free membership of Northumbria Mammal Group

[Ian Bond]

Hi
The Env Records Information Centre North East, has compiled a series of maps of mammal distribution for Northumbria Mammal Group based on all of the mammal records that they have permission to use.   These have kindly been hosted by the Natural History Society of Northumbria on their website along with other pages about NMG.  What we would like to do is to get as many people as possible to view those pages and to submit any mammal records that they have that might fill in some of the gaps in the species maps.  NMG's aim is to publish a book on the Mammals (plus reptiles and amphibians) of the North East next year. 

As an incentive, as part of a grant from the Open Air Laboratories, we are giving a year's free membership of NMG to anyone submitting a mammal record (which doesn't necessarily have to fill in any of the gaps on our map and can be a simple as a single molehill, though the more records the better).  If you are already a member of NMG (and particularly if you are one of those rare ones who pays their membership on time) you will get a year's free membership next time its due for renewal.

The maps and a simple electronic membership form can be found at www.northumbriamammalgroup.org.uk

I hope to welcoming many of you as members of NMG; if you have any queries about the group please let me know.

Cheers
Ian
(with my Secretary of Northumbria Mammal Group hat on)

[Wayne H]

nice one Ian i will be doing that :-)

[Jamie]

Hi Ian,

has this group ever considered changing the name to something that sounds like it covers anything more than Northumberland. I did not realise its boundry comes so far South and I suspect most people looking for mammal information South of Newcastle would never look at it

[Ian Bond]

Hi Jamie
I'd never thought of that but you might have a point. 
To me Northumbria means Northumberland, Durham & Cleveland, which is the area that the group covers, but I've never checked whether that is the official definition of Northumbria (bearing in mind that it was once a much larger region than that).  I think it came originally from its close links to the Natural History Society of Northumbria, which seems to me to be in practice to largely confine its interest to Northumberland.
I suppose there is room for confusion as we were once listed on the Mammal Society website as Northumberland Mammal Group.

I will suggest to the committee the idea of changing the name to North East mammal Group.

Cheers
Ian

[Ian Bond]

To add to the confusion of my original post, I should have pointed out that to find the maps you have to click on the link to the Mammals of the north east project.

Ian

[sidwemn]

Will make a bit of effort over the coming year.

Looking at the maps, one species missing altogether is Long Finned Pilot Whale. I remember a live stranding at Redcar many years ago but couldn't put a date to it. I have heard others who claim to have seen this species off Boulby if I remember correctly. Another stranding I remember was of a Minke Whale at South Gare, but it was already dead. Probably late 1980's but again no date I'm afraid.

The Bearded Seal at Hartlepool Fish Quay was from 20th January 1999

Martyn

[Jamie]

Just checked and the Kingdom of Northumbria also seems to include most of Yorkshire and some of Lancashire (or it did in 802AD).

I've attached the map I found

[Ian Bond]

Hi Jamie
I'm happy to try and annex Yorkshire but we may be repelled by Yorkshire Mammal Group 
I wonder what the mammal distribution maps would have looked like in 802 AD

Martin, thanks for the historical info;  as its around 150 years since anyone last catalogued the mammals of the north east then records from any point in the intervening period are still very relevant.

Ian

[A McLee]

I have been forwarding mammal and other beastie sightings for a while to Ian and I should add that that road kills, if identifiable of course, are relevant too.
Alistair McLee