Northants Birds – 2023 Records

Mistle Thrush, Hollowell, November 2023

Thanks to everyone who has already sent 2023 records to me, or provided them by other means such as BirdTrack. I’m now working on my master file for this year, which will be used to create the 2023 Northants Birds Annual Report.

This file will also provide a source of data for various other aspects of my role, including creation of reports which will appear in publications such as British Birds. It will form part of the biological record for the county, which may be accessed to support ecological surveys, inform planning assessments, or assist with conservation activity or scientific study. In support of this, a copy of the file will be provided to the Northamptonshire Biodiversity Records Centre (NBRC). I will take steps to protect records of sensitive species and locations. The file and its contents will only be shared with certified official bodies; it will not be made commercially available or published openly via any means.

There are several ways that you can contribute or submit records, as follows:

BirdTrack / eBird / iRecord

These platforms / Apps are my preferred method of capturing records. They allow me to access the largest possible number of records, covering more species, from a wider variety of locations. They also give me access to records from a large number of observers, including those who are visiting Northamptonshire from further afield – people who would generally otherwise be unlikely to submit records to me. The Apps provide a high level of data security and additional functionality which allows me to process more data than I could do on my own. These records are also a form of valuable ‘citizen science’: data that can form part of a bigger picture, e.g. at national level or above. This can support conservation activity and help assessment and understanding of bird populations, distribution and behaviour.

If you are using any of these tools, you don’t need to do anything else – I have download access, so I am able to access them directly. I will be downloading the data files from these sources during the first week of February, so if you could enter your 2023 records by the end of January it would be much appreciated.

There are a few ways that you can help make your BirdTrack / eBird / iRecord records more usable:

– Use recognisable place names for your user-defined locations.

– For records of rare / scarce species, please follow the validation processes as prompted, and if possible, use the App functionality to add supporting photos or sound recordings.

– Please check that you are submitting the correct species (or subspecies), where the Apps may default to something different to what you saw. For example, in most years, I receive a very large number of records for White Wagtail, many of which would appear to refer to our more familiar Pied Wagtail.

Excel Recording File

This file template contains all the information that I require to log bird records, in the same Excel format that I will use in the master file. Latest format can be downloaded here:

NBR_2023_Master_TEMPLATE_V1.1.xlsxDownload

The file has a tab with instructions for use. Once complete, email to me at joncooknorthantsbirds@gmail.com

I generally process these files in one batch, so there’s no need to send me each month separately, just send your full year records once complete in late December / early January.

If this file format is not compatible with your hardware, please get in touch via email; I can provide an earlier Excel format, and I can work with most spreadsheet / data table formats.

Email

If you don’t plan to use one of the bulk recording methods above, or if you have something that you feel is particularly urgent or noteworthy – or if you have any questions – feel free to contact me by email at joncooknorthantsbirds@gmail.com

Written Records

Some people still prefer to submit written records and these are welcomed. Please send these to me at the following address:

Jon Cook, Northants County Bird Recorder, South View, 16 Church Hill, Hollowell, Northamptonshire NN6 8RR.

Thank you

Thanks to everyone who submitted records or helped me in my county recorder role in 2023.

All the best for 2024 – happy birding!

2021 Annual Report

Essential reading for all Northamptonshire birders.

Contents in this year’s edition include:

• Overview of the year
• Systematic List of records for 2021
• Hybrids and Escapes and Ferals
• The Baltic Gull at DIRFT 3
• County Recorder’s Report
• Northants Ringing Report 
• Northamptonshire birds checklist
• Summer/Winter Arrivals & Departures 
• Northants Barn Owl Project
• County Map with main birding sites
• List of observers and contributors

Copies and back issues from:

R W Bullock, 81 Cavendish Drive, Northampton NN3 3HL Price £8.00 (or £10.00 including postage). 

Cheques payable to ‘Northamptonshire Bird Report’ or contact robertbullock25@hotmail.com for further details.

Back issues available back to the 1970s.

Northants Birds – 2022 Records

Redwing, Hollowell village, December 2022.

I’ll be spending the next couple of months collating records for the Northants Birds 2022 Annual Report. Thanks to everyone who has already sent me records. For anyone who has yet to do this, here are some hints and tips which will help me complete this work accurately and quickly.

It would also be appreciated if you could get your records to me by January 31st.

Excel Recording Sheet

I’ll be collating records from multiple sources and saving into an Excel master file, so unless you plan to save your records by BirdTrack, eBird or iRecord, it would be very helpful if you could use the same Excel file format that I will be using. A blank template can be downloaded below:

NBR_Blank Recording Sheet_2022_V1.0.xlsxDownload

.xls format for anyone running older versions of Excel:

NBR_Blank Recording Sheet_2022_V1.0.xlsDownload

The Apps – BirdTrack, eBird and iRecord

If you are planning to submit your records using BirdTrack, eBird or iRecord, I have download access to these Apps and so will be able to access your records directly. You therefore don’t need to send me your records in any other way.

For anyone using these Apps, I have a couple of requests:

– If you are saving your own favourite / custom locations, using a recognisable place name would be hugely appreciated. “Mum’s garden, Kingsthorpe” is much more useful than just “Mum’s garden”! Each record captured by the Apps does generally capture a very detailed location, however for the purposes of our annual report I need to provide a recognisable location: having to manually look up a grid reference or Latitude / Longitude for any records that lack this has proven to be very time-consuming.

– Checking species name for a couple of species in particular. In 2021 I received a large number of records of White Wagtail. It would appear that many of these referred to Pied Wagtail. Similarly, for Redpoll there were a number of records of Common Redpoll (which in the UK is actually the scarcer subspecies) which would appear to refer to Lesser Redpoll.

I would like to stress that despite these issues, there are significant benefits of using the Apps – and they are without doubt my preferred way of capturing your records. Speaking personally, I have found that their convenience and functionality have also enhanced the enjoyment of my birding. The new year could give you a perfect opportunity to try a new way of recording your sightings.

Thanks again to everyone who has provided records or supported my work as county bird recorder in other ways, it’s much appreciated. Merry Christmas – and happy birding in 2023.

UK RBBP – Rare Breeding Birds Panel

Juvenile Hobby, Nene Valley, September 2020

One of my duties as Northants county recorder is to submit each year to the UK Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP), detailed records of confirmed or suspected breeding for sixteen species of nationally rare breeding birds.

Species included in the Northants submission for the last three years are listed below:

• Shoveler
• Common Pochard
• Turtle Dove
• Little Ringed Plover
• Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
• Hobby
• Peregrine Falcon
• Willow Tit

Breeding records for other species required by the RBBP, but not recently recorded as breeding in the county, are Red-breasted Merganser, Northern Goshawk, Marsh Harrier, Long-eared Owl, Short-eared Owl, Woodlark, Dartford Warbler and Hawfinch.

I’d welcome records for any of the sixteen species which could indicate breeding; these would of course include obvious evidence such as visible nests or adults seen with young, but also potential evidence such as courtship / display activity or even just pairs seen on suitable territory in late spring through summer.

Now is the perfect time to monitor and record 2022 breeding activity, but I would also welcome any retrospective records for 2021.

All records received will be treated in confidence.

Records can be submitted in various ways; see this link for more on this topic: https://joncookbirding.wordpress.com/about-the-county-recorder-role/

For more on the work of the RBBP, see link: https://rbbp.org.uk/

Description Species 2021

Glossy Ibis, Thrapston, April 5th 2021

Please find below the latest Description Species ‘WIP’ (Work in Progress), showing the status of Description Species reported in Northamptonshire in 2021.

All descriptions submitted have been reviewed by the Northants Bird Report records committee and a decision reached, so unless new information comes to light, this will be the final WIP update for 2021 records.

Many thanks to everyone who submitted descriptions, photographs and sound recordings to enable these records to be assessed.

nbr_wip-summary_2021_180122Download

2020 Annual Report Now Available

Northants Birds 2020 

Essential reading for all Northamptonshire birders.

Contents in this year’s edition include:

• Overview of the year
• Systematic List of records for 2020
• Hybrids and Escapes and Ferals
• Site Names Explained
• Nene Valley site maps 
• Northants Barn Owl Project Report
• Northants Ringing Report 
• Northamptonshire birds checklist
• Summer/Winter Arrivals & Departures 
• Summary of controlled Blue Tits
• County Map with main birding sites
• List of observers and contributors

Copies and back issues from:

R W Bullock, 81 Cavendish Drive, Northampton NN3 3HL Price £9.00 including postage.

Cheques payable to ‘Northamptonshire Bird Report’ or contact robertbullock25@hotmail.com for further details. Also available from: The Oundle Bookshop, 13 Market Place, Oundle, PE8 4BA (walk in price £7.50).

If you are local to Hollowell, I also have copies available for collection only, price £7.50. Get in touch via the Contact page on this website if you’d like to pick up a copy.

2021 Records

Lesser Redpoll, Coton, 21st November, 2021

As we approach the end of the year, I’m starting the job of collating records for 2021.

These records will be used to create the 2021 Northants Birds annual report and to submit data to various bodies, which will add to understanding of population and biodiversity trends; this can support conservation activity in the county and beyond.

Many thanks to everyone who has submitted records so far this year. If you are using one of the Apps described below you don’t need to do anything else, I have full download access and will obtain all records directly that way.

For those of you still to submit your records, I’d really appreciate it if you could get do this by January 31st, 2022. There are various ways you can do this, as follows:

• Complete an Excel Recording Sheet and email it to me after the end of each year. A template can be downloaded here:

NBR_Recording Sheet Template_2021_v1.0.xlsxDownload

• Upload your sightings to BTO BirdTrack. Benefits of BirdTrack are data security, enhanced database functionality and the convenience that comes with a mobile App. It also provides a source of national as well as local recording. As county recorder I have access to BirdTrack data for Northants and can download this directly. To access BTO BirdTrack visit https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/birdtrack

Upload your sightings to eBird. As with BirdTrack and iRecord, eBird gives mobile App functionality, data security and it also connects you with a global community of tens of thousands of birders who submit bird observations, track their personal records, and use eBird’s tools to better understand the occurrence of birds close to home and around the world. Here’s a link: https://ebird.org/home

• Upload your sightings to iRecord. Benefits are similar to BirdTrack: the key difference is that iRecord is intended to be used to track and share records of all types of wildlife. For more information, see https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/

If you plan on submitting only a few records, please feel free to send these directly to me by email:

joncooknorthantsbirds@gmail.com

Mike Alibone will continue to update his Northants Birds website: https://northantsbirds.com/ with records and news of rarer species, so please continue to send such records to him at alibone.mike@gmail.com

If you are fortunate enough to see a rarer species and wish to have it included in the county records, it may require you to submit a Description Form. For more information with regard to these requirements, see .https://joncookbirding.wordpress.com/description-species-work-in-progress-wip/

I will liaise with observers to obtain these completed forms, and will pass them to the Records Committee for consideration. Where the species is a national rarity, it may require a description to be submitted to the British Birds Rarity Committee (BBRC): I will support this process as required.

See the Description Species – ‘WIP’. page for more on this topic.

Hopefully one of these methods will be convenient. Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any questions.

Happy birding!

http://Twitter.com/BirdNorthants

Autumn Update – November 2021

The last couple of days have brought a taste of winter which for me was very welcome. I’ve managed to get out early both mornings and enjoyed the steady stream of Fieldfares, Redwings and other winter visitors passing overhead.

As we head into winter I thought I’d share what I’ve been up to, what I’m working on, what’s coming up – and, as always, how you can get involved.

NBR 2020 Annual Report 2020

The Northants Bird Report committee have now almost finished writing the 2020 Annual Report. The Systematic List of species is complete and edited, articles and features are almost complete and Editor Graham Martin is making final formatting changes and selection of photos to complement the written content.

As soon as copies of the report are back from the printers I will add a further update on here – including how you can get hold of a copy.

We had a record year for submissions in 2020, with more than 95,000 records in the final edited master file, obtained from 580 observers. I’d like to say a huge THANK YOU to everyone who contributed. Every record submitted will form part of the biological record, contributing to greater understanding of bird populations. This can make a real difference and have a positive impact, including greater protection for birds and their habitats, in and beyond the county.

British Birds – 2020 Scarce Migrants

British Birds collect and publish data for 62 scarce migrant species. In 2020 we had ten county records of eight of these species: Glossy Ibis, Hoopoe (2 records), Wryneck (2 records), Red-footed Falcon, Great Grey Shrike, Marsh Warbler, Rose-coloured Starling, Parrot Crossbill. I’ve submitted details of these records to BB, they will be included in an upcoming edition.

British Birds – 2020 Rare Breeding Birds Panel (RBBP)

The BBRP also collect data for 16 species of rare UK breeding birds. Several of these do not currently breed in Northants, for example Dartford Warbler and Red-breasted Merganser. Others are potential breeders which are not currently recorded, e.g. Marsh Harrier, Hawfinch.

Species for which we do have confirmed or potential breeding records are as follows: Shoveler, Common Pochard, Turtle Dove, Little Ringed Plover, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker, Hobby, Peregrine, Willow Tit.

Sadly, with the decline of the latter species it would appear that it is in danger of disappearing from the list of breeding birds in the county.

To support the work of the RBBP, I will be submitting site-specific details and a county estimate for breeding pairs for each species. I’m currently working through this, with a deadline for completion of end November

I am using the 2020 master file of records to form the basis of this report, and will be following up with some observers to gather further details to help assess breeding status and success.

Description Species ‘WIP’

Please find below the updated ‘Work in Progress’ (WIP) file, showing the status of all description species seen in Northants in 2021.

NBR_WIP_051121.pdfDownload

For more details regarding ‘description species’, see: https://joncookbirding.wordpress.com/description-species-work-in-progress-wip/

Many thanks to everyone who has submitted a description.

2021 Records

As mentioned above, 2020 was a record year for submissions. Hopefully 2021 will be even better. I’m keen to use as many methods as possible to make this easy for you, so you have a few ways you can submit your records:

Directly to me in one master Excel file, template downloadable here:

northamptonshire-bird-recording-spreadsheet-v.2020.1.1 2.xlsDownload

Using one of the following mobile / web Apps:

BTO BirdTrack

https://www.bto.org/our-science/projects/birdtrack

eBird

https://ebird.org/home

iRecord.

https://www.brc.ac.uk/irecord/

If you use any of these Apps to record your sightings, you don’t need to do anything else. I will download and process county records from all of them and incorporate them into the 2021 master file.

Ad hoc records can be submitted to me by email at joncooknorthantsbirds@gmail.com. I’m also happy to accept paper records by post at South View, 16 Church Hill, Hollowell, Northampton, NN6 8RR.

I will also capture records from various social media sources, but the increasing volume and fragmented nature of these makes this time-consuming, so I may not be 100% successful.

Chris Coe has kindly offered to continue to help me to gather records; his help and advice is much appreciated.

Thanks for getting this far – your interest is much appreciated. Look forward to receiving your 2021 records – and hope to meet some of you in the field over the next few months. Happy birding!

Update – May 2021

I’ve been doing the county recorder role for just over a year. It’s been a steep learning curve, but very rewarding indeed. I’ve had to learn some new skills and develop others. I’ve enjoyed getting to know the birders in the county a bit better and I’ve just about managed to fit my county recorder work around family life, work commitments and a bit of birding!

I’ve received lots of support, encouragement and goodwill, all of it greatly appreciated.

Two things I’ll be covering in this update: progress I’ve made with the 2020 Annual Report and some thoughts on 2021 recording.

2020 Annual Report – Progress

I have now finished editing the 2020 Master File which will be used to write the Northants Birds Annual Report. I’ve passed this onto the four writers of the Systematic List so they can start writing their sections.

A large part of the editing was removing duplicate records where I had more than one record for the same species / date / location / observer.

For example a record might have been submitted to me directly, downloaded from one of the bird-recording Apps (BTO BirdTrack, eBird, iRecord), entered into a WeBS count, picked up by BirdGuides and perhaps also posted on social media.

Download access for the three Apps mentioned above has been of huge benefit. The files downloaded did require some validation and editing, e.g. to ensure that all records fell inside the county boundary, and to capture a recognisable site description. I spent a few long evenings entering Lat/Long coordinates into Google Earth and poring over my OS Maps (a labour of love!).

Some editing was also required to standardise species names and put them into the revised BOU order, which starts with Capercaillie, a species not recorded in the county – the first species on our 2020 list will be Red-legged Partridge.

For BirdTrack and iRecord I have validation access, so for records obtained from these sources I was able to edit out a small number of apparent errors and oddities.

At the end of all of that the Master File contains just over 95,000 records. I’m really pleased that we had very good coverage of the less scarce species which, as I’ve mentioned before, was one of our goals. I also believe that the new sources give us records for more locations and more observers than ever before.

Thanks again to everyone who has sent me records either directly, or via the sources mentioned above. All records are valuable: apart from the editing described above, I have retained every record.

Thanks finally to Chris Coe (CJC), for his help over the last year. Chris continued to collate records from a number of sources, handing these over to me in an excellently edited file at the beginning of 2021.

2021 Records

It wouldn’t be an update from me without a plea for records.

As I write, it’s all gone a bit quiet on the Spring migration front (although I’m sure there are some rarities still to come our way).

So now is a perfect time to explore your local patch, or use the extra daylight hours to get further afield or get off the beaten track. You might find some new productive habitat, or a species of interest you’d previously overlooked.

A number of species of conservation interest are of course declining in the county, as they are elsewhere. Species like Willow Tit, Turtle Dove, Lesser-spotted Woodpecker, Curlew, Snipe, Nightjar and Corn Bunting are either just about hanging on as breeding species, or have sadly now moved into the status of former breeders. Any of these could be currently present but undiscovered in quiet corners of the county. Records for these species would be particularly valuable.

On the other hand there are reasons to be optimistic. Northants has of course benefited from some of the reintroduction schemes, with Red Kite and Osprey now regularly recorded. Our airspace was graced by the presence of young birds from the Isle of Wight White-tailed Eagle project several times in 2020, with satellite-tagged birds passing through unnoticed on at least two occasions. With projects elsewhere in the country we may in future see White Storks, Corncrakes or Cranes. We also of course have plenty of great wetland sites along the Nene Valley.

Some species are expanding their ranges and could well now be breeding undiscovered in the county. Firecrest and Honey Buzzard are two examples. A 2020 survey of the latter species located birds in 100 localities for the first time, with several counties producing their first breeding records.

Finally, there are many local and regional conservation schemes and projects and also a number of progressive landowners creating valuable wildlife habitats in the county. All of these sites can turn up interesting birds, and records of these can encourage such positive practices or help secure funding in the future.

So there are plenty of good birds out there, and your records can help to protect them and their habitats as well as adding to the biological record.

See link below for the best ways to submit your records:

Recording

Happy birding!

Spotted Flycatcher, Little Brington / Brockhall, July 2020

April 2021 – County Recorder Update

Yellow Wagtail, Hollowell Reservoir, 3rd April 2021

With spring passage now well underway and bringing exciting birds to the county on a daily basis, I’ve got some stiff competition for your attention, so thanks for getting this far!

I thought I’d update you on what I’ve been doing recently in my county bird recorder role. There are two main areas of activity I’ll be talking about: early progress with the 2020 Annual Report and an update of our Description Species Work in Progress (‘WIP’).

2020 Annual Report – Progress Update

I’ve spent the last couple of months compiling and editing the 2020 records into a master file which will be used to write the Northants Birds Annual Report. I shared the first draft of this file at a committee meeting this week and the other committee members confirmed that they are happy to share it with the writers of the Systematic List, which will form the main body of the Report.

The master file includes 99,034 records. For the first time this year, a significant number of these came from data downloaded from BirdTrack, eBird and iRecord. Because I have download access for these Apps, if you are using those tools to track your birding, you do not need to submit records in any other way. I’ve said since I took on the role that I was keen to embrace new ways that birders and other naturalists enjoy their hobby, so I was pleased to be able to utilise these sources fully for the first Annual Report of my tenure. I am confident that these Apps will add a great deal of depth, breadth and quality to bird recording in the county.

Thanks to all of you who have submitted records in any way; every one will be stored in the master file, irrespective of species scarcity, location, number of records or any other consideration. Every record is valuable.

I have also tried to incorporate records gleaned from social media sources; thanks to those who have shared their sightings in this way and tagged me in their posts.

Thanks also to James Skinner at Northamptonshire Biodiversity Centre for providing some excellent survey data from some interesting sites.

Description Species ‘WIP’

At this week’s meeting we also reviewed all of the ‘In-Circulation’ descriptions for Description Species: the rare or scarce species which require a description to be assessed and accepted by the records committee for a record to be included in the Annual Report.

A 2020 summary sheet, which unless new information comes to light can now be considered as a final version, can be found here:

NBR_Description Species_2020_Final.xlsxDownload

The 2021 ‘WIP’, which will be updated throughout the year, can be found here:

NBR_WIP_2021_April Update.xlsxDownload

I’d like to thank everyone who has provided descriptions to support this process. As I’ve said before, unless a record has been corroborated in other ways, I will ask for a description for any record, irrespective of observer experience. All members of the committee are themselves expected to submit descriptions – I can confirm that I put in a form for last week’s Water Pipit at Hollowell Reservoir – and was relieved that it was accepted! For more on this topic see here: Description Species ‘WIP’

Looking Ahead

Firstly, I’m hoping to get out and doing some birding, as I’m sure you all are. I was keen to make progress on the county recorder work in the winter months so I could get out and about when the daylight hours grew longer, so after a couple of heavy months of data processing I’m glad to be able to take a break from the laptop.

Now I’m able to travel a bit further afield, I can also start visiting two survey sites I’ve signed up for, but not yet been able to visit. I’ve taken on the BTO Wetland Bird Survey (WeBS) site at Naseby Reservoir and one of the Nene Valley SPA Farming for the Future wetland scrape sites. I’ve also signed up for an RSPB Turtle Dove survey patch a few miles from home.

I will be helping the writers of the Systematic List with any questions that arise as they start to use the master file to write their sections.

Finally, I’ll be working to support the activities of NBRC, Wildlife Trust, BTO, RSPB and other bodies: will share more of that in my next update.

As always, happy birding to you all: hope to bump into some of you in the field.