange w/ black & white markings 💙Males are electric blue w/ orange patches Check out the new recording page: www2.habitas.org.uk/records/angl...