BirdTrack update - 10 October 2008

Just as we thought the autumn rush of rarities had slowed, a second wave of incredible birds turned up from North America! The first was a juvenile Little Blue Heron (which is actually white)) found in Co Galway, which is the first record for Ireland. Also in Galway was a flock of 15 Ring-necked Ducks, which is probably the largest group ever seen together in Europe, narrowly beating 12 seen in the Azores in winter 2007-08.

Also in Ireland was a Scarlet Tanager in Co Cork. There have been only four records of Scarlet Tanger in Britain (three on the Isles of Scilly and one in Cornwall), with one record in Co Down and, remarkably, two records in October 1985 at the same site in Co Cork! The best was saved until last, though, when an Alder Flycatcher was found in Cornwall. The identification of these Empidonax flycatchers is incredibly difficult, and this bird was only positively identified once local ringers were given permission to catch it. More...

For the rest of us, autumn migration has still been continuing apace though. Redwing seem to have well and truly filtered inland now. So on a clear night, stand outside for 10 minutes and you should hear their characteristic thin 'seeih' call overhead. Coastal sites have also been reporting good numbers of Lesser Redpoll passing through, so it is always worth keeping an eye out for small migrating groups of finches.

Bird Atlas 2007-11
The first summer of fieldwork for the Bird Atlas 2007-11 has come to an end now, with the second period of breeding season recording ending at the end of July. Records submitted to BirdTrack are an integral part of the Atlas process, and more information on why we need a new Atlas, and how you can help can be found here. To find out more about the relationship between BirdTrack and Atlas 2007-11, click here.

You can really see how your BirdTrack records count, and the maps below show the winter distribution of Buzzard in the last winter Atlas in 1981-84 (left) and BirdTrack records submitted during the winter fieldwork from November to February (right).

Anyone already registered for BirdTrack can easily set themselves up to take on Atlas fieldwork by following the Bird Atlas link from Survey Home. Don't forget though that all of the sightings you enter into BirdTrack will also be available for the Atlas, so there's no need to enter things twice. If you have any queries about the Atlas, then don't hesitate to get in touch with us.

Your records working for conservation
For more information on how your BirdTrack records are being used directly for conservation, check out the Bird Conservation Targeting Project. Project maps for farmland species can also be found on the main site here (and click on Agri-environment Targeting).

View all the archived BirdTrack news here.

To contact the BirdTrack Organiser
email:

Mark Grantham
BirdTrack Organiser

It is now quick and easy to find out which birds can be found on your own doorstep or at your local Nature Reserve.

You can download a species list by entering your postcode, browsing through a list of Nature Reserves, or simply clicking on a map. You can then view species by month, by season (breeding or wintering) or all year round. To start downloading, simply click here.

Important Notices

Desktop wallpaper to download
Every month we upload two different wallpapers to download to your desktop. For October, you can choose from stunning images of Purple Sandpiper and Coot. These can all be downloaded here.

We also now have a selection of recorders' photos online, so if you see something interesting, take a shot and send it in. The best, rarest or most unusual will add to our ever-growing library!

BirdTrack is an exciting project that looks at migration movements and distributions of birds throughout Britain and Ireland. BirdTrack provides facilities for observers to store and manage their own records and for forwarding records to their County Bird Recorders. The results will contribute to knowledge of birds and to their conservation at national, regional and local scales. BirdTrack developed from Migration Watch, which ran in the springs of 2002-2004. All of the data gathered through Migration Watch is incorporated within BirdTrack, though the old Migration Watch site can still be viewed here.

How do I register as a recorder? Click on the "Register for BirdTrack" button listed under 'Your options' in the blue box at the top left of this page and then choose the relevant page. On subsequent visits just click the "Login to enter sightings" button to enter the part of the site where you can enter and view your own data.

Update your email Click on 'Login to enter sightings' and you will arrive at Data Home. Click on 'My details and settings' and you can update your email there. You can also change the species order from alphabetical to taxonomic.

Bird recording outside Britain and Ireland. Visit www.worldbirds.org to find out about other countries with online recording systems that would welcome your records.

Website response times (11 January 2008)
Due to the success of the BTO’s online data gathering projects our servers are currently subject to exceptionally heavy use, with peak activity in the early evenings. We apologise that this is sometimes causing very slow response times, and very occasionally generating error pages. We are in the process of commissioning a more powerful server but this may not be in place until late January. In the meantime we would be very grateful if you would use the system at the less busy times of day (i.e. mornings) where possible. Thank you for supporting the BTO’s online surveys and please accept our apologies for any inconvenience.

BirdTrack was designed in conjunction with Matt Parker Software Contracting Ltd.