Founded 1918
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Founded 1918 |
Why Record Birds?
Recording Procedure
What Species to Record
Where to Record
Submission of Records
What Happens to your Bird Records
"Difficult" Species and Rarities
Confidential Records
At the present time much effort is being made nationally to record the biodiversity of our countryside. Birds can often indicate the value of a habitat for other animals and plants. Those who watch birds have an important role to play at the local level by recording the species they see. A species list for any site visited can provide useful information about the site and about the distribution of the recorded species at the time of the visit. However, a well documented record provides additional valuable information which may lead to an improved understanding of the bird's requirements and eventually provide the scientific basis for its conservation.
The object of this contribution is to provide guidance on the compilation and submission of bird records which hopefully may improve the quality of the records and encourage those who have not previously submitted records to, "have a go".
Back to topBird records should be submitted on the standard recording slip used by the Ornithological Section and obtainable from the Section Recorder. Alternatively you can download the recording slips from this Web site. Records entered onto a record slip should relate only to the locality specified against SITE NAME. Please use another slip for a different site. A copy of the slip is shown below together with examples of imaginary records.
| SORBY ORNITHOLOGICAL GROUP RECORD SLIP (one per site) | ||||
| SITE NAME Nitticarhill to Barlborough Road | OBSERVER(S) A.N.Other | |||
| 10km Grid Sq (2 fig) - SE/SK 47 | ||||
| YEAR.'02. Day Month |
GR of bird 4/6 fig |
SPECIES | DETAILS Nos, Sex, Activity, Habitat etc | |
| 6 5 | 483777 | Whitethroat | 1 singing from top of Hawthorn tree in hedge, W side of | |
| road. Adjacent barley field E4.1.7 | ||||
| " " | 482775 | Grey Partridge | 2 flushed from edge of grass field with cattle E1.2.2 | |
| 10 5 | 483776 | Green Woodpecker | 1 flying into Speetley Plantation from direction of | |
| Longrybank Wood A1.1.259 | ||||
The following explanatory notes relate to the headings on the slip.
This should be the name printed on the Ordnance Survey maps (1:50,000 or 1:25,000). If the site has no name, sufficient detail should be given to enable the Recorder to locate the site and check the grid reference. If no grid reference is given and the observer uses a parochial name, the Recorder may be unable to locate the site.
This is for filing your original record slip. The Sorby recording area overlaps two 100 km grid squares, designated by the letters SK and SE. Delete whichever is not appropriate and add the appropriate 10 km square. For example the centres of Sheffield and Doncaster are situated in SK38 and SE5O respectively.
Please give full initials to avoid confusion with similarly named members. Where several persons have observed a rarity (see final section) please give the name of the person who validates the record.
If a site covers two 10 km squares please use a separate slip for each square and allocate the birds accordingly. For example, the River Derwent between Leadmill Bridge and Grindleford crosses SK 28 and SK 27. This section of the river is a popular location for which many records are submitted. However, without knowing in which square the birds occurred it is not possible to map the occurrence of the relevant species because the record slip cannot be assigned to either square.
If you cannot give a map reference please describe the locality in sufficient detail to enable the Recorder to assign the record to the nearest 10 km square.
Only one year should be shown; the day and month should be shown against each species if the dates are different. Records for different days or months can be included on the same slip providing they all relate to the same site. It is better to use different slips for different months if the records are for use in the monthly Bird Report.
The four or six figure grid reference shown in this column is intended to give as precise as possible location of the bird. However, please note that a six figure grid reference implies a location to the nearest l00 m and this may not be possible in an area of open country such as moorland where no recognizable features are shown on the map. It is also not possible to give such a precise locations using a small scale map. The 1 inch to I mile (1:63,360) scale is the limit for such a grid reference. An accurate grid reference requires the use of a 2½ inches to 1 mile map (1:25,500). If a four figure grid reference is used to locate a site such as a wood or reservoir please delete the words "of bird" in the column heading.
If precise numbers are not easily obtained some indication of abundance is better than no count. For large numbers an estimate such as 50-100, several hundreds or 500-1000 is more useful than the general statement that the species is very common or abundant.
It is always valuable to know which sex (&/or age) is involved in a particular activity. In the case of wildfowl the ratio of the sexes in flocks is interesting; remember that it is not always easy to distinguish between females and immature birds; in this case the abbreviation F/Imm in parenthesis can be used.
This covers aspects such as singing/calling, display, aggression, active feeding, nest-building. roosting.
There are several systems of classifying habitats or land-use but the one which is most useful in defining those features of the environment which may be relevant to the occurrence of a bird is the system devised by Crick for the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO). It is used by the BTO for their nest record scheme and in national surveys of selected species. It does not require specialised botanical knowledge. The scheme can be viewed here. Nine major habitat types are recognised designated by the letters A-I "A" corresponds to woodland "B" to scrub land etc. "H", coastal habitats, is omitted not being applicable to our Area. Within each of the major habitats are three further levels that are used to record increasingly detailed information. In general, levels 2-4 correspond respectively to species composition, management type and structure. The options at level 2 are mutually exclusive, so only one can be recorded by the observer. Thus "Al" signifies broadleaved woodland and A2 coniferous woodland. This is not the case for the two lowest levels where several code numbers can be recorded together. Stops are used to separate the level 2 code number from the level 3 code number(s) as well as level 3 from level 4 code numbers. Examples are shown on the Recording Slip.
Remember, the more information you give the more valuable your record becomes for the science of ornithology and its applications to issues such as conservation. However, this system of habitat recording allows for an almost infinite number of code combinations and in the interests of practicality it is recommended that the length of the code string is restricted to 8 digits including the two stops This is the limit imposed by the earlier recording software. A shorter coding can be reported.
If you have difficulty in deciding how to code (not all habitats are covered) a brief description would be useful as well as any detail not covered by the coding system such as crop type. Such comments can be added to this section of the Recording Slip In the case of water-bodies, please remember that it is the recreational activities actually going on at the time of your visit which matter - events at other times can be mentioned as a general comment.
Include such information as time, weather conditions, direction of flight, associated species and whether they are together in a single flock.
Back to topThe simple answer is - all species. It is often the so called "common" birds which are overlooked for which we do not have reliable maps of distribution or abundance. Changes in the abundance of such species may be overlooked just because they are assumed to be "common". The House Sparrow is a good example. It has become increasingly scarce, particularly in the urban and suburban areas, but its demise has only recently been recognised. However, common sense must dictate the submission of records of the "common" birds.
Limitations of time and space mean that every sighting of every Blackbird for a given locality is not required. If you watch an area regularly a summary of the numbers seen in winter and in the breeding season or at times of passage is adequate. Similarly regular counts of the less common species in a woodland or other habitat will establish the pattern of changing numbers and a summary giving peaks and troughs will suffice. All birds seen on a random visit should be recorded so that there is at least one record of each species for the locality on the data base.
Large and unusual numbers (or their absence where previously recorded) and the presence of species in unexpected places (such as the town centres) should be reported. Unusual nest-sites and behaviour and the size of roosts are all worth recording.
Include records of "escapes" and species which have been introduced and liberated and which may now be establishing feral populations.
Rare birds require special treatment (see final section).
Back to topThis depends very much on the interests of the observer, the time available and the facility for travel. For the Sorby recording area we need to know the species which breed, winter or pass through on migration and the types of habitat where they occur. Your garden, the city parks or the rural countryside are all a potential source of records.
Certain sites, usually wetland reserves, are valuable for monitoring the breeding success outside Britain of our visiting waders and waterfowl. Fortunately these sites are well watched by Sorby members. However, the health of the breeding populations in our own countryside should be our main concern and unfortunately farmland, which comprises the greater part of our recording area, is poorly recorded. The general decline in the numbers of many of our farmland species is now well established but their local distribution may be patchy and less well known. The Corn Bunting is one such species. Bird recording on farmland, particularly if undertaken as a long term commitment at the same site, can be rewarding and valuable in providing a base line for future comparisons. The same is true for woodlands, heaths and upland habitats. In general, sites near the edge of our Recording Area are under-recorded.
Back to topPlease submit your records to the Recorder of the Ornithological Section either by post (address on the Sorby Programme card) or by E-mail using downloaded recording slips to . Records should, if possible, be sent in the first week of the month following the month to which the records refer. This is primarily to ensure that interesting records can be included in the monthly bird report which is compiled from a computer printout. Records sent in later lose their topicality and could affect conclusions based on too little evidence. All records eventually find their way onto the database.
Back to topAfter the information on your record slips has been stored in the computer, the record slips are retained and filed under the appropriate 10 km square. This makes it possible to check information should the need arise and to refer to detailed comments not entered onto the computer.
Records are most often used to provide species lists for sites and to provide maps showing the geographical distribution of selected species. The Sorby NHS does not produce an annual bird report since its recording area overlaps part or all of areas covered by local bird clubs or county societies which produce annual reports. Our monthly reports of selected records are sent to the Recorders or report editors of these organisations for use in their annual reports.
The use of a computer, makes it possible to access other kinds of information and carry out other types of analysis relatively quickly. For example, the chronological distribution of selected records can be plotted and average dates of movements, arrivals and departures easily calculated as well as average flock sizes. The incidence of selected features of bird behaviour, habitat preferences and species commonly found in association can be readily sorted.
Back to topRecords of such species must be accompanied by a field description and supporting drawing made at the time of observation and not after consulting a Field Guide. The evidence will then be passed to the Records Committee of the Society or Bird Club in whose area the species was seen. A Records Committee comprises persons who are experienced in bird identification and who will assess the evidence to decide whether the record can be published in an Annual Report. If the record is rejected the reasons are made known to the observer who has a right of appeal. After acceptance, records of County or National rarities are forwarded to the appropriate County recorders and/or to the British Birds Rarities Committee.
The ideal record should, as far as possible, provide the following information (abbreviated from British Birds 1962, 55, 559-60):
Lists of species for which descriptions are required are published in the Annual Reports of the Yorkshire Naturalists' Union and those of local societies such as the Sheffield Bird Study Group and Derbyshire Ornithological Society.
Back to topReference to breeding or suspected breeding of certain species which are nationally and/or locally rare will be reported in the Sorby monthly reports in general terms and at the discretion of the Recorder. Such records are registered as Confidential on the data base and are not used in subsequent analyses. The record slips containing the confidential records are stored separately. A member may request confidentiality and such records should be entered onto separate record slips.
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