Whilst not an Aesop’s fable, the tales we tell of these two endearing species in this edition of the GiGLer do teach an important lesson: that there is joy in taking the time to be aware of the wildlife that shares our city, and in telling others what you have seen.

Greater London is endowed with some fantastic public open spaces. However, with over eight million residents enjoying the city’s amenities, as well as the huge influx of tourists for whom our green spaces form part of the lure, …

Emma Knowles is GiGL’s partnership officer. She delivers work for existing GiGL partners with service level agreements, as well as carrying out work with students that wish to use GiGL data for research projects. At times she focuses on internal database work and core projects. …

Collecting and submitting records provides a focus for my wildlife outings. That being said, I try to remember that looking for wildlife is not simply about numbers. For me, it may have been initially, but it certainly is not now. It’s also about having fun. …

Because GiGL is a not-for-profit community interest company, we often make information available for students without charging for our time. GiGL can provide relevant data that would otherwise be inaccessible …

Recording wildlife has never been so popular. With the advent of smartphones, wildlife recording apps, simple online ID guides, and even bird song ID apps, everyone from seasoned bird watchers to first-time kingfisher-spotters can keep track of their wildlife sightings …

The Freshwater Habitats Trust is a national organisation dedicated to protecting all freshwater life. Our largest current project, the Heritage Lottery funded “People, Ponds and Water” has been running since 2015. We are helping volunteers to take an active part …

“Nature deficit disorder” is a phrase coined by Richard Louv in his book Last Child in the Woods, and describes the common feeling of disconnection from nature. 2008 marked the first time in history that the number of people living in cities exceeded the world’s rural …

For several years now, one of our most reliable signs of spring at GiGL has been the trickle of stag beetle records sent via our website. The first records in March and April herald the upcoming busy season of stag beetle spotting …

“Environmental data” is a catchall phrase that encompasses a huge range of possibilities. While GiGL’s best-known datasets are our partnership’s biodiversity and open spaces data, we also have access to a range of additional environmental …