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

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How to submit records of bird sightings

Please read the guidelines below. However, you can also submit casual sightings using our Online Sightings Submission Form

One of the most important functions of the York Ornithological Club is the publication of the Annual Report. The value of this publication depends on members submitting records of their sightings within the Club recording area. All members are encouraged to submit records, whatever their ability.

The records for the Annual Report are compiled by the Assistant Recorders and edited by the Recorder. In order to ease their task and speed up the production of the Report please follow the guidelines given below.

  1. Records should be submitted at the end of the year and certainly by the end of March to guarantee appearance in the Annual Report. The records must be in the new taxonomic order issued by the British Ornithologists' Union - for a revised list of species recorded in the YOC area since the Club's inception in 1966 click here (PDF file - needs the free Adobe Acrobat Reader) . Records should also be split into the following sections to
    enable easier distribution to the YOC Assistant Recorders:-
    2. Mute Swan to Spoonbill
    Honey Buzzard to Common Crane
    Oystercatcher to Puffin
    Feral Pigeon to Dunnock
    Robin to Pied Flycatcher
    Bearded Tit to Corn Bunting
  2. For each species, records should give the site and date and numbers of birds given where possible. Counts are preferable to terms such as ‘few’, ‘several’ or ‘many’ as these terms are very subjective and actual numbers enables the comparison of populations between years. The counts do not have to be too accurate - approximate numbers will do. This particularly applies to flocks of birds such as wildfowl and waders.
  3. Records of scarce or rare birds will need a description for consideration by the Yorkshire Naturalists’ Union Reports Committee and, if necessary, the British Birds Rarities Committee. Descriptions should be submitted to the Recorder as soon as possible after the sighting. Please contact the Recorder for guidelines or rarity forms. The importance of such descriptions for the validation of rare records cannot be overemphasized.
  4. Please do not forget to include your name, address and telephone number - if you have one - with your records.
  5. If you wish, you can submit your records in electronic format, as attachments to email. MS Word or Excel format is preferred, but we may be able to handle other formats. Submit electronically to: recorder@yorkbirding.org.uk

An example is given below of the best way to submit records.

BIRD RECORDS FOR 2004 by Andy Booth

Greylag Goose
47 at Rowntree Park, York on 8th November.
c. 70 on River Ouse by Skeldergate Bridge, York on 25th November.
48 at Rowntree Park, York on 13th December.

Canada Goose
54 at Rowntree Park, York on 14th August.
43 at Rowntree Park, York on 29th November.
22 at Rowntree Park, York on 13th December.

Barnacle Goose
One with Canada Geese at Rowntree Park, York on 29th November.
One with Canada Geese at Rowntree Park, York on 13th December.

Pochard
A drake at Rowntree Park, York on 8th November.
A pair at Rowntree Park, York on 19th November.

Cormorant
One flew NE over Nunnery Lane, York on 19th April.
 




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