A new feature has now been added to your homepage if you are a registered user of the BTO Birdatlas site. It is called ‘My Local Gaps’ and , if you click on the link, there is a map and a list of the 10km squares in our area. Choose a square and a list of birds for which there is not yet confirmed breeding appears. Hopefully this will encourage everyone to get out and look for evidence of confirmed breeding (see previous posting) so as to fill in the missing gaps. For those not using the BTO site I will compile a list of birds for which records are needed and put it in the next posting.

The latest Atlas newsletter for Lancashire is available from the following link:

lacfs.org

Enjoy!

When submitting breeding records on the Add your own records section there is a drop down list to choose from. Please choose from the list below. Please try your best to get evidence of confirmed breeding of any birds, even the humble House Sparrow and Blue Tit.
SoIdeally we would like evidence of one the following-
ON – adult entering or leaving nest (Occupied Nest)
NE – Nest with Eggs
NY – Nest with Young seen or heard
FF – Adult carrying Food for young or taking away Faecal sac
DD – Distraction display
FL – recently FLedged young

Other codes which indicate possible breeding are:
H – bird in suitable Habitat
S – Singing male

And these indicate probable breeding:
P – Pair in nesting habitat
T – holding Territory
D – Displaying
N – visiting probable nest site
A – Agitated calls/behaviour
B – nest Building

The Atlas breeding season has begun. Please look out for evidence of birds breeding e.g Blackbird nest in the garden, Blue Tit gathering nest material etc. A full list of the codes to use when adding your own records via this site will appear soon, but the section needs to be updated first to allow the codes to be entered. Keep watching this space!
If you can spare some time at dusk please keep your eyes and ears open for Tawny Owl or any owls – we are very short of records of crepuscular species in general.
Thanks.

Only 4 more days to the start of the breeding season for the Atlas on the 1st April. Details of what to look out for will appear on Wednesday 31st March.

Thanks to all who have contributed records to the site. Through your efforts we have added a good number of records for the winter Atlas especially for the rather poorly covered inland squares of SD56 SD57 qnd SD 45. Only two days to go before the winter Atlas period closes so please send in any records you have. You can see something of the progress we have made by comparing the map below which is the most up to date for Dunnock with the one we published earlier in the winter.

The breeding Atlas starts on April 1st and runs to the end of July. We have many more gaps to fill during the breeding season than we had at the start of this winters Atlas, so any help you can give throughout this period will be very welcome indeed. We hope to give you some pointers as to what species to look out for and where before April 1st.

John Wilson

Well it’s still a wintry scene although the big thaw is due to set in. The icy weather has led to sightings of birds in unusual places e.g. Woodcock in gardens and Oystercatcher feeding on grass verges by main roads.

Don’t forget to send in your records (use the Add Your Own Record link above or submit roving records directly onto the BTO website by pasting http://www.bto.org/birdatlas into your browser.

If you are doing timed tetrad visits, we are now into the “late winter period” and second visits need to be completed by the end of February.

The elusive Tawny Owl.
Tawny Owl has eluded most Atlas surveyors in the LDBWS area. Despite many records of Tawny Owl being added nationally to the Atlas map following the successful BBC Autumnwatch programme (see www.bto.org) it seems that north Lancashire tawnies kept a low profile and the tetrad map below shows where we still need records from.
If you hear or see a Tawny Owl this winter please let us know by using the Add Your Own Record link above.
Many thanks, Jean.

Winter records of Tawny Owl are shown in red.

Map showing tetrad names.

The map above shows the tetrads in which Dunnock have so far been recorded but there are quite a few tetrads in which Dunnock appear to be missing. If you find any in these tetrads please send in your records by clicking on the Add your record link above. To work out which tetrad is which compare the bold outlined area of the Dunnock map with the tetrad map below.

If you are feeling in a pioneering mood, 9 tetrads in and near the LDBWS area have NO records for winter yet. These are:
SD54D (E of Cabus)
SD54F (Walmesley Bridge, R. Brock)
SD54G (Claughton on Brock)
SD54K (Whitechapel)
SD54P (Stakehouse Fell)
SD54Q (Barns Fold Reservoir)
SD54U (Bleasdale Moors)
SD66X (Burn Moor and Croasdale Grains)
SD66Y (either side of the minor road from High Bentham to Keasden)

To view these or any other tetrads go to www.bto.org/birdatlas and click on Atlas Tools at the top. You can then type in the name of the tetrad and view a map of it.