I’ve recently started paying more attention to the small things around me, like insects on flowers, birds in the garden, and different plants during walks. Sometimes I’m unsure whether a common species is still useful to record or if I should only submit unusual finds. Do experienced recorders here log almost everything they see, or do you mainly focus on rare and interesting observations? I’d also be interested to know if keeping regular records has changed the way you notice nature around you.
Everything is worth recording to build a true picture of the state of British nature. If you only record the unusual stuff and ignore the common-or-garden stuff it will create a bias in the data. The reality is though that many people like to record things like birds, butterflies and hoverflies while there is sparse data about some other organisms not because they aren't out there but simply because they are under-recorded. Having said that I'm as guilty of this as anyone as I tend to specialise in hoverflies; a very popular subject.
Using iRecord has certainly opened my eyes, I never noticed there were tiny bees only 5-6mm long until I started recording insects but when you go looking for them you realise they're everywhere.