Thank you for considering submitting your bird sightings through BirdTrack. While all sightings are valuable, are are particularly interested in birds seen in upland habitats. Where you go and what you record is up to you (although see below for information about priority species).
Even if you only submit records of a single species (e.g. Ptarmigan) this is still of use. Please enter as many records as possible! Your sightings can help us to better understand where different upland bird species occur and how these distributions change over time. This is valuable information which can help conservation science.
In addition, we also need to know more about the relative abundance of different species, and how their numbers change over time. Are some species declining, for example? Monitoring these changes in upland areas is particularly important because both climate and land use are changing, which may affect our upland birds. This is where the Breeding Bird Survey comes in. This structured survey also tells us where particular species do not occur - something that we cannot conclude with complete confidence from casual records.
Priority species for casual recording
While all bird sightings are useful there are certain species for which additional information would be particularly valuable. These include species which are less common or more specialist, cryptic or nocturnal, or are species of current conservation concern. Thetop priorities at any given time will vary from season to season.
During the breeding season we would be particularly grateful for records of the following species:
- Goosander
- Whinchat
- Common
- Sandpiper
- Ptarmigan
- Grey Wagtail
- Wheatear
- Curlew
- Golden Plover
- Lapwing Dipper
How to submit your sightings
Please use of the BirdTrack system, online or via phone app. This ensures that your sightings are processed quickly, accurately and efficiently.
Safety and responsibility
While undertaking survey or recording work volunteers are encouraged to follow the BTO's Health & Safety guidelines.
Please be considerate and courteous towards landowners and take all reasonable steps to avoid disturbance or harm to wildlife.