Bird Atlas 2007-11 Newsletter

Please download a Bird Atlas Newsletter here.

Timed Tetrad Visit coverage has been excellent on the Fylde but it remains vital to keep sending in Roving Records. Roving Records are proving invaluable by filling in gaps in the TTV data and are especially useful if they include counts and breeding status information. Either enter your Roving Records at www.birdatlas.net or continue to send your sighting to news@fyldebirdclub.org.

Whilst coverage on the Fylde has been excellent, several tetrads in East Lancashire still require Timed Tetrad Visits, with particular problems in SD75, SD83, SD84 and SD85 - birders from the west who could help with coverage here would be most welcome – please sign up at www.birdatlas.net or e-mail Tony Cooper.

Bird Atlas 2007-11 - Tawny Owls

Click here to view a map comparing the distribution of Tawny Owls from the current BTO Atlas surveys with results from the 1997-2000 Lancashire Breeding Birds Atlas.

The red dots show distribution (winter and breeding combined) so far from the 2007-11 surveys and the green dots show 1997-2000 atlas distribution. As you can see there is a major discrepancy. Although it is possible that Tawny Owls have decreased in the past 10 years it seems extremely unlikely that it's been so dramatic. It is much more likely that our nocturnal coverage this time around is far less comprehensive. It's therefore also likely that coverage for other nocturnal species is equally weak.

You can help by doing a couple of nocturnal jaunts in search of owls and other nocturnal species and recording the results as roving records. Please visit www.birdatlas.net or contact Stuart Piner on 07976-201755 for more information. Your help would be much appreciated.

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. Please note the grid reference of the sighting along with, if possible, what it was feeding on and the number of unringed birds present in the flock. Please report all sightings of colour-ringed Tree Sparrows to Bob Danson. 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.