Bedfordshire Bird Atlas

The Beds Bird Club is working in partnership with the BTO, sharing any data gathered by Beds fieldworkers and in response any data gathered as part of the national project is passed in the opposite direction.

With the task of processing all of the records which were received from the BTO in December now completed we have a better understanding of how the Beds Atlas is progressing.

Of the 378 tetrads which we are intending to survey, 217 (57%) have reached the initial target level of 80% when compared to the last county atlas. This is about what the organising committee were aiming for as, although everyone has performed marvellously to reach this level after only two years surveying, the returns will diminish as fieldworkers are asked to travel further from home to get to their tetrads.

2009 promises to be an exciting year with lots of potential – will we find Hawfinches or Willow Tits anywhere ? Will the species that bred for the first time in 2008 (Red Kites and Egyptian Geese) consolidate their fragile status ?

Please consider getting involved and taking on an area to investigate – who knows what you will find.

Rob Dazley, Bedfordshire Bird Atlas Organiser : 7th January 2009

The second winters work for the BTO atlas starts in November 2008. Please see the UPDATE PAGE on the Beds Bird Club website to see how you can contribute to this work.

Nigel Willits, BTO rep for Bedfordshire : 28 October 2008

To allow the data which we are gathering as part of the local atlas project to be usable by the BTO for Bird Atlas 2007-11 we need to be able to provide a date for each record. Therefore, in future, when you submit on-line records to this site you will have to enter a minimum of month and year; of course if you are able to add the day as well please do so. The majority of records already received meet this criterion, so for most people there will be no obvious change.

As we enter the second month of the site's existence we have gathered more than 2500 records through the on-line record submission facility. It has always been a major driver behind the website initiative to make taking part in this survey as simple and as accessible to all as possible - we seem to be making some progress in that respect.

Rob Dazley, Bedfordshire Bird Atlas Organiser : 24 June 2008

As most of you know, the first breeding season of fieldwork for the new Bedfordshire Breeding Atlas was completed during 2007, while the first winter season of fieldwork for the BTO Bird Atlas was completed at the end of February 2008. Many thanks to those who participated and helped in various ways. A good start was made and results continue to be collated. Details can be found on the bird club's website and on the BTO's atlas website.

Much remains to be done over the next four years, and in the forthcoming breeding season both surveys will run concurrently. We hope that existing volunteers will continue their fieldwork and that many more of you will join in. The results of these important projects will in many ways set the agenda for ornithological research and conservation action for many years to come. It is an exciting opportunity to get involved, whatever your level of experience. Records from your garden, general birding, dedicated atlas visits or anywhere you happen to be are all valuable. When you go out atlasing, it doesn't matter how many or how few birds you see; the records you submit will all be equally important.

For the county breeding atlas, recording cards are obtainable from the organisers and the 10-km square stewards. All you have to do is note what species you see in a tetrad (2-km x 2-km square) and what evidence of breeding you observe, from territorial singing to adults collecting food for chicks. If you plan to make dedicated visits to specific tetrads, it would be most helpful to notify the organisers and stewards, so that coverage can be coordinated across the county.

For the BTO atlas, two survey methods are being used:

• Roving Records of species seen and their breeding status can be submitted by anyone for any location within the county or indeed anywhere in Britain & Ireland. Paper forms are available or you can enter your records directly on the website. These records will be used to compile comprehensive species lists for each 10-km square. Please note that there are a couple of minor differences between the breeding codes used by the county and the BTO. Details are on the forms and cards.
  
  
• In addition, the BTO use a quantitative method called Timed Tetrad Visits (TTV). This involves walking a route for one or two hours (the choice is yours) through a tetrad counting all the individual birds seen or heard. From these figures, we will be able to compare the relative abundance of each species between 10-km squares throughout the country. Two winter visits and two breeding season visits are required for any one tetrad. The tetrad needs to be allocated to you first to avoid duplication of effort, after which recording forms are available to you on the website, or paper forms can be posted. Details of tetrad allocations can be seen on the website, where you can also make a request, or contact the organiser directly.

We encourage people doing one or other of the atlases to do both, which in many cases simply means filling in two forms instead of one. A staggering total of 32 counties are running local atlases in conjunction with the British & Irish one. Without doubt, it is the most ambitious atlas project ever undertaken anywhere. Please help us make it a resounding success.

Rob Dazley, Local Atlas Organiser Tel: 01582-696656

Nigel Willits, BTO Atlas Organiser for Bedfordshire Tel: 01234-771948