Most observers are experienced at submitting records, but for those who aren’t, here are a few tips. 

It is important to stress from the outset that we are pleased to accept ALL records from within the Borough of St Helens, so please don’t be put off just because all your records are of common species. Even a daily log from your garden would be interesting, as long as it included regular counts of all species. Regular counts of common species give a good understanding of the status and movements of each species throughout the borough.  

Some observers prefer to record only “headline” species, i.e. scarce or rare species. This is perfectly fine, though if we receive no records of common species from a location, it could make the report appear biased towards species which in actual fact are quite scarce in the borough, and it might make common species seem rare. A better solution might be to make an effort to record every species on at least one day in every month, and then record the headliners for the rest of the month. At least that way we know that the common species are present. 

Mandatory information

Whichever way you chose to record birds, the following information is critical. This is the minimum information that we need for each record.  

Name

The name of the species you saw. The golden rule is one species for each record. This might seem obvious, but there are occasions when observers don’t comply to this rule (see the note on mixed flocks below). 

Number

How many did you see? If it was a large flock, an estimate will do. Please note that 1000+ is better than “many” or “a lot”. You don’t have to count every bird in a large flock. The best way to do it is to count 50, then estimate out how many groups of 50 there are in the flock. 

Mixed flocks can cause problems. If you can, try to split them. Three records of 100+ Goldfinches, 200+ Linnets and a few Greenfinches, are better than “a mixed flock of 300+ Goldfinches, Linnets and Greenfinches”.  Remember, if it’s difficult for you to split the flock on the day you see them, then it’s impossible for me six months later, and I must comply with the one species for each record rule. 

Date

The date you saw the bird. An exact date is ideal, but “present throughout June” is acceptable. 

Location

Where did you see the bird? Try to be as accurate as possible. A record of a Nuthatch in Newton-le-Willows is fine, but even better if you tell us that it was in Willow Park, Newton-le-Willows. If the record is from your garden, the address of your house is not necessary, but it would be useful to give the name of the road AND the area you are in, for example, “Cheshire Close, Newton-le-Willows”. Don’t assume that we know where Cheshire Close is. 

Non mandatory information

It would be useful, but not critical, if you could also include other information with the record. Examples are as follows: 

Age / Sex

This is not always easy to determine, but when known, it is worth including because it makes the report more interesting. A pair of Shoveler on Eccleston Mere is more interesting than simply two Shoveler on Eccleston Mere. 

Comments

You can include any comments that you think are worth recording. For example, if the bird was flying over, which way was it flying? It’s also useful to note if a bird was singing. For example, a record of a Song Thrush singing on New Years Day, is perhaps more interesting than just recording that it was present. 

Sub Location

If your records come from a large location, you may wish to include some extra information about where the bird was seen. For example, if your location is “Catchdale Moss” you may wish to give the sub location as “Green Lane”. 

Map reference

This only needs to be provided if the location is not widely known. So for example, we do not need map references for Eccleston Mere or Carr Mill Dam, but the scrap of wild land at the back of your house might not be known to us. In this case a map reference would be helpful. 

Ways of submitting records

The preferred method of submitting data is in an Excel spreadsheet with the column headers set as above, and sent via email. The advantages to using Excel are that it helps you remember which information we require, and it allows us to import all your records into our database in just a few minutes. Email your records to col2.davies@blueyonder.co.uk. 

However, handwritten notes are perfectly acceptable, so long as all the mandatory information is given for each record. Handwritten notes need entering manually into our database, which can take days to complete. 

Description species