Annual Bird Reports - views please! (1 Viewer)

I've been asked to look at ways (if any) of changing our county bird report (Cornwall) At the moment we have a recorder and report editor who do a fantastic job and spend literally hundreds of unpaid hours going through 70.000+ records annually in order to prepare the bird report.
I would like to know what people look for in a bird report. Is it an in depth account of every species - from Red-flanked Bluetail to Wren? Or is it a good read that people are looking for? with plenty of rarity accounts and nice pictures.
We are three years into a ten year plan to produce an atlas of all breeding and wintering birds, so no record would be 'wasted' if we went for a more general report, as all data would be used for the atlas.

Comments would be welcome

Darrell

Darrell

Our local report compiled by the Cheshire and Wirral Ornithilogical Society contains a systematic list of recorded birds, a month by month review of the year including bird sightings and weather for the month, county rarities and various articles on interesting sightings and surveys along with photographs.
Because of the nature of County Bird Reports it is I think important to include the systematic list of sightings, which will form the bulk of the report.
I also enjoy the articles which can give some relief from reading sighting upon sighting.
In depth survey reviews can make very interesting reading also.

Why don't you obtain some copies of various counties reports and look through them for ideas and to get a feel for what you find interesting from each and then combine the formats to produce your own report.

Birdwatch and Bird Watching magazines have in the past had reviews of county reports along with contact details.
That could be a good starting point.

paj

Darrell

If it's not too late to comment, I think the key question is who you are aiming the report at. The in depth stuff on as many birds as possible will appeal to experienced birders. But the alternative, a good read with pictures and accounts of rarities will appeal to everyone, newcomers included.

I think Ian has offered excellent advice, and the Cheshire and Wirrall Ornithological Society seem to have the balance about right from what he says.

Incidentally, I'm in Devon most weeks, so we're not far away from each other. Which bit of Cornwall are you in?

Check out www.westmidlandbirdclub.com for advice on recording and downloadable pdf forms for recording sightings.

B

Monkeyman! I wonder is that A M

Hum

Osprey

Oh God - is his influence to be felt here as well ? I do sincerely hope not.

Tony

I presume you mean a certain Mr Mabbett?

Yeah. The stuff is from another website (I can't remember which, off hand) but was quite interesting, nonetheless.

The WMBC website leaves a lot to be desired, visually, but for us here in the Balck Country, it's quite useful.

B

Al

Hi Darrell

Try contacting Andy Wilson at the BTO. He has review bird reports for several years and knows a good'n from a bad'n. I am sure he would give you some tips.

Try asking your readers on their thoughts. It might be a case of if it aint broke it dont need fixing.

burhinus

Annual Bird reports - It is interesting to note which year various counties and organisations are currently working on. For example, there are some 2001 reports which came out in the spring and summer of this year, in other words pretty quick and right up to date. Others are still waiting for the year 2000 or even earlier in some cases. Still, in defence of the tardy ones, they do eventually get published.


Colin

I know it is hard work but a bird report should include all birds recorded in a county wheather common or rare. It gives the recorder some impudus to record All! that he/she sees rather than those species that he or she feels that should be recorded like rarities, but not starling flocks etc.

CJ

Hear, hear, CJ!

Or should that have been: Here, There, and Everywhere!?

"I wonder is that A M"
Sue him, Al 3
Osprey....is that C.F?
regards,
Andy B

Certainly is;-)

Happy new year to all.

Osprey

Darrell Clegg said:

I've been asked to look at ways (if any) of changing our county bird report (Cornwall)
Comments would be welcome

Darrell

Click to expand...

Hi Darrell

Do you still want some comments? Specifically, I would like to offer a few on the 2003 Cornwall bird report and invite other BirdForum members to comment on my comments!

Overall, the Report is a great read and is extremely well-presented, with fantastic photographs, many of which I've not seen published elsewhere. Some super drawings too.

The Ringing Report is really interesting.

The amount of statistical information throughout is staggering. Many of the figures are fascinating and informative. A huge amount of work has been put into this.

I really don't wish to be too negative because it must be a real labour of love to prepare a county bird report of this volume every year. But I have a few suggestions which in my view would enhance the Cornwall edition and make it even better.

I would suggest that too much effort is being attempted to enumarate records, with the result that a false picture is often being given, detracting from the value of the report. Putting figures on monthly reports of scarcer species is great but it comes unstuck on the vastly under-recorded common birds when you read, for example, 1854 Pied Wagtails were recorded in January, but only 3 in June; 430 Chiffchaffs in March but only 10 in July; 34 Reed Buntings in January but only 5 in July. I can't see the point of this exercise as some one trying to establish the status of these species from the Report would be well misled.

Regarding rare breeding species, of course one would not want to see sites revealed. But surely we can be given a county analysis of e.g. Hobby (which is stated to be a rare breeding species in the county, but no reference is made to the 2003 situation) and Dartford Warbler ("rare breeding resident" but the records mentioned are those "away from possible breeding sites").

There seems to be some confusion about place-names. For example, monthly counts of Black-necked Grebes are tabulated for the main site, Carrick Roads. But further down the page , we have records from Loe Beach (which as you will know is on Carrick Roads), one of which is detailed as Loe Pool ( a completely separate site) and another as Looe Pool!

Finally, can I request please please please that the standard convention of putting numbers over ten in figures, not words, is adopted. Having to plough through "two thousand seven hundred and thirty-two" Cory's Shearwaters (mmm!!), "an average of thirteen point five" Marsh Harriers, and endless "twenty-one"s, "sixty-eight"s, "thirty-nine"s, etc etc makes for very stodgy reading (and must increase your printing costs too!).

All that said, please pass on my congrats to the Recorder and Editor for performing a largely thankless - and fee-less - task!

Gareth.

Does Cornwall have electronic recording? Its loads of effort inputting until observers catch on and send in compatable files, but extracting the data and analysing is so much easier.

Cheshire went electronic three years ago.. no more piles of paper stips on the floor... mind you I stopped compiling too ... hmm got that wrong

Jane Turner said:

Does Cornwall have electronic recording? Its loads of effort inputting until observers catch on and send in compatable files, but extracting the data and analysing is so much easier.

Cheshire went electronic three years ago.. no more piles of paper stips on the floor... mind you I stopped compiling too ... hmm got that wrong

Click to expand...

We went electronic last year and it is SO much easier and will hopefully get easier as more people follow us into the 21st century.

Gareth and Jane,
Thanks for your input and comments. We're always looking for ways to improve the report, and the general concensus is that 2003 is an improvement over 2002 - so hopefully we are going in the right direction.

We do have electronic recording, and instructions are provided stating how to lay out the format and even to send it as a csv. file. We use COBRA and are lucky in that Pete Fraser - the developer, now lives in Truro.
I take on board your views Gareth, and will pass on comments to the editor. I particularly agree with the correct use of numbers and figures, and have pointed this out before to the editor. Unfortunately it was too late as it had gone to press, but he assures me he will change it for 2004.

I don't know if you know about the Cornwall bird atlas. It is a ten year study, started in 2000 to to map both the breeding and wintering birds in the county. Andy (Aquila) and I attended a committee meeting last week to discuss progress and were extremely impressed with the amount of great work that has been carried out.

Darrell

Gareth Murphy said:

please pass on my congrats to the Recorder and Editor for performing a largely thankless - and fee-less - task!

Gareth.

Click to expand...

The Recorder is in fact paid-as shown by the Accounts at the back of Birds in Cornwall

Colin

Darrell Clegg said:

I don't know if you know about the Cornwall bird atlas. It is a ten year study, started in 2000 to to map both the breeding and wintering birds in the county. Andy (Aquila) and I attended a committee meeting last week to discuss progress and were extremely impressed with the amount of great work that has been carried out.

Darrell

Click to expand...

Hi Darrell . Given the enormous amount of data collected for the Cornwall Bird Atlas by Andy & others, and the control methods used, wouldn't Birds in Cornwall become more scientific & informative, if the Atlas data were included in it. Is this possible ?

Colin