Recording and Reporting FAQsI’m not sure what to record and it’s too complicated to collect records
Please see the “Which birds to report” section on our Recording & Reporting page. The basic record is really simple. Four Ws. Just What, When, Where and Who saw it. Any other information is a bonus and valuable too though. Other people are already reporting birds, so no need for me to do so. Will I just not be duplicating records? There is severe under-recording of birds in the Clyde Area with even some densely-populated areas submitting few or no records. Duplicate records don’t matter as they can be sorted out at the analysis stage. |
Wheatear ©️ John Chapman
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I thought it was only worth reporting unusual birds?
Bird news reporting gives the impression that only rare and scarce birds matter, but it’s probably more important to report commoner birds so we know where they are, their seasonality and whether they are changing in abundance.
Can I report birds I have heard only like Tawny Owl?
Yes please. As long as you are 100% certain of the identification, you can record any species on just hearing it.
I'm not an expert or serious birdwatcher, just a novice. Will my records be of any help?
ALL records count as long as identification is 100% correct. If in doubt leave it out.
I’m not really a birder, more of a photographer and tend to mainly go to my photography hide set-up or photograph birds in my garden. Would my records be of any help?
They definitely would help us build up a picture of the bird life in that area especially if you have visited that same site over a long period. An advantage for photographers is that the date of the observation can be ascertained from the exif data.
I’m old-fashioned and prefer to keep my records in a notebook
Nothing wrong with that, but when you get a chance, please report them on BirdTrack, eBird or to the Local Recorder via the spreadsheet
I have submitted records before but they seem to disappear into a bottomless pit and I haven’t seen any recent products such as a Clyde Bird Report or the Online Scottish Bird report using my records.
Records are entered in to the SOC database and are used for many reasons including answering queries, responding to planning applications, producing checklists, long-term monitoring of our bird life, etc. There is unfortunately a delay in producing Clyde Bird reports but we are working on this.
Is there any risk of harm coming to birds or sensitive sites by me reporting them?
No. Local recorders are very careful not to disclose sensitive information about species or sites. BirdTrack has a rare species policy whereby sightings of some species are automatically hidden from public outputs, either all year round, or in the breeding season or in the winter months. In addition,
you can make any additional record sensitive by choosing to do so when entering data.
I post sightings on the Clydebirds Facebook page or Clydebirding on Twitter so I assume they get to the SOC database that way?
Not true as the Local Recorder doesn't pick them up from Social Media. Please report them directly.
I have some old records in a notebook, including from a relative who has passed away. Are they of any use?
Absolutely. If you can transfer some/all of them to a spreadsheet, we would welcome them. If you can’t, please get in touch and we can discuss how to make best use of often very valuable historical records.
My record was not acknowledged in the Daily SOC Grapevine so why should I report sightings?
What gets reported depends on how many reports are received that day. Sometimes, people submit records for a species at a location where there is known breeding of that rare / scarce bird and so the record will not be publicised (but will still go on to the database)
I got a good record of a rare bird rejected by a records panel and so decided to not report anything again.
Rarity records are reviewed by panel members with a wide range of knowledge and experience, maintaining a rigorous approach to recording standards and ensuring scientific integrity for the future. In most cases, records are rejected not because the panel thought that a mistake had been made in identification but that the description had not ruled out all similar species. It seems a pity to not submit your valuable records just because you have had one rejected.
Bird news reporting gives the impression that only rare and scarce birds matter, but it’s probably more important to report commoner birds so we know where they are, their seasonality and whether they are changing in abundance.
Can I report birds I have heard only like Tawny Owl?
Yes please. As long as you are 100% certain of the identification, you can record any species on just hearing it.
I'm not an expert or serious birdwatcher, just a novice. Will my records be of any help?
ALL records count as long as identification is 100% correct. If in doubt leave it out.
I’m not really a birder, more of a photographer and tend to mainly go to my photography hide set-up or photograph birds in my garden. Would my records be of any help?
They definitely would help us build up a picture of the bird life in that area especially if you have visited that same site over a long period. An advantage for photographers is that the date of the observation can be ascertained from the exif data.
I’m old-fashioned and prefer to keep my records in a notebook
Nothing wrong with that, but when you get a chance, please report them on BirdTrack, eBird or to the Local Recorder via the spreadsheet
I have submitted records before but they seem to disappear into a bottomless pit and I haven’t seen any recent products such as a Clyde Bird Report or the Online Scottish Bird report using my records.
Records are entered in to the SOC database and are used for many reasons including answering queries, responding to planning applications, producing checklists, long-term monitoring of our bird life, etc. There is unfortunately a delay in producing Clyde Bird reports but we are working on this.
Is there any risk of harm coming to birds or sensitive sites by me reporting them?
No. Local recorders are very careful not to disclose sensitive information about species or sites. BirdTrack has a rare species policy whereby sightings of some species are automatically hidden from public outputs, either all year round, or in the breeding season or in the winter months. In addition,
you can make any additional record sensitive by choosing to do so when entering data.
I post sightings on the Clydebirds Facebook page or Clydebirding on Twitter so I assume they get to the SOC database that way?
Not true as the Local Recorder doesn't pick them up from Social Media. Please report them directly.
I have some old records in a notebook, including from a relative who has passed away. Are they of any use?
Absolutely. If you can transfer some/all of them to a spreadsheet, we would welcome them. If you can’t, please get in touch and we can discuss how to make best use of often very valuable historical records.
My record was not acknowledged in the Daily SOC Grapevine so why should I report sightings?
What gets reported depends on how many reports are received that day. Sometimes, people submit records for a species at a location where there is known breeding of that rare / scarce bird and so the record will not be publicised (but will still go on to the database)
I got a good record of a rare bird rejected by a records panel and so decided to not report anything again.
Rarity records are reviewed by panel members with a wide range of knowledge and experience, maintaining a rigorous approach to recording standards and ensuring scientific integrity for the future. In most cases, records are rejected not because the panel thought that a mistake had been made in identification but that the description had not ruled out all similar species. It seems a pity to not submit your valuable records just because you have had one rejected.
Grey Heron © Lang Stewart
I found a good bird a while ago and pointed it out to someone who is well-known in birding circles. He reported it on social media and got lots of credit, but I wasn’t even mentioned.
Observers should be honest and not ‘claim’ birds that they didn’t find. If you submitted a record of the bird you found to the Local Recorder, you would definitely be credited for the record
I have found that there is a lot of snobbery / elitism in birding with experienced birders looking down on beginners. It seems that records from some observers are accepted without question whilst others are subjected to much scrutiny or even rejection.
It’s inevitable that a record from a well-known observer with a good proven track record is more likely to be accepted easily. Conversely, if an observer has a reputation for submitting records that are not 100% certain, the record will naturally be subject to more scrutiny. All records will be assessed fairly and if your record is not used / rejected, please ask for feedback.
I don't want to join BirdTrack, eBird or iRecord and am not sure where else to report them
Please see the “How to report birds’ section on our Recording & Reporting page.
I reported my sightings on the SOC App but the records didn’t show up on Recent Sightings
Sometimes, it’s an inputting error, sightings are pending or there are delays in refreshing. Please report to us if problems persist
I have an old mobile and the BirdTrack App doesn’t work satisfactorily on it
Note the records in a notebook and submit later on laptop or desktop
Are there any BirdTrack training videos to help me?
There are quite a few on YouTube. Just put in BTO BirdTrack in to the search
I find it difficult creating sites in BirdTrack because of the lack of “popular places” listed in there.
Scotland is poorly served just now with few popular places listed when creating sites. We are working on this.
I find eBird and some European apps much easier to use than BirdTrack
Fair enough. There are a lot of programmes out there and the important thing is you report birds on at least one of them. BirdTrack is best for us as our SOC database is based there and the Local Recorder can see your records (if you have consented for them to be able to do so). eBird records will eventually get in to our SOC database as eBird will share them with us. If you want your eBird records to be available to the SOC earlier, please send us your Clyde records as a .csv export. If you use other programmes, please send us an exported spreadsheet from that programme.
Observers should be honest and not ‘claim’ birds that they didn’t find. If you submitted a record of the bird you found to the Local Recorder, you would definitely be credited for the record
I have found that there is a lot of snobbery / elitism in birding with experienced birders looking down on beginners. It seems that records from some observers are accepted without question whilst others are subjected to much scrutiny or even rejection.
It’s inevitable that a record from a well-known observer with a good proven track record is more likely to be accepted easily. Conversely, if an observer has a reputation for submitting records that are not 100% certain, the record will naturally be subject to more scrutiny. All records will be assessed fairly and if your record is not used / rejected, please ask for feedback.
I don't want to join BirdTrack, eBird or iRecord and am not sure where else to report them
Please see the “How to report birds’ section on our Recording & Reporting page.
I reported my sightings on the SOC App but the records didn’t show up on Recent Sightings
Sometimes, it’s an inputting error, sightings are pending or there are delays in refreshing. Please report to us if problems persist
I have an old mobile and the BirdTrack App doesn’t work satisfactorily on it
Note the records in a notebook and submit later on laptop or desktop
Are there any BirdTrack training videos to help me?
There are quite a few on YouTube. Just put in BTO BirdTrack in to the search
I find it difficult creating sites in BirdTrack because of the lack of “popular places” listed in there.
Scotland is poorly served just now with few popular places listed when creating sites. We are working on this.
I find eBird and some European apps much easier to use than BirdTrack
Fair enough. There are a lot of programmes out there and the important thing is you report birds on at least one of them. BirdTrack is best for us as our SOC database is based there and the Local Recorder can see your records (if you have consented for them to be able to do so). eBird records will eventually get in to our SOC database as eBird will share them with us. If you want your eBird records to be available to the SOC earlier, please send us your Clyde records as a .csv export. If you use other programmes, please send us an exported spreadsheet from that programme.