Breeding season records

I had not realised that the BTO would map breeding status at tetrad level- but if you go to the local results you can see the status in different colours. Thus please record the breeding status of each species in your tetrads. At this stage this is mostly H for seen in possible habitat, S for singing male, D for display and B for building. But ON for occupied nest is also possible.

Secondly I was muddled about the breeding status entry on the computer. You type in the relevant letter, and then up pops the definition for that letter and you click on it to confirm

Thirdly Swifts. To prove breeding is very difficult, but if you come a cross a party of screaming swifts at rooftop level ( Not high in the sky) that should be listed as D for display, as these parties are always closely associated with nest sites. John Tully and I are running a Screaming Swift survey this summer as part of a wider scheme to try to find a good monitoring method. So please make a note of every party- Date, time of day, the road or building or Grid ref, and the number of birds in the party, and send it to me or John. It is also worth sending in a Roving Record for every such party you come across