I have been using Birdtrack since late 2009, but partly because of the length of time it takes to enter the 'additional' information, my first 18 months or so of records were very basic. I was really only interested in recording what species I had seen to begin with and when I took a look at what was involved in taking part in the Atlas work, it all seemed a bit overwhelming. Then when I checked all of the areas that were close to home (in London) and those that I was familiar with in Manchester (round the Middleton/rochdale area), I didn't take it any further. I guess that it would also be true to say that I wasn't sure that my ID skills were up to the job.
However having had contact with my local BTO Rep in North London who asked me if it would be possible for me to enrich my records, (even if it meant just upgrading a species from an 'S' to a 'T' code ), I made more effort to add in Breeding Details etc last year and that's something an area that I'm trying to improve in. I have to that I also found the material that was posted on this forum by Mssr Sutil and Myerscough to be tremendously helpful in pointing out what to look for and when. Birders in London seem to be too busy blogging about what they have seen rather than recording the details where they are useful to others.
So though I might have a decent grasp of some aspects of survey work, I still think that I would find it useful and instructive to have some sort of training, if only to prove that I'm on the right track. My ID skillz still need work and I find that I still struggle to remember key items (bill colour, leg colour) etc when I see an unfamiliar species. I need plenty of work in the birdsong area too and the more time that I spend at that, the better I seem to get ... even if that improvement is slow.
The BTO already offers the sort of course that I think would be suitable, its just that the timings unfortunately clash with other commitments, particularly this year. :(
Thanks for your contributions - this has the makings of an interesting thread, for me (with my BTO Rep's at on) at least.
As for ringing: a long(ish) apprenticeship is required, though demonstrations and taster sessions (as suggested by Ian) are of considerable value. If you have a serious interest in becoming a bird ringer, contact the BTO Ringing Unit (ringing@bto.org) and they will put you in touch with a local trainer.
As regards survey techniques: with the benefit of hindsight, I now realise that it would have been a good idea to have run training sessions at the start of the BirdAtlas project. However, we had little notice of the required techniques prior to the start of atlas fieldwork and, until records were submitted, we didn't know which aspects of recording would have benefitted from training sessions.
We could have run Breeding Bird Survey training this spring but, in the Manchester region, BBS is fully subscribed (there's even a waiting list) so we would have been teaching people who couldn't put their new skills into practice We could do as they do in the Bristol area and choose some non-official BBS squares and train people to survey these, but the results would just be of local value and not contribute to the national survey data.
In the article which made me start this thread, I must point out that Stephen Young is far too modest about his ID skills and herein lies the main problem with training. Many of those who actually could benefit from training are "overconfident" birders whose skills are not quite as good as they think they are. On the other hand, there are those who think they need training but whose skills are perfectly adequate and all they need is a bit of reassurance!
I would welcome any contributions on this important subject. Please contribute to this thread or, if you would prefer, send me an e-mail or Private Message.
One last point: Ian keeps referrring in his post to survey "work". As Steve Atkins keeps reminding me - it's not "work", it's enjoyable and worthwhile. Keep sending all your records to the GM Bird Recording Group - you know it makes sense
I think it's easier than you think to understand survey work though I fully appreciate the odd course simplifies that further. Fact is though that we still have relatively poor mapping of the vast majority of our county's birds anyway and more observers simply taking the time to note the birds they see, particularly breeding birds, would beneift us and them enormously. It might not be a true survey but many county birders carry out their own 'surveys' on their local patches and they are incredibly valuable in ornithological terms. Those birders already involved in survey work are always happy to assist others so there's no shortage of help out there. If there's really the demand I may well be able to arrange something in the future.
Recording county birds is my key focus currently though and there are some exciting new prospects on the horizon. For those who really want to help, there will be survey work opportunities but simply recording the birds you see and sending them to the Greater Manchester Bird Recording Group is easily as important.
As for ringing, I have been in correspondance with a county ringer for a few months now over a proposed 'public' ringing session we would like to run. It will give birders an opportunity to see what ringing is all about, blow away a few myths, give you the opportunity to ask questions and see birds in the hand. More of that as and when it is finalised though
I second Charles' comments, there don't seem to be any courses run locally for those who want to further develop their interest. Thinking mainly of Bird Survey work & Ringing.
I do wish that the BTO ran more courses though. Last year and this year they all seem to either clash with other commitments or get filled up really quickly ... there doesnt really seem to be an alternative source of training. :(
Thanks for your comments Charles.
To run courses we need to know what sort of courses people want and find the money to run them. I've heard that the take-up for Breeding Bird Survey courses in a neighbouring area has been very poor and that they may be called off due to lack of interest.
If you regularly contribute to BTO surveys or got involved in Bird Atlas, this publication should be dropping through your letterbox soon.
Whilst other publications may seem to ignore the North West, the BTO magazine has a two-page spread by Stephen Young from Hyde which is well worth reading. Stephen's article had to be heavily edited (I've seen the original) but I think he manages to sum up nicely the enjoyment many others got out of doing atlas surveys and the pleasures that can be had birding "oop north"
Steve
Agreed Steve. Stephens article was the first one that I read and his experience seems to mirror my own in many ways. Taking part in something like Atlas work definitely does sharpen up you observational skills.
I find that I increasingly take note of whats around whether I am in the city or the countryside. I used not to bother entering anything but lists into Birdtrack, as the site gave the impression that less importance was given to casual records. However when the Atlas asked for people to contribute casual and roving records, it made me feel less inhibited about entering the details of birds that I saw at lunchtime or on the way to/from work. Casual and Roving records now take up about 25% of my records each month.
I do wish that the BTO ran more courses though. Last year and this year they all seem to either clash with other commitments or get filled up really quickly ... there doesnt really seem to be an alternative source of training. :(
If you regularly contribute to BTO surveys or got involved in Bird Atlas, this publication should be dropping through your letterbox soon.
Whilst other publications may seem to ignore the North West, the BTO magazine has a two-page spread by Stephen Young from Hyde which is well worth reading. Stephen's article had to be heavily edited (I've seen the original) but I think he manages to sum up nicely the enjoyment many others got out of doing atlas surveys and the pleasures that can be had birding "oop north"
We could do as they do in the Bristol area and choose some non-official BBS squares and train people to survey these, but the results would just be of local value and not contribute to the national survey data.