Patch work

Mark 12 Comments

By U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service - Pacific Region's (Merlin) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
By U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service – Pacific Region’s (Merlin) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
The natural world is a source of great wonder to me.  I enjoy being out there with my wellies on and binoculars around my neck.  I enjoy thinking about species I may see or learn about in future. And I like re-living those special wildlife experiences.

And I like having a local patch, Stanwick Lakes, where I can regularly walk, notice the seasons changing and get to know a little bit better every visit.  I’ve had a couple of walks there over the Christmas break and Tuesday’s first visit of 2013 produced a new bird for the site (as far as I was concerned) on the first day of the New Year – a male merlin.

Now I’ve seen lots and lots of merlins in my life but not many in Northamptonshire and none before at my local patch so this made the day special. And that meant that I didn’t have to resort to Birdtrack to check when I had last seen a merlin here.

On the other hand, the chiffchaff I heard calling and then saw a little earlier was the first December chiffchaff I’ve seen at Stanwick since 2009 (I also saw them there in 2004, 2005 and 2008) and I did need to resort to my Birdtrack records to tell you that (and to find out myself).

I use Birdtrack to store most of my bird records now, for two reasons.  First, it means that I can check little details like when I last saw a chiffchaff at Stanwick in December very easily (and when I do it shows that memory is very fallible).  Second, I know that this type of information, particularly because I submit full species lists for my visits, might well be of great value to the BTO , RSPB etc in future years.

If only we had all been able to enter bird lists at the time I started birdwatching in the late 1960s – what huge changes those data would reveal now. Well, we can’t do that (unless you have notebooks full of data in your attic in which case we can!) but we can start now.  Even casual records (say, a barn owl seen from the car on holiday) are of value.

Why not give it a try.  Once you register online then you just need a little time to get used to entering data (it’s all pretty easy though) and you are away!  I use Birdtrack because it’s easy, useful for me and I believe the data I enter now will be of use to bird conservation in the future.

 

Semprempe [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
Semprempe [CC-BY-SA-3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0) or GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html)], via Wikimedia Commons
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12 Replies to “Patch work”

  1. I think my best ever sighting whilst “on route” to somewhere was a male hen harrier, seen from an aeroplane when taxi-ing!
    Yes, entered into bird track as it was in breeding season.
    As far as I am concerned, the best thing about it is the android app., easy to use – just great!

    1. I agree. I have been notoriouslty slow at entering anything onto Bird Track (shame on me) but the android app is very likely to change that. That was a good move by the BTO

      1. Bob – am waiting for an app for iPhone myself. But even with notebook and then entering onto PC it’s very quick once you’ve done it a couple of times. well worth the small amount of effort.

  2. I have to admit to using the Audubon/Cornell Lab online system called eBird which has headquarters in USA. This system allows record entry for anywhere in the world and is very easy to use. I think BirdTrack (which I have used in the past) covers records for British Isles.

    I understand that BTO and Audubon/Cornell had discussions to see if they could make BirdTrack and eBird compatible so that both organisations could benefit from the others records, but I don’t think much progress has been made for various reasons.

  3. Could I sing the praises of the Bird track app. I have been using it since it was released and it’s transformed my record keeping (not being much of a lister!) I now know that I recorded 82 species on my patch last year and that the most recorded bird was Robin. It also tells me that farmland species were low with only one sighting of Lapwing and this within a 5 mile radius of my farmland patch.. All of this available at the press of a few buttons including graphs and map – and it all goes into a big data pot.

  4. ARRGHH, followed link Mark for Birdtrack comes up error etc. Go onto the website, halfway through the same error message appears that appeared in link, with possible reasons. TRIED DIFFERENT BROWSERS, AND OTHER OPTIONS, WILL NOT TRY THE THIRD OPTION OF RELAXING ANTI-VIRUS PROTOCOLS second attempt at this sort of online survey, second failure!! 🙁 Guess I’ll have to buy a smart phone mines pretty dumb!

  5. I use bird track also, but don’t tend to record everything I see which I assume is what the BTO would like me to do?
    As for my most surprise patch visitor… My old patch used to be an area of flood Meadows just outside Reading. Barn owls, kestrels, water rails etc. Then bred a pair of Mandarin (in the barn owl box (which were ringed after I informed a local ringer)), a peregrine tiercel sat on top of the electricity pylon and best of all (and most surprising) a short eared owl quartering for one afternoon only, midwinter 3 years ago…. Never been recorded there before and not since by anyone!

  6. Just used BirdTrack for the first time in a few months today and forgot how handy and interesting it is! Downloaded the app quite a while ago and haven’t got around to using it, I’ll make a renewed effort.

  7. Seems I must try bird track but not on my very old mobile. I some ways I have several patches—- In the spring and summer a large part of the East Nidderdale and Masham moors butI also make regular visits to 3 local Nature reserves Nosterfield ( wet land), High Batts( small riverine woodland) and Staveley (wetland) all in North Yorkshire, all visited so far this year, had wonderful views of Otter at the latter this afternoon. Then there’s Pwllan in mid Wales

    Paul

  8. I’ve been using Birdtrack for just over 14 months or so – as a fairly amateur but excessively (?) keen birdwatcher I have found it extremely useful and easy to use. Even in this short time the capacity to check different sightings, species etc. I am looking forward to using it over extended periods of time. The idea that it might in some very small way contribute to future studies and understanding (despite my inexperience) is a source of great pride (and not in a smug way I hope?) I would urge everyone to use it.

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