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Bird Conservation Targeting Project
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Birdwatchers - make your bird records help

Visitor walking through woodland, RSPB West Sedgemoor reserve

You can directly contribute to wildlife conservation by letting us know which birds you see and hear at the places where you go birdwatching. The information you gather will help target government grant schemes and conservation work, enabling the wise spending of limited resources for the benefit of wildlife.

Experience has shown that species recovery is enhanced when wildlife friendly management focuses on the sites where the largest and most viable populations of the most vulnerable species occur.

We are collecting records of more than 30 species across the UK, which we know we can help by improving their habitats. You can see which species are currently being targeted in the UK, by downloading the PDF on this page.

Your bird records will be most useful if you can pinpoint where you saw the birds to the relevant Ordnance Survey 1 km square, and give the breeding status of the record. The information below explains how you can send us your records using BirdTrack.

How to send us your bird records

BirdTrack, a partnership between the BTO, RSPB and BirdWatch Ireland, allows you to store and manage your bird records online, while directly contributing to conservation. Your bird records will be used to study species distributions and migration movements, all of which contribute to species and site conservation. BirdTrack makes it easy to forward your records to County Bird Recorders, so your observations have great local value as well.

Register as a recorder by logging on to BirdTrack (click on the link to the right of this page). You can then enter lists of the birds you see and hear when you go out birdwatching, and enter additional casual records.

BirdTrack is straightforward to use – you can point to a map to get the site grid reference, and even enter the postcode close to the centre of the site. Give your favourite sites a name you can remember, and next time you go birdwatching, it is quick and easy to select the site and enter the birds you have seen.

BirdTrack allows you to enter as much information as you like, so your records are of greatest conservation value.

You can see which species have previously been recorded at places in which you are interested, view and manage your own records and check the latest results of the BirdTrack data analysis.

Last modified: 24 July 2008

Downloads

Species list (67Kb)
A list of the species which the Bird Conservation Targeting Project is aiming to help.
Treatment of sensitive species (22Kb)
Agreement on the public display of breeding bird distributions for targeting by the Bird Conservation Targeting Project.
Data upload and validation review (31Kb)