Records
Recording the changing patterns of bird numbers and migration through the seasons and years is the lifeblood of any bird observatory and Flamborough is no exception. The work of the Recording Group at Flamborough fundamentally relies on those members who regularly provide their records of migrants, breeding birds, significant counts, frequently watched patches etc.
Submitting these records within a short time, preferably on the day of the sighting, helps the team operate efficiently as it helps them keep on top of the records. I ask you to make a positive contribution to the Observatory’s work by supplying your records through email to fborecords@hotmail.com.
I would also ask that those of you who “log” sightings onto other systems, perhaps online, to please also send them in them by email because trawling various blogs and websites such as Birdtrack to get as complete a picture of bird numbers and movements as possible is hugely time consuming for the team and also means, inevitably, some records will be missed.
Please also submit your records for the area west of Danes Dyke including Speeton, Bempton and Buckton to fborecords@hotmail.com.
Where scarce or rare birds are involved that require a description please email your submission including any photographs, sound recordings or other evidence directly to BBRC or YNU.
Thank you for your continued support and for all the hard work and many hours spent at Flamborough recording birds and helping us meet one of our principal aims which is to encourage volunteers to participate in scientific studies of birds and migration.
All the best and wishing you a great time birding on the Great White Cape.
Descriptions
If you were lucky enough to find a rarity on the headland last year please submit your description as follows:
All records pertaining to national rarities should be submitted to the British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC). The process to submit a record to BBRC can be found here. A list of species for which descriptions are required by BBRC is available at www.bbrc.org.uk.
Similarly, claims for species requiring a description for Yorkshire should be submitted to the Yorkshire Naturalists Union Rarities Committee; the list of species requiring a description in addition to those listed on the BBRC website is as follows:
Taiga Bean Goose
Black Brant
American Wigeon
Ferruginous Duck
Surf Scoter
White-billed Diver
Wilson’s Storm-petrel
Black-crowned Night Heron
Cattle Egret
Purple Heron
European Honey-buzzard
Black Kite
White-tailed Eagle
Montagu’s Harrier
Rough-legged Buzzard
Golden Eagle
Red-footed Falcon
American Golden Plover
White-rumped Sandpiper
Buff-breasted Sandpiper
Ring-billed Gull
Kumlien’s Gull
White-winged Black Tern
Alpine Swift
Short-toed Lark
Red-rumped Swallow
Tawny Pipit
Olive-backed Pipit
Red-throated Pipit
Aquatic Warbler
Marsh Warbler
Melodious Warbler
Dartford Warbler
Greenish Warbler
Radde’s Warbler
Dusky Warbler
Siberian Chiffchaff
Woodchat Shrike
Red-billed Chough
Arctic Redpoll
Parrot Crossbill
Cirl Bunting
Rustic Bunting
Little Bunting
An complete up to date list can be found here. The process to submit a Yorkshire rarity can be found here.
In addition, there are several species which are rare within the local context and these require describing in order to feature within the Flamborough Annual Report. Such species include Great White Egret, Caspian Gull, Spotted Crake, Corncrake, Bee-eater, Nightjar, Woodlark, Richard’s Pipit and Golden Oriole. Copies of rarity descriptions and a list of sightings made by visiting birders will be greatly appreciated and will be acknowledged in future reports. Please send these descriptions to fborecords@hotmail.com