Tuesday, 5 July 2011
BTO Atlas in Lincs - Number of species required to achieve 75% confirmed breeding
Many Atlas supporters have been hard at work since the breeding season commenced and the ttv coverage for the county is now virtually completed. The key task left is to confirm as many species breeding in each 10km square as possible.
So how are we doing in this respect in Lincs? Here is a graphic showing those square in yellow where we have yet to reach the 75% target for breeding species confirmed. The number in each square is the number of species that need to be confirmed to hit the 75% target. We are doing pretty well compared to adjacent counties and 36 of our 79 squares are already over 75%. A further 12 are within 5 species.
We are now getting down to the wire with only a few weeks left to confirm breeding. Please check out what species are missing in your local squares by clicking on "My local gaps" on the the BTO Atlas homepage and then chase down the missing species. Its great fun and will add an extra enjoyable dimension to your birding. There are still many unconfirmed common birds, particularly warblers and now is a great time to confirm most species. If you need any guidance on using the website and adding records please contact your BTO regional representative (http://btolincs.blogspot.com/).
Heres to some good birding and some excellent coverage for Lincs when the Atlas book is published in just udner 2 years time."
Monday, 6 June 2011
Some tips on confirming breeding by birds of prey
In this last summer of the BTO Atlas, we are trying to confirm breeding by as many species as possible. The main atlas period ends on 31st July, but we can continue to confirm breeding into the autumn. This is especially relevant to birds of prey, several of which don't fledge until July or August.
The tips below for three species – all now widespread in the county – are based closely on guidance prepared by Rob Clements for
Common Buzzard
Confirming breeding for Common Buzzard is not difficult! These are large and noisy birds; the adults can be seen carrying food items back towards a nest-site through-out the day, and newly-fledged young are almost continuously noisy, plaintively calling for food from hedgerow trees and woodland edge. Look for areas of mixed woodland and farmland. Find a good viewpoint on a sunny morning in July or August. Scan the horizon for Buzzards, listen for their calls. If all the activity is distant, move nearer, preferably without disturbing the birds. Juvenile Buzzards are much whiter than adults, and lack the clearly defined dark terminal bands on tail and under-wings.
Sparrowhawk
Best looked for in July/August. Most blocks of mature conifers hold breeding Sparrow-hawk Walk around quietly, listening for young Sparrowhawks plaintive begging calls, or the chattering alarm calls from the adults. The successful nest is quite obvious, with thousands of white down feathers, all over the nest and surrounding branches. The woodland floor below is splattered with white droppings, as if some-one had been flicking white paint all around an area of 100 sq yds or more. Watching from a viewpoint, the adult Sparrowhawks can be seen approaching the wood carrying bird prey, often diving in from high up.
Hobby
Look for successful breeding Hobby in the period from 1st August to 20th September. Start off from a viewpoint giving a good view over an area of woodland edge and hedgerow trees. Choose sunny weather between 9.00am to 4.00pm. Look for family groups of Hobby hawking insects or chasing each other around in spectacular play. Closer up, you can hear a young Hobby keeping up almost continual calling, a higher pitched version of Peregrine begging calls. Juvenile Hobbies are easily identified, with buff edging to the feathering on the upper-parts and an absence of reddish "trousers." Adult Hobbies regularly visit the fledged juveniles, bringing bird prey and chasing off intruding Sparrowhawks and Crows. If you've not seen anything after an hours watching, move on and try somewhere else. Hobby nests are often approx. two miles apart in open farmland in southern
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Time to start confirming the early birds
Friday, 1 April 2011
North Lincs Summer Bird Race
To take part email donandchris@hotmail.co.uk to register the square of your choice go out for the day and record as many breeding
birds as possible enter your visit as Roving Records by Saturday 14th May.
Available squares: SE70, SE80, SE81, SE90, SE91, SK89, SK99, TA01, TA10. TA11, TA20, TA21, TA30, TA40, TF09, TF19, TF29, TF30, TF39, TF40
Do have a go and Good Luck
Monday, 21 March 2011
Which are the most important breeding species in Lincs: Insights from BBS
The general UK trend of population change is also shown. It is possible that if we had a larger sample of BBS squares in Lincolnshire there could well be more rarer species on the list.