Bird recording activities of the York Ornithological Club

The York Ornithological Club - birds and birdwatching in York and North Yorkshire

Our bird recording activities
in York and North Yorkshire

The YOC has the responsibility for recording bird observations over a wide area of North Yorkshire. The area which we cover is 1,500 sq.km. (about 580 sq.miles) - the fifteen 10 km. squares with the City of York nearly in the centre. You will appreciate this clearer by looking at the colour map of our Recording Area, which is also a useful guide to some of the birdwatching sites in our area. See also our guidelines on How to submit records of bird sightings, with details also of our Electronic Submission methods.

For information on survey work in our area carried out by English Nature, click here

Our boundaries are approximately:

North: Ampleforth, on the southern edge of the North Yorkshire Moors
South: Just beyond the town of Selby, on the River Wharfe
East: Malton and Garrowby Hill, on the edge of the Yorkshire Wolds
West: Just west of the towns of Easingwold in the north and Sherburn in Elmet in the south

How do we get our information?
Records of sightings and observations are sent to us by:

Our members (both verbally at our monthly meetings and in writing throughout the year)
Other birdwatchers in the area, such as members of the RSPB (although many of them are also members of our Club)
Visitors to the area

Please send all records to our Recorder:
Mr Andy Booth
41 Ambrose Street, Fulford Road, York, YO10 4DT
Tel: 01904 628947 Email: recorder@yorkbirding.org.uk

What kinds of bird records are important?
We would sooner have too many records, than too few! We are interested not only in rare or unusual birds, but also in building up, over the years, information on changes in bird populations in our area.

So, the types of information in which we are interested are:

Arrival and departure dates of migrants and seasonal visitors
Breeding records - dates and numbers
Flock sizes throughout the year
Changes which the observer has noticed from one season to another
Unusual or interesting observations of bird behaviour
.. and, of course, scarce or rare birds

How to submit records
We welcome your records of bird sightings in our Recording Area. These should be sent to our Recorder (contact details above). You can also use our Online Sightings Form online, but please make sure that you include all the relevant information.

The records must be in the new taxonomic order issued by the British Ornithologists' Union. Ideally, your records should either be typed or in electronic format - but legible handwriting is quite acceptable! Check out our submission guidelines here. You can also find out more about our electronic submission method using the Club's spreadsheet.

Please ensure that your name and contact details are included.

For each species / sighting, please ensure that you give the date and location of your records. If the location is obscure, a 6-figure grid reference would be appreciated.

For rare or unusual birds, a detailed field description must be given if we are to accept your record and pass it on to the appropriate bodies for regional / national acceptance.

Publishing our records

Each year, YOC produces an Annual Bird Report, compiled by the Recorder and a team of Assistant Recorders (see our 'Organisation' page for their names).

The 2007 Report is now available and can be purchased for the price of £6.45 (including P&P) from our Secretary: Linda Newton, 5 Fairfields Drive, Skelton, York YO30 1YP 6EA Tel: 01904 471446, or you can order online from here

York Ornithological Club
email: info@yorkbirding.org.uk

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