BTO Atlas 2007-2011

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

RE: BTO Atlas 2007-2011

Henry Cook · Status: Offline

A handy tool is online now for looking through 10km square species lists for the atlas of which species still need breeding evidence confirming. It's called 'My local gaps', check it out!

Steve Christmas · Status: Offline

Well spotted, Steve.
For a better one, see:
http://www.birdguides.com/webzine/article.asp?a=2027

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

I see it's that time of year again

Steve Christmas · Status: Offline

Regarding revealing locations of Schedule 1 species, there could be a way round this. A code based on the names of celebrities could be used.
As a hypothetical example:
'Peregrine being mobbed by crows on church tower in Winton' could be posted as:
'Worsthorne being mobbed by Sheryls on church tower in Dale'.

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

Thanks Paul, every record counts. People may think there is no point in submitting records of common birds to the Atlas, because someone else will have already sent a record in from the same area. Nothing could be further from the truth. Even for the most widely recorded species such as Blackbird we still need records to fill in the gaps on the maps, of which there are a lot!
Blackbird has been confirmed as breeding in 167 tetrads during the 2008 & 2009 breeding seasons. In BBGM, it was confirmed in 275 tetrads, which means we still need 108 records (one from each of the missing tetrads) to make the 2008-11 map as comprehensive as the 1979-1983 map.
We only have two breeding seasons left in which to obtain these records (2010 & 2011), so it is important if people have a record of confirmed breeding for any species, that they submit it to the Atlas.

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Put one back in the nest in Eccles last week, will get it recorded asap.

keep Birding

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

Collared Dove is not a species which sets the pulses of many birders racing. However, it is an early nester which doesn't stick to the BTO guidelines which state that the breeding season begins on 1st April. There is an interesting chart on the BTO website Nesting Periods showing the core nesting period for this species runs from March through to September.
The following table compares the number of tetrads in which Collared Dove was present at the time of BBGM with the results from the first two breeding seasons of the new GM Atlas.

BBGM (1979-1983)
Occupied (no. of tetrads) 216 (66%)
Confirmed breeder 80 (37%)
Probable breeder 85 (39%)
Possible breeder 51 (24%)

GM Atlas 2008-11
Occupied (no. of tetrads) 212 (64%)
Confirmed breeder 46 (22%)
Probable breeder 83 (39%)
Possible breeder 83 (39%)

We would have expected Collared Dove to be present in a lot more tetrads today than it was in the early 1980's. So it would appear that it has been under recorded during the first two years of the new Atlas and that we are having problems actually confirming breeding. Perhaps due to its habit of nesting primarily in gardens.
If you do have Collared Doves nesting in your garden or have seen them nesting elsewhere please submit a record to the BTO Atlas website
Bird Atlas If you are not already registered it only takes a minute to do so. Areas where we are particularly in need of records for this species are Bury, Bolton, north manchester, west Rochdale and Wigan. Please remember to include a breeding code with your records. If you are unsure how to work out the tetrad, have a look at the Recording Guidelines in the Atlas section of this website or drop me a p.m.

Steve

-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Saturday 20th of March 2010 07:57:09 PM

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Recording for the 3rd Winter of Bird Atlas ended last Sunday. There's now a month's break until the 3rd Breeding Season recording starts on 1st April.

Thanks to all who have already entered their data online or sent me their paper forms. Please could everyone who hasn't yet done so, enter their records or send them to me as soon as they can?

Steve Atkins and I have almost finished preparing a newsletter which will show the progress made so far. Hopefully this will be posted on the atlas pages of this website as well as available as hard copy.

Many thanks to all atlas contributors. Keep up the good work!

Cheers, Steve

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

In case anyone is unclear as to which records to submit to the Atlas and which to send to Judith for the 2009 County Bird Report the following guidelines may be of help.

1) 2009 County Bird Report - please send in your records as usual, preferably on the Excel recording form which can be downloaded from the Bird Recording & County Rarities section of this website. You will find guidance on which records to submit in the Systematic List & Bird Record Details section of this website. If in doubt then please include the record.

2) Bird Atlas 2007-11. Please submit to the BTO, any records which will help to:

a)raise the breeding evidence category of a species in a given tetrad e.g. if you have a confirmed breeding record of any species, in a tetrad, where so far, the records received only indicate possible, or probable breeding.

b)fill in the gaps in the winter distribution maps.
The information as to which species have been recorded where is available from the BTO website.
However, if you would like a copy of the 10km square summaries for the areas where you birdwatch then please drop me a p.m.

Atlas records should be submitted to the BTO via the Atlas section of the website BTO Atlas 2007-11 or on paper forms obtainable from Steve Suttill.

Thanks in advance for your support, which will enable us to produce a high standard 2009 County Report, and in due course a new Breeding Birds of Greater Manchester Atlas.

Steve (with both hats on!)

P.S. There is now a facility on the BTO website for uploading Excel files containing records. We would kindly request that you do not upload your bird records on the county Excel recording form. Many of the county sites extend across more than one tetrad and the central grid references used for sites on the recording form may not necessarily correspond to the tetrad in which you were recording.
-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Sunday 3rd of January 2010 03:16:04 PM

-- Edited by Steve Atkins on Sunday 3rd of January 2010 03:16:51 PM

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Hi Paul - will send you a PM

Cheers, Steve

Paul Cliff · Status: Offline

steve - i didn't get chance to do a late breeding count with work, have just done my early winter and tried to add the data but it thinks i'm adding late breeding. what do i do?

cheers

paul.

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

It's incredible to believe we start fieldwork for the third winter on Sunday 1 November; it's now time to dust off the notebook, clean your walking boots and get ready! Whether you contribute to the Atlas from your house, your local park or trek to the most distance hilltop we thank your for your support so far. The Atlas is in good shape as we enter the third year although there is still much to be done in all areas.

The priorities for the winter are to complete Timed Tetrads Visits that have been allocated to you, take on new tetrads if you haven't done so already and to continue gathering Roving Records. We can now start to target the broad areas and 10-km squares where we need most help with Roving Records. The regional maps on the Atlas website (www.birdatlas.net) which are accessed from 'Headlines' show species richness maps for the winter and you can clearly see which 10-km squares need most help - only those coloured red have more than 90% of their expected species list. There are also maps showing tetrad allocations and coverage. There is still a lot to go at! If your local area is 'fully booked' then consider the occasional weekend away to an area that still needs help with TTVs or Roving Records.

If you still have any outstanding records from winter or the breeding season we encourage you to enter these as soon as possible so we can accurately assess coverage. We welcome records on paper if entering online is not convenient.

The validation of all records submitted to the Atlas continues and we are making good progress. This is a really important part of the Atlas to ensure that the records we use in the final maps and analysis are 100% accurate. If you have had a record queried, we encourage you to help your local organiser in resolving the query. Even the Atlas team can make mistakes with grid references!

We would like to take this opportunity of thanking you for all your help with the Bird Atlas. We hope that you have an enjoyable winter out recording birds for the Atlas - given the wet and windy weather forecast for Sunday we might have wait a day or two before we get started!

Cheers, Steve

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Today marks the end of the second summer of fieldwork and the halfway stage in the Bird Atlas 2007-11 project (and, of course the update to "Breeding Birds in Greater Manchester"). We have now completed two winters and two breeding seasons - how time flies! Thank you for all your help so far. We've made tremendous progress over the first two years and already changes in the distribution of species, in both summer and winter, are emerging across Britain and Ireland. There are a number of species expanding in range but also a worrying number showing signs of range contraction.

Although today is the last day for Timed Tetrad Visit fieldwork, we encourage you to continue recording evidence of breeding over the next few weeks. Later breeding species like Spotted Flycatcher, Bullfinch, Barn Owl, Stock Dove, Hobby, Corn Bunting and Yellowhammer will still be busy feeding young so there is still time to confirm breeding by watching them carrying food for young or feeding young. You can enter these as Roving Records in the Atlas website (www.birdatlas.net) or submit through BirdTrack (www.birdtrack.net).

Many thanks to everyone who has contributed so far - keep atlasing (or should that be atlassing?)

Steve

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

Those people using BirdTrack to record their sightings may be interested to know that the data entry page can be configured to allow easy input of breeding codes. This will ensure that your records can be used for both the national and GM County Atlases.
On the BirdTrack Data home page click on "My Details and Settings" at the top right of the page and then select 'Change to 1 column layout' in the options listed.
The breeding status box is then shown next to the species name on the same row. If you hover your cursor over the Information icon the list of breeding codes appears.
In 2008 we received 12k breeding season BirdTrack records from the BTO of which nearly 10k records (82%) had no breeding codes attached.

Records without breeding codes can not be used in the production of the distribution maps. Just imagine what a difference all those records would have made to the distribution maps, if only we had been able to use them.

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

As we are working our way through all the records submitted to the Atlas project, we have come across a few common mistakes. These are not really the fault of the observers - more a problem with the recording software.

If recording Pied Wagtails, please enter Pied Wagtail (yarellii). If you just type Pie... the software will predict Pied/White Wagtail (which you would use if you weren't sure of the race involved). If you do record White Wagtail, please make sure you enter White Wagtail (alba).

The same goes for Redpolls. Our most common Redpoll is Lesser Redpoll and not Common Redpoll (which are scarce!). Please beware of using old field guides!

Many thanks, Steve

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Many thanks to all who have contributed to the Atlas so far. We are making good progress but need to keep up the effort until July 2011!

The review & validation process is now underway for all those records submitted during the first year. This means that Steve Atkins and I have to check every one of the tens of thousands of sightings submitted to the Atlas website and via the BirdTrack scheme for the Manchester region

. Any we think are "dodgy" will be referred back to the finder so we can ascertain whether they misidentified the bird or just hit the wrong key on their computer.

We have realised that some of the instructions for Atlas work were not quite as clear as they should have been. Several people have done Timed Tetrad Visits and, whilst the counts seem fine, they have not added any breeding codes to the species they have recorded. These codes (e.g. S for singing male, P for pair in suitable habitat, FL for recently-fledged young, etc.) would add a lot more value to the data, and the info is probably in the observers field notebooks. If you think you neglected the breeding codes last summer, and you do have breeding evidence, then please get in touch with Steve Atkins or myself and we will work out a simple way in which you can add this extra data.

A few who sent in records on paper forms submitted several breeding codes for the same species - only one is necessary. The code submitted should be the highest category - "confirmed" being higher that "probable" which is higher than "possible". All the codes are available on a handy little card which you can tuck into your notebook. If you need any of these coding cards just let me know.

Once again, many thanks to all Atlas volunteers. Keep counting!!!

Steve

-- Edited by Steve Suttill at 17:56, 2009-01-14

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

Many thanks Tony for offering to help with the GM Atlas (on New Books thread). I'm sure we'll find plenty for you to do

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

Recording for the 2nd winter of the Atlas began today and runs until 28th February 2009. Many thanks to all those people (138 in total) who contributed over 23,000 records last winter covering 120 species. Hopefully even more of the county's birders will submit their records this coming winter. It's easy to do by registering on the BTO website at http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/index.htm
and only takes a few minutes to enter a batch of sightings. As far as Roving Records are concerned, initially you only need to enter one record for each species seen in each tetrad and then additional records if you make higher counts of these species. Once you have entered your first sightings you will be able to view a list of all the species seen by all observers in a particular 10 km square or tetrad. If you have looked at the provisional county distribution maps for last winter in the Atlas & Bird Surveys section of this website you will have noticed that there are still lots of gaps where birds must be present. This is your chance to put something back and make a real contribution towards mapping the county's birds. I am sure that those people who do submit their sightings will get a lot of personal satisfaction from seeing their records in the published Atlas in a few years time.
The Great White Egret has been very obliging by staying in the county until 1st November. In the winters covered by the original Atlas of Wintering Birds in Britain and Ireland (1981-1984) there were only two records of Great White Egret in the whole country, both on the Humber estuary. Purple Sandpiper was not recorded in the county during the first Winter Atlas so the bird at Audenshaw today will be a "new" species as far as the Atlas is concerned. There will be many other changes to the distribution of our wintering birds which will become apparent over the next four years. So it is important that as many people as possible take part in this worthwhile project.

-- Edited by Steve Atkins at 19:24, 2008-11-01

Tony Coatsworth · Status: Offline

I had a meeting near Piccadilly station early today and managed to log the following in 5 minutes so it's worth keeping your eyes open .........

Grey Wagtail - Pair in habitat (bridge under Sackville St)
Magpie - Building nest (park on Sackville St)
Feral Pigeon - Display
Blue Tit - Pair
Great Tit - Pair
Blackbird - Singing Male

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Thanks for that Bill

They may be your personal views but I can assure everyone that they are also the views of the BTO.

The Timed Tetrad Visits are intended to give a picture of different species' abundance across the country and, as you say, we will need the Roving Records to fill in the gaps and give a proper picture of distribution and breeding status.

While I'm on the soapbox can I just remind everyone who did Winter TTVs that I need their forms back now. Many thanks to all those who have already returned forms or entered their data online.

Keep Atlassing!

Steve

Bill Myerscough · Status: Offline

Hi Steve A,

Many thanks for taking the time to post a map detailing the allocated tetrads and the names of these particular tetrads on Ian's website. It will certainly be very useful.

It hope that I am not out of order in recalling that birders in the Rochdale area took part in a pilot survey for the BTO in the winter of 2005-06 in advance of this atlas project and that distribution maps for all species recorded have been produced. Looking at these distribution maps, it becomes really apparent how important it is that we all submit our roving records for this atlas project. The Timed Tetrad visits are very important but just from my limited knowledge of Rochdale birds, it would appear that there are some "holes" in the distribution patterns of some species, which need to be "filled" and which might only be picked up by roving recorders. I'm sure that all the records we can all get will produce a more complete and hence accurate BTO Atlas and a GM Breeding Bird Atlas.

From my own experience the BTO registration process is straightforward and the short time spent initially setting up your own account is more than rewarded by the ability to keep track of your own records and to see what you have found and when and where! For example, when I looked at my records at the end of the first winter period, I was amazed to see that I had found Nuthatch in 11 tetrads nationally, 6 in the Rochdale area, 4 in other parts of Greater Manchester and 1 near Castleford, Yorkshire (must have been able to escape the clutches of the border guards on that particular day!

). I have never seen so many Nuthatch in such a short space of time!!

Climbing on my personal soapbox here!

- I feel that the breeding season surveys are the most important part of the Atlas project - sure, it's great having sightings of vagrants or birds on passage but in my humble opinion our most important bird species are those that breed within our area!! Time to climb off the soapbox now!

Time for the small print.... please note that these are my own personal opinions and not those of the BTO... etc!!

Cheers,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough at 17:04, 2008-04-02

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

Apologies for the confusion Tony. You need to go onto the Bird Survey page and click the link to the map which is in the section titled NATIONAL BIRD ATLAS 2007-2011 & GREATER MANCHESTER BREEDING ATLAS.

Tony Coatsworth · Status: Offline

Steve there's no link to an image in your post !

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

Just in case anyone doesn't check the What's New On This Site Link please look on the Bird Atlas and Bird Surveys Page of this website for information about how you can help with the national Bird Atlas and the GM Breeding Bird Atlas. Recording for the first breeding season starts on Tuesday 1st April and runs until 31st July. These are undoubtedly the most important bird recording projects in the county and the country for over 15 years. Hopefully people who do not normally take part in surveys will want to contribute towards mapping the county's breeding birds. Not only will this provide us with a baseline against which we can measure future changes in distribution, the maps that we aim to produce will be of key importance in conserving the county's birds over the coming years. If there is a pair of Blackbirds nesting in your garden or a pair of Great Spotted Woodpeckers breeding in your local wood it is important that you submit these records (ideally on-line via the BTO website) as they may well be the only evidence of confirmed breeding in that particular tetrad (2 x 2 km square).
The county map on the Bird Atlas page which shows the tetrads allocated so far for Timed Visits is quite slow to download. You may find it easier to right-click on the link select Save Target as ... and download it to your computer. Use the zoom-in tool to view the map.

-- Edited by Steve Atkins at 17:27, 2008-03-30

-- Edited by Steve Atkins at 17:29, 2008-03-30[

-- Edited by Steve Atkins at 10:33, 2008-03-31

-- Edited by Steve Atkins at 10:34, 2008-03-31

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Thanks to everyone who responded to my reminder HOWEVER one or two atlas surveyors have encountered problems with entering data online.

If the Atlas website says that there are no tetrads allocated to you for Timed Tetrad Visits it probably means that I don't know your BTO Username and have just entered your real name. The simple answer is to e-mail your Username to me and I will amend your entry on the Atlas website (there's all sorts of stuff on there that only I and Steve Atkins can see!).

One clever person (Alan Rowley!) managed to fool the system and enter records to a tetrad that had not yet been allocated. I'd rather people did not do this as it makes life even more complicated (so don't tell them how to do it Alan!).

Many thanks to everyone who has submitted records for the Atlas.

Steve

suttill.parkinson@virgin.net

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Just to remind everyone, tomorrow (29th Feb) is the last day for recording the first winter sightings for the BTO Atlas.

Please could everyone taking part enter their data online as soon as possible. If you would rather fill in the paper forms, can you get these back to me in the next week or so? The sooner we get the data to BTO HQ, the sooner we can get feedback on how well we are doing.
Also Atlas data for the period Nov - Dec 2007 will be useful for the 2007 County Report which we try to get out in September.

Many thanks
Steve

Henry Cook · Status: Offline

Yeah good idea, I couldn't get onto Birdtrack at all last night!

Alan Rowley · Status: Offline

Hi
Might be a good idea to spread data input over a few days so as not to overload the BTO computers. I couldn't get any data in last night until quite late

Iain at HQ thought it was probably year end rush.

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Your'e setting a great example Paul - Joining the BTO and doing your bit for the Atlas!

The Roving Records element of the Atlas has now been amended so that you can include counts rather than just ticking off the species. It would be nice to see all those New Year's Day counts entered up on the Atlas website: www.birdatlas.net

Cheers, Steve

Paul Heaton · Status: Offline

Did my first tretrad day out today 35 species lots of good numbers, becoming a proper recorder now, In fact it was good fun

Paul Wilson · Status: Offline

Steve Suttill wrote:

Thanks Paul
Perhaps you would like to do Roving Records for the Atlas?
If you would, send your postal address to: suttill.parkinson@virgin.net
and I'll put forms and instructions in the mail.

Steve, I've sent you an email, cheers

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

Thanks Paul

Perhaps you would like to do Roving Records for the Atlas?

If you would, send your postal address to: suttill.parkinson@virgin.net
and I'll put forms and instructions in the mail.

All the best, Steve

Paul Wilson · Status: Offline

Steve Suttill wrote:

rezMole wrote:

Interesting to see that the tetrad containing Elton Res has not yet been taken.

Do you want to do it?

Steve (BTO Atlas organiser - Manchester)

Perhaps if i was a little more experienced. I live vey close, but I struggle with certain bird species and my recognition of bird calls is very limited. I'm sure one of the other birders who Imeet walking round the res will volunteer.

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

Amazingly both Pennington Flash tetrads are still available! SJ69P covers the east side of the Flash and SJ69J the bulk of the area. To view the tetrad map go to http://blx1.bto.org/atlas/ and type SJ69 into the 10km square box. If any is interested in taking on these tetrads please let Steve Suttill or myself know.

Ian McKerchar · Status: Offline

I don't know who has the tetrad for Pennington Flash but 72 species in one day should be possible there at the moment (whilst I can still find Blackcap and Chiffchaff) and I doubt any one site in the county can match that, challenge anyone...

-- Edited by Ian McKerchar at 16:04, 2007-11-05

Steve Suttill · Status: Offline

rezMole wrote:

Interesting to see that the tetrad containing Elton Res has not yet been taken.

Do you want to do it?

Steve (BTO Atlas organiser - Manchester)

Tony Coatsworth · Status: Offline

8 species for central Manchester - hmmm I'll get me coat

Paul Wilson · Status: Offline

Interesting to see that the tetrad containing Elton Res has not yet been taken.

Steve Atkins · Status: Offline

The first 4 days of Atlas recording has seen Bill Myerscough, Simon Hitchen and I clock up a total of 63 species in the 10km square SD91.

This includes Blackstone Edge, Hollingworth Lake, the Piethorne Valley and Watergrove. Not bad considering only 83 species were recorded during the Winter Pilot which ran from November 2005 to February 2006. Species seen include Whooper Swan, Peregrine, Kittiwake, Woodcock, Golden Plover, Ring Ouzel and Crossbill.
Has any one else managed to better this?

-- Edited by Steve Atkins at 17:59, 2007-11-05