What’s New on Field Mycologist: Profiles, Identifiers and Badges

Field Mycologist has just had its biggest update yet. Every recorder now has a public profile, the community has a new way of confirming records with the help of Identifiers, and there’s a whole collection of badges waiting to be earned. Here’s a quick tour of what’s changed and why it matters.

We built Field Mycologist to be more than a place to store records. The aim has always been a community. Somewhere beginners and experienced recorders help each other get identifications right, and where every record adds something to our understanding of UK fungi. This update is all about the people behind the records.

Member Profiles: Meet the Recorders

Until now, a name on an observation was just that, a name. Now it’s a doorway. Click on a recorder’s name on any observation, comment or ID suggestion and you’ll land on their public profile.

Each profile gives a snapshot of that person’s recording life. You’ll see when they started, how many observations they’ve made, how many are confirmed and how many species they’ve found. There are their most recent observations, the species they record most often, their monthly activity, the habitats and vice counties they’ve explored, and the badges they’ve earned.

Here’s the thing. Seeing who’s behind a record builds trust. If someone suggests an ID on your brittlegill and you can see they’ve recorded dozens of them across three counties, that suggestion carries weight. And if someone is just starting out, a glance at their profile is a gentle reminder to be patient and generous with your explanations.

Your privacy, your choice

Your profile only ever shows your recording highlights. Your email address, favourites, activity feed and iNaturalist connection are never shown, and observation locations follow each record’s own location privacy setting. If you’d rather keep a low profile, you can switch your public profile off in Settings, just under your bio.

Your dashboard

Alongside your public profile, your own dashboard has had a makeover. It’s your personal overview of everything you’ve recorded and contributed: headline counts, a month-by-month chart of your recording, your top species, your badges, and the agreements, confirmations and ID suggestions you’ve made on other people’s observations. Open it any time from the menu under your name.

Identifiers: Keeping Our Records Reliable

Accurate records are the whole point. A record of the wrong species isn’t just unhelpful, it’s misleading, and it can end up shaping decisions about which sites and species get protected. So we’ve introduced a new role: the Identifier.

Identifiers are experienced members trusted to help confirm other recorders’ identifications. They check the details, weigh up the evidence in your photos and notes, and their agreement gives an observation the confidence it needs to become a trusted record.

Community agreement, backed by expertise

Confirmation is driven by the whole community. Every member’s latest ID on an observation counts as a vote, and when one ID is clearly ahead of the rest, the observation is confirmed automatically and everyone sees the green tick straight away. An Identifier’s agreement counts for more, so an ID that an Identifier backs needs a smaller lead. The speed of the community is always backed by the judgement of experienced members.

If anyone spots a problem, they can suggest the correct species or ask for more information, and a confirmed ID that is challenged gets another look. Nothing is lost and nobody is embarrassed. It’s simply how good science works: open, collaborative and self-correcting.

Could you become an Identifier?

Yes, you could. Observers who consistently make accurate identifications can be promoted to Identifier automatically. There’s no application form and no exam. You earn it by doing what good recorders do anyway: looking carefully, helping others and getting it right. We’ve written a whole post about it: How to Become an Identifier.

Badges: Celebrate Every Milestone

Recording fungi is its own reward, but a little recognition never hurt anyone. Badges celebrate your recording milestones and the help you give to other members. There are nine to collect.

Most badges have three levels, bronze, silver and gold, and you’ll move up as your numbers grow. Your public profile shows only the badges you’ve earned, while your own dashboard also shows the ones you haven’t reached yet, greyed out, so there’s always something new to aim for.

You’ll find your badges on your dashboard, on your public profile and on the Home tab of the app. Hover over or tap one to see what it’s for and what you need for the next level.

A Better App, Too

The Field Mycologist app has been updated alongside the website. Your badges now appear on the Home tab, and you can add up to seven photos to every observation. A new filter on the Browse tab lets you show all, confirmed or unconfirmed observations. You can even switch on biometric login in Settings, so getting into the app is as quick as getting your phone out of your pocket.

Get Out There

All of this exists for one reason: to help more people record more fungi, more accurately. Profiles connect you with the people behind the records. Identifiers help make sure those records can be trusted. And badges give you a nudge to explore a new habitat, a new county or a new season.

So take a look at your dashboard, see which badges you’ve already earned, and pick the next one to chase. Then head out, find some fungi and share what you find. We can’t wait to see it.