The Hamilton Wildlife Project

Monitoring and recording Hamilton's wildlife

Hamilton is lucky to have plenty of green space, including hedgerows with mature trees, woods, and wetlands. Not only does this make Hamilton a more pleasant place to live, but it also helps to protect Leicestershire's threatened wildlife.

Surprisingly very little of Hamilton’s wildlife has ever been officially recorded.

For example, searching on the Leicestershire and Rutland Naturespot wildlife database shows that, even for some of the commonest animals and plants, very few records have been submitted from Hamilton and its immediate surroundings. 

Why this matters

Hamilton’s green spaces cannot be taken for granted. The lack of wildlife records implies either that there is no wildlife in Hamilton or that it exists but that no one is concerned about it. 

There is a continuing demand for land for construction and other uses. The online animal records on Naturespot (and similar databases) are freely available to politicians, planners and developers who want to identify areas of poor quality greenspace that could be used for other purposes. 

The lack of recorded wildlife in Hamilton could mean that Hamilton will lose its greenspaces.

What can be done

Naturespot promotes the identification, recording and conservation of Leicestershire and Rutland’s wildlife. Hamilton Residents’ Association is keen to encourage this locally. The Naturespot website provides detailed guidelines for submitting wildlife records.

If you are interested in this but don't know where to begin, or if you have any other questions concerning Hamilton's wildlife, please contact Alan Bevington (email 57rrd1955@gmail.com).