Jane Orgee
'It was inspiring to learn the names of what I had photographed, and rewarding to know that my records were counting for more as they were put on the national database.'
Jane Orgee
Social media groups sparked Jane's interest in learning about and recording insect species – now she's logged over 2000 records for our Get Cumbria Buzzing project alone!
Here's more from Jane about her journey to becoming a champion wildlife recorder, and what it means to her:
I joined a gardening group on Facebook in 2014, which got me interested in wildlife gardening and bumblebees.
This led to me attending a bumblebee ID training day and soon I was able to identify bumblebees in my garden. I also learned how our pollinators were struggling and realized that we urgently needed to act to save them.
In the hope of driving change, I became a volunteer with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust (BBCT), giving talks and hosting stands at events.
Seeing bumblebees in my garden inspired me to look at other insects, like hoverflies and solitary bees. I joined the UK Hoverflies Facebook group, which set me off on my recording journey as they record and ID hoverflies posted on their page. It was inspiring to learn the names of what I had photographed, and rewarding to know that my records were counting for more as they were put on the national database.
I joined iRecord in 2018 and iNaturalist in 2020, and started recording all sorts of species as a result. Soon – helped by Covid lockdowns – it became part of my routine. I took my camera on my daily walks, recording what I found, often on iNaturalist for the Get Cumbria Buzzing project.
Recording makes my walks count for more. It’s mindful and it immerses me in nature. I love to discover the invertebrates that live alongside us, with all their diversity of shape and colour, and it’s interesting to see how the species change as the seasons pass. Taking a closer look at well-focused photos is awe inspiring when they reveal hidden, close-up details, and I find the process of identification is intellectually stimulating.
Recording is surely vital in these days of biodiversity loss – if only to record what is still with us, and where. I also find the networking and sense of worth that recording brings make me feel valued and appreciated.
In my mind, the more we learn about our natural world and the creatures we share it with, the more we'll care for it. Every species counts towards keeping our ecosystem in balance – even the ones that so many of us are completely oblivious of!
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