 |
 |
|
|
2007 Little Ringed and Ringed Plover breeding survey
The BTO is organising a new national survey of Ringed Plover and Little Ringed Plover during the 2007 breeding season. This will be the first survey for these species since 1984. The main objective of this survey will be to obtain updated population estimates for the two species in the UK and its constituent countries.
The survey is being organised through the BTO's Regional Representative (RR) network. Unfortunately, at present, there is no RR for your region and so I am writing to you directly to ask whether you may want to take part in the survey.
The survey will involve coverage of inland and coastal key sites identified from the 1984 survey or occupied subsequently. In addition, a selection of sample tetrads will need to be covered to provide estimates of the number of plovers away from these key sites and thus ensure completeness of overall population estimates.
For Ringed Plover, two visits should be made to each site within the periods of 15 April to 14 May (Visit A) and 15 May to 30 June (Visit B).
For Little Ringed Plover, three visits are required to sites in the periods of 15 April to 14 May (Visit A), 15 May to 14 June (Visit B) and 15 June to 15 July (Visit C).
More details of the survey (and supplementary records forms - for casual
records) are available at BTO
If you are interested in taking part and would like to know if there is a site near you that needs surveying, please contact me directly at the address below and I will send you the relevant survey
form(s).
Greg Conway, Breeding Plover Survey Organiser, telephone 01842-750050
Hare Today……Gone Tomorrow?
Learn how to survey for Brown Hares
Find out how you can become a volunteer and help with a survey of Brown Hares in Lancashire this year
Understand how the Lancashire Biodiversity Action Plan supports Brown Hares
Appreciate the importance of existing habitats for Brown Hares
Training will be provided by Jane Ashley of the Lancashire Wildlife Trust and guest speaker will Jenny Holden from the Cumbria Wildlife Trust.
Bleasdale, Forest of Bowland – Saturday 24th March 10.00am–3.00pm
A one day course on how to survey for Brown Hares. Booking is essential. To reserve a place please contact
Janet Ashley on 01772-317242. Lunch will be provided
BTO, JNCC and RSPB Breeding
Bird Survey 2007
BTO, JNCC and RSPB are looking for birdwatchers to take part in
the Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) in the Fylde area, and have the
following 1-km grid squares still available;
SD3227 St Annes
SD3330 Lytham Moss
SD3535 Staining
SD3739 Little Singleton
SD4136 Esprick
SD4228 Freckleton
SD4628 Clifton
SD4631 Salwick
SD4636 Catforth
SD4939 Myerscough
What is involved?
Just five-six hours of fieldwork per season. The BBS observer is
required to visit their square twice each breeding season (early
April to early July) to count all the birds they see and hear
along a 2km route within that square.
The BBS is an ongoing survey and it is hoped that you will be
able to survey your squares year after year, enabling us to
accurately measure changes in bird numbers on your sites.
What skills are required?
BBS observers need to have a reasonable knowledge of the songs
and calls of common UK birds. You do notneed to know every
call of every species. A free tape or CD containing the songs and
calls of the more difficult to identify species is available to
all new volunteers on request.
How do I find the location of a BBS square?
Visit the Ordnance Survey website, click on the green 'Get-a-map' button,
and then enter the grid reference (e.g. SK1234) and hit the 'GO'
button. Your square is the one in the top right.
Alternatively use a pink 1:50,000 scale, or orange 1:25,000 scale
O.S. map, reading the reference for example SK1234, 12 along the
top and 34 down the side.
What is the BBS?
The BBS is the UK's main survey for keeping track of the bird
populations of common and widespread species. More than
2,000
birdwatchers collect data from more than 2,400 sites across the
country each year, enabling us to follow the changing fortunes of
more than 100 bird species. BBS results are used by
Government Agencies to set their priorities for bird
conservation. Visit the BTO
website for more information.
Online birding; enter your data electronically via the web
You can submit your BBS counts on paper forms or electronically
via the web, using the BBS-Online application. BBS-Online
also allows you to view previous years data for your squares, and
the web pages also provide you with a host of BBS results and
information about the survey; see the BTO
website.
Mike Raven
BBS National Organiser
Colour-ringed Tree Sparrows In recent breeding seasons Bob Danson
has colour-ringed Tree Sparrows from his
many nestboxes in the Pilling and Preesall area. He would
like to find out more about the movements of these birds
after the breeding season and during the winter months.
All the birds have a red-ring over the BTO metal ring on
the right leg and the colour of the ring on the left leg
indicates the site. |
 |
Land-based counts of Common Scoters
What to record...
Date:
Location:
Start time:
End time:
Birds north:
Birds south:
Birds offshore:
Visibility:
Wind strength:
Wind direction:
Notes:
Please send your counts, copying the list of details recorded (see above) in an e-mail to Paul Ellis
Per Peter Cranswick 'The key things to record are the period over which you made counts, the numbers of birds flying in each direction and the conditions at the time, visibility as a measure of how easy it is to see the birds, wind strength (in Beaufort scale) and wind direction given that this may affect the birds' behaviour'.
All records are needed as soon as possible.
Colour-marked geese and swans
Please report all sightings of Darvic neck-collared and leg-ringed birds.
Click
here for more details on
colour-marked Pink-footed Geese
Please send records of colour-coded Bewick's and Whooper Swans
through the Fylde Bird Club, to assist the
organisers by avoiding duplication.