RSPB survey (1 Viewer)

There's another RSPB survey under way last week and this weekend and yet again I find that there are birds that I would like to include, but the survey insists that birds must land in my garden.

What's the point of that?

I have little egrets, rooks, buzzards, barn owls, house martins, swallows, tawny owls, woodpeckers and others flying over but they never land.

Surely it's also important to record if these birds are present in an area.

The RSPB survey requires people to count the number of any species, but many people probably don't know if the bird they see several times is the same one or the mate, or one of another pair.

Wouldn't it be better if the survey didn't count the number of birds, just which species were in the area (just yes or no). The RSPB could still estimate the density from the number of positive replies.

Since it is a garden bird survey, the rules ensure that people concentrate on the common birds they see in their gardens (which, with a few exceptions, they can identify). I see these surveys mainly as ways of getting the general public interested in birds (and this appears to work). Because the vast number of surveyors are inexperienced, it is unlikely that they would be able to recognise the birds flying over (I often have people tell me they have seen their first ever Little Egret/Kingfisher/Wagtail/Lapwing/Jay/Green Woodpecker/etc. even though these birds are relatively common - most people just don't see them.
If you would like your records to count in more dare-I-say-it "serious" surveys, then join in a BTO survey, or save your records to Birdtrack or as Roving Records at http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/taking_part. If you do this, your records will be combined with many thousands of others and will contribute to an increase in knowledge of British birdlife.

David

Wickham said:

The RSPB survey requires people to count the number of any species, but many people probably don't know if the bird they see several times is the same one or the mate, or one of another pair.

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People are asked to count the highest number of each species they see at any one time, this stops the same bird being counted over and over. I think this survey gives very valuable data about some of the birds that frequent our gardens - worthwhile me thinks.

I always do these surveys and find the feedback very interesting. They show where once common garden birds are in decline, and where others are making a comeback. I agree it would be lovely to count the birds flying overhead, but there could well be wrong IDs.

If you follow the directions given, it is clear that you wouldn't be counting the same bird.