The Atlas .. Fieldwork will span 4 winters and 4 breeding seasons, starting from November 2007, during which we will cumulatively survey the whole of Britain and Ireland. To fulfil these objectives there are two complementary fieldwork methods which offer something for everyone. Roving Records - whatever you see, whenever, wherever For distribution maps to be comprehensive we need species lists that are as complete as possible for every 10-km square in Britain and Ireland in winter and the breeding season. Roving Records aim to capture all kinds of distribution records. From species lists for grid squares to one-off records of hard to find species, and anything in between. They are also a means of accumulating evidence of breeding and for providing records of nocturnal species. Everyone can take part by supplying Roving Records. You can input your Roving Records on-line or by postal form. Buzzard distribution as mapped till June 2009 of the survey

Grid References for 10km Dublin Squares

Grid References for 10km Wicklow Squares

Timed Tetrad Visits - dedicated counts in specified tetrads Timed Tetrad Visits (TTVs) are principally concerned with discovering the broad patterns of relative abundance. Basically a TTV involves walking around a tetrad, birdwatching for 1 or 2 hours and recording everything you see and hear. Tetrads are 2km × 2km squares and labelled A to Z within each 10-km square. TTVs do not aim to produce a complete species list for the tetrad, but a sample of what one can find during a pair of visits in winter and/or summer. We aim to cumulatively cover at least 8 tetrads in every 10-km square in Britain and Ireland during winter and summer. You can take on one or as many tetrads as you wish. This is a great opportunity to visit those hidden corners of the landscape and find new birds. If you are interested in taking on a tetrad (or more..) please contact your Atlas Regional Organiser Brian Caffrey: bcaffrey [AT] birdwatchireland [DOT] ie Or Phone: 057 915 1676 Timed Tetrad Visit field methods These brief instructions apply to either winter or breeding season. Ideally the same tetrad would be done in both seasons. You need to make two visits in a season, one early and one late. In winter this means the first visit in November/December and the second in January/February. In the breeding season this means the first in April/May and the second in June/July. Once you have made two visits in the winter and two visits in the breeding season, then that tetrad is done. A tetrad should not be covered in all four years of the Atlas. Each visit must last a minimum of 1 hour, or optionally 2 hours. Whether you spend 1 hour or 2 hours, during this timed part of the visit you should aim to survey all the major habitat types present in the tetrad and count all the adults of all species you see or hear. Please try to exclude juveniles (birds of the year) where possible, although this can become more difficult as the breeding season progresses. The term 'adults' includes all birds in immature plumage that you may encounter eg gulls, Cormorants, raptors. You can briefly 'stop the clock' if you encounter large flocks or especially dense concentrations of birds that slow your progress. Record any evidence of breeding you notice whilst surveying. Remember the code 'T' (territorial birds) may be applied to several birds singing against each other on one day. At the end of your 1 or 2 hours you can opt to continue listing (i.e. just ticking off) additional species, or returning to particular areas to search for missed species or to try and confirm breeding. You can change the route around your tetrad between the early visit and the late visit. Optional Estimates .. After your two visits you can optionally produce your own estimate of how many individuals (adults) of each species was present in the whole tetrad. This 'Tetrad Population Estimate' refers to the number of birds you think may be present in the tetrad and not the number you think may be breeding. So bearing in mind how much of the square you visited you might be able to very approximately extrapolate the numbers you encountered on your route to the number in the whole tetrad. We are only looking for very approximate numbers, to the nearest 1 for numbers less than 10, to the nearest 10 for numbers less than 100, to the nearest 100 for numbers less than 1000 etc. For some species and habitats this will be very easy but for others much more difficult. If you visited the only lake in the square and saw 6 Tufted Ducks your tetrad estimate will be just 6. If on the other hand you reckon you visited half of the woodland and encountered 14 Blue Tits, your extrapolated tetrad estimate might be 30. Though these numbers are by definition pretty crude, other studies have found them to be very useful when taken with everyone else's across the whole country. But they are optional, so if you don't feel confident giving them don't worry. You can input your Timed Tetrad Visits records on-line or by postal form. See the results at the end of the first year here .. http://www.birdatlas.net 07.09.2008

Irish Atlas Newsletter Winter Update 2007/08.pdf - 777KB - Atlas Newsletter Winter Update 2008.pdf This page requires Adobe Acrobat Reader or similar PDF reader ..

The Atlas Challenge - Answer the Call The Bird Atlas 2007-2011 is a joint project to map all of Ireland and Britain’s birds during both the winter and the breeding season. It is a working partnership between BirdWatch Ireland, the British Trust for Ornithology and the Scottish Ornithologists' Club. It will allow us to assess changes in bird distributions since previous breeding atlases in 1970 and 1990, and since the last winter atlas of the early 1980s. Atlases have been immensely important for furthering bird knowledge and conservation and Bird Atlas 2007-2011 is destined to set the agenda for the next decades of ornithological work in Ireland and Britain. Fieldwork will span four winters and four breeding seasons, starting on 1 November 2007, during which we will cumulatively survey the whole of Ireland. To fulfil these objectives there are two complementary fieldwork methods which offer something for everyone - Roving Records and Timed Tetrad Visits. To make the Bird Atlas a huge success and to achieve the necessary coverage in your county we need your help. So why not be one of 50,000 birdwatchers across Ireland and Britain helping to produce the biggest and best Bird Atlas ever. For further information or to get involved please contact Brian Caffrey at the BirdWatch Ireland Midlands Office or follow the link to find out more: http://www.birdatlas.net - Brian Caffrey BWI Midlands Office Crank House Banagher Co. Offaly Phone: 057 915 1676 bcaffrey [AT] birdwatchireland [DOT] ie