Do you have photos that can be used for the Bird Atlas?

Anyone interested in contributing photos to the Bird Atlas?

Here's some information from an email that I received from Dawn Balmer and Simon Gillings of the BTO that gives links for more details:  We've recently added a new page to the Bird Atlas website and you can find this by clicking the 'Atlas Photos Needed' link on the homepage at www/birdatlas.net

The direct link is http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/birdatlas/photos-needed-atlas

We are asking for photos of birds to be submitted for possible use in the Bird Atlas book. There are several ways to submit records, one of them is via the Flickr website - see http://www.flickr.com/groups/1801532@N20/

We have almost 300 [now over 2,000] photos shared with the Atlas group. We can then contact the photographer and arrange for high-res photos to be submitted. There are some good ones coming in.

Atlas records in BirdTrack Explore My Records

A slightly belated Happy New Year to you all.

Here's a message about the availability of your Atlas records in BirdTrack from Dawn Balmer, the Atlas Coordinator.

The BTO IT team have managed to incorporate Atlas records in the BirdTrack 'Explore My Records' (EMR) tool! Individuals can now explore, graph, map and download their Atlas records just as they can their BirdTrack ones, using the BirdTrack system. The default setting in the EMR 'Project' filter is 'BirdTrack & Atlas' but you can also opt to access records from one of the two projects in isolation.

This exciting development represents a big step forward in the integration of the online projects. More importantly in the immediately post-(national)Atlas fieldwork period, it offers Atlasers a wide range of new ways to interact with their own records. I would urge you to have a look at BirdTrack EMR (particularly those of you who have - up until now - primarily submitted your records through the Atlas system.

There's a screenshot of, and plug for, this new system on the BirdTrack homepage http://www.bto.org/volunteer-surveys/birdtrack

Winter Thrushes

Next winter there will be a survey of winter thrushes. This winter, in preparation, please use BirdTrack to record as much information as possible about the Redwings and Fieldfares that you see.

For example record a count, activity and note about habitat. For over-flying birds (arriving migrants or birds moving about within the country, rather than birds making local movements to or from feeding areas) the direction of flight can be recorded too.

A measure of effort will also be very valuable so observers are asked to include a start and end time for any species lists submitted.

This will help the design and planning of the survey.
And also, please look out for the BTO raffle tickets which, this year, will raise funds to run the survey.

Bird Atlas dates

The website will allow you to enter bird atlas records until the end of the year - 31 December.

Although the Atlas period has finished for Timed Tetrad Visits, it is still open for breeding evidence. So if you have any new observations or records that you haven't submitted yet that can increase the level of evidence for any species, please enter on the website www.birdatlas.net.

Bird Atlas - Gap filling

With just two weeks to go for the Atlas fieldwork, we are doing really well in the York Region so thank you to all who have contributed so far.

However, there are a few species that we should still be able to record as confirmed breeding. Can you help fill some of these gaps, please?

As a guide, here are 5 species that have been recorded but not yet been confirmed for each of the 10km squares in the region:

SE53 Red-legged Partridge, Sparrowhawk, Collared Dove, Garden Warbler, Treecreeper
SE54 Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Meadow Pipit, Goldcrest, Marsh Tit
SE55 Red-legged Partridge, Feral Pigeon, Meadow Pipit, Goldcrest, Marsh Tit
SE56 Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Meadow Pipit, Long-tailed Tit, Coal Tit
SE57 Skylark, Blackcap, Whitethroat, Goldcrest, Yellowhammer

SE63 Sparrowhawk, Turtle Dove, Lesser Whitethroat, Marsh Tit, Lesser Redpoll
SE64 Red-legged Partridge, Sparrowhawk, Stock Dove, Collared Dove, Goldcrest
SE65 Red-legged Partridge, Meadow Pipit, Goldcrest, Spotted Flycatcher, Corn Bunting
SE66 Meadow Pipit, Blackcap, Chiffchaff, Magpie, Jackdaw
SE67 Red-legged Partridge, Collared Dove, Skylark, Treecreeper, Reed Bunting

SE73 Willow Warbler, Goldcrest, Magpie, Goldfinch, Yellowhammer
SE74 Feral Pigeon, Stock Dove, Collared Dove, Lesser Whitethroat, Jay
SE75 Feral Pigeon, Collared Dove, Chiffchaff, Goldcrest, Magpie
SE76 Red-legged Partridge, Sparrowhawk, Stock Dove, Magpie, Yellowhammer
SE77 Collared Dove, Skylark, Yellow Wagtail, Chiffchaff, Magpie

At this time of year we are looking for adults carrying food for young or faecal sacs away from the nest (code FF), occupied nests (code ON) or recently fledged young still showing some dependency on adults (code FL). If you are lucky enough to be birding in breeding wader habitats, then codes such as DD for distraction display are useful.

Perhaps you have records already, or can find the evidence in the next fortnight?

Breeding evidence for these and other species can be submitted easily online at www.birdatlas.net.

Thanks for your help.

Wider Countryside Butterfly Surveys on BBS squares in 2011

The BTO has teamed up with Butterfly Conservation to run the Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey, a project to improve our knowledge of butterfly populations.

All BBS volunteers can take part in the survey by making extra visits to their square between June and August to count butterflies. BBS volunteers should have received an email about how to take part, please contact me if you haven't got it.

See the results from the 2010 Wider Countryside Butterfly Survey here.

YOC evening trip - 14th June

The YOC evening trip this coming Tuesday, 14th June, will be to gather breeding evidence for the BTO Bird Atlas. We'll be visiting SE73, to the east of Bubwith.

Meet at the North Duffield Carrs car park at 7.00 p.m.

Please contact me if you want further details.