Welcome

Following on from a handful of other regions, here's the first entry in the blog for the York BTO Region. I am trying this out as a communication medium to let both members and non-members know what's going on.

This year sees the start of the work on the new Atlas so I hope to keep surveyors in touch with the latest news in the region. I don't want to disenfranchise members without internet access though, so this won't replace my occasional newsletters.

So what is going on?

I have just received the recording forms and instructions for this year's Breeding Bird Survey. Over the next few days, I will be sending these out to my regulars and also filling in the gaps with those on the waiting list. This year there is a push for richer habitat data so there's some extra recording there for existing observers. Also they'll be asked to record the exact routes of transects on a print of the O.S. map of their square.

Heronry census cards have gone out to regular observers and there's the usual appeal for any records of new heronries within the region.

I have also received a list of sites for the Breeding Plover survey ahead of the forms and instructions.

Hopefully I'll get the hang of this and add pictures and change the look to make it more like a BTO blog.