BirdTrack is not a survey as such. It is a website run by the BTO in conjunction with the RSPB, BWI and SOC. You can report any bird that you see through BirdTrack even if you are not a member of the BTO, RSPB, BWI or SOC.
The idea behind BirdTrack is that, if you have been out birdwatching anywhere in Britain and Ireland, or simply watching birds in your garden, records of the birds you have seen (or indeed have not seen) can be useful data. Thus the scheme is year-round, and ongoing, and anyone with an interest in birds can contribute.
Important results produced by BirdTrack include mapping migration (arrivals and departures) timing and monitoring scarce birds. The bird organisations know very little about the timing of arrival and departure of winter visitors and this is just one area in which BirdTrack provides useful information. There are also many scarce birds where bird organisations would like to know much more about their populations.
The success of BirdTrack relies on your birdwatching lists. As a contributor you make a note of the birds you see, either out birdwatching or from the office or garden for example, and enter your daily observations on a simple-to-use web page. Bird organisations need to gather a large number of lists at all times of the year from throughout Britain and Ireland. The BTO prefers that complete lists of birds (all species seen and heard) be provided because the proportion of lists with a given species provides a good measure of frequency of occurrence that can be used for population monitoring. Incomplete lists and casual records can also be entered because they too build their understanding of populations, distributions and movements.
The information that can be pulled out of the BirdTrack database is amazing. For example by one click, a 2020 year list is produced for you. Alternatively search a species and see every report you have made of that species. This can be viewed as a written record or on a map. It really is an incredible resource.
With your permission the records are made available to bird clubs, so the Surrey County Recorder is able to go into BirdTrack and download all of the results for the County. In order to make life easier for the County Recorder please do not just put in a site name and nothing else to identify it. Please ensure that a 6 figure grid reference is also included.
Click on the link below for information on how to register and enter your results.
Click here for BirdTrack.
If you have not used this resource yet please do so, you will be amazed at the information you can get from it. BTO have created a series of YouTube videos that cover the basics of navigating the home page, with further videos that show you how to enter & analyse your records.