Squares without records

The map above highlights the most under-recorded 1km squares in the SWSEIC region, and we are sharing this to encourage local wildlife recorders to help put more wildlife on the map. For each square there are no wildlife species recorded; that means not a single species of animal, plant, fungi or bacteria is attributed to these 1km squares in the SWSEIC database. SWSEIC has published this interactive map to allow recorders to browse and explore to find squares near to them with few or no species recorded in them.

Some are in remote uplands, some are amongst rarely visited conifer plantations or improved agricultural lands, whilst others may simply be overlooked because they are slilghtly off the beaten path. Whilst admittedly these squares may not always hold the most diverse range of habitats, it is worth remembering that even a record of feeding Rooks, a patch of Gorse or a slithering Brown Soil Slug will be more than we knew before! You will certainly be improving the distribution mapping of any species you record.

You are welcome to use any recording method at your disposal. Data from recording apps and websites are likely to be assimilated more quickly but paper and spreadsheet records are absolutely fine too.

Details of the map

The mapping was done by extracting all records from the SWSEIC database up to the end of September 2025, and attributing each record to a 1km square. For lower precision records (e.g. bird atlas surveys recorded at tetrad level) these are excluded from the map as they cannot be attributed to a specific square. The number of species recorded in each square was calculated and mapped in QGIS, and the gaps where no species were recorded were identified. The resulting maps are displayed using Google Maps. You can scroll through the menu to find a square or simply look around the map to see squares near to you or in areas you wish to visit.

We have tried to attribute place names based on features found on the OS map for each square to give you an idea of where it is and what’s there. Please be aware that some squares have virtually no named features or may only slightly overlap with named features. They are there simply as a point of reference. It is also worth noting many place names have alternative names and spellings; we have simply used those on OS but you may know these places by a local name.

It is also worth noting that this is simply a map of the SWSEIC database records and other organisations such as FRDBI, BSBI and NBN may hold additional records that we don’t currently have access to. The records also have our records up to the end of September 2025 so it will already be a little out of date but, in due course we will update the map, probably on a bi-yearly basis.

Getting to these squares

In Scotland we have a right to access the outdoors, so long as we do so responsibly in line with the Scottish Outdoor Access Code. Watching and recording wildlife falls within these access rights. However it is worth being aware that some of these under-recorded squares may be in more remote areas with landowners that are not used to having members of the public on their land. We would encourage you to keep this in mind, and it may be worth contacting the landowner beforehand. Access may be particularly difficult or impossible on some sites with restricted access, such as MOD land, active quarries, windfarm construction sites and during forestry operations.

Many of these squares are in remote areas with difficult terrain and access. Our local mountain rescue organisations have good advice on safety in upland and remote areas.

We wish you the best of luck in finding things to record in the field. Happy recording!

Malcolm Haddow & Mark Pollitt