Brent
Bird
Survey
Photos by Steve Hopper
You can contact us through the form at the bottom of this page.
Get involved
- You don't need to live in the parish
- Submit as few or as many sightings as you wish
- Submit sightings just for a one or many months
- Record sightings in your garden, out walking, at work or any other occasion
- We need records of rare and common birds
The 2021 Brent Bird Survey
It's that time of year again and 1st January 2021 signals the start of the 2021 Brent Bird Survey. As usual we'll be carrying out surveys in January and May and we'll be covering all 52 km squares in the parish.
As always, the survey relies on as many people as possible sending in their data. So whether it's just the birds in your garden or you're out roaming the hills please do record your bird sightings and send them in to us.
Recording forms and a full explanation can be downloaded here or from the panel at the bottom left of this page.
Bird Recording Form (Formats: pdf, xls, xlsx)
Recording Guidelines (Format: pdf)
Observers' Crib Sheet - relates grid references to square numbers, etc (Format: pdf)
Good Luck!!
Our Latest Report
The South Brent Parish Garden Bird Survey:
Summary of January and May 2020 Results
The South Brent Parish Survey continued in 2020, but as in the previous three years, only during January and May. As usual, all 52 1-km squares were visited by at least one observer in each month.
The number of species recorded was 67 in January and 83 in May. For each species, the number of squares in which it was recorded in 2020 can be compared with the results from the previous years of the survey, which began in 2014.
The Brent Birders House Sparrow Survey 2020
The Covid-19 epidemic rather unbalanced our plans for this survey. However, if you have survey data we'd still like to receive it.
House Sparrows are in decline nationally but the population in the south-west is probably holding up. However, these birds seem to have a strong preference for some gardens or buildings over others which seem to be very similar. This survey aims to help us understand House Sparrow distribution and breeding sites across the parish - mainly in buildings.
As part of the project Dave Scott will be ringing a number of birds under a British Trust for Ornithology scheme (Dave is a licensed ringer) to give us information on how far they disperse. Additionally we'll be looking out for 'Italian-type' Sparrows after the appearance of one in Steve Hopper's garden.
The recording form can be downloaded here:
- In pdf format to print out and for a hand-written record to be returned to Mike Goss at the end of September 2020
- In Excel .xlsx and Excel .xls formats so that you can fill in the form on a computer and email it back to Mike Goss at the end of September 2020
- Click here to download the pdf format Guidelines which explain how to fill in the form.
The photos below by Steve Hopper give good views of the differences between our usual House Sparrow and an 'Italian' Sparrow.
Male House Sparrow with grey/dull head and grey cheek colouration.
'Italian-type' Sparrow with a rich chestnut-coloured head and bright white cheeks.
Reports
Since the start of the Brent Bird Survey in 2014 several reports have been written summarising sightings of new and exotic species in the parish as well as those which are rather more familar but equally exciting. These reports can be downloaded from the links below or click on the images (BBS = Brent Bird Survey ; BBGBS = Brend Birders Garden Bird Survey):
15. BBS January & May 2020 Summary
11. BBGBS Oct'18 to Apr'19 Report
12 11 10 09 08 07
06 05 04 03 02 01
13
14
15
Books from Brent Birders
'The Birds of South Brent Parish' has now been joined by 'The Butterflies of South Brent Parish' and
'The Moths of South Brent Parish'
The Birds of South Brent Parish: The 244-page full-colour book presents results of the 3-year Brent Bird Survey as well as some historical records and recollections of South Brent birdlife going back to the earlier part of the 20th century. £17.50 from artworks or contact us using the form at the bottom of this page.
The Butterflies of South Brent Parish is based on data gathered during the bird survey lists and has distribution maps of 28 species. Peter Reay and Monica Hazell have contributed articles and the book is richly illustrated with photographs. £3.50 from artworks or contact us using the form at the bottom of this page.
The Moths of South Brent Parish lists nearly 600 species recorded in the parish together with distibution and flight period tables. Background articles and photographs provide a comprehensive view of the moths found in our parish. £5.00 from artworks or contact us using the form at the bottom of this page.
A crib sheet for breeding codes, grid references and square numbers
This Crib Sheet may be useful to all observers out there. It converts between Ordnance Grid References and the square numbering used by the Brent Bird Survey. It shows the geographic layout of the squares. It also shows the codes to be used in the breeding part of the survey.
I print it out in A6 size as this fits neatly inside the back cover of my field notebook but you can resize it to whatever page size you wish. If you're not sure how to do this let me (Phil) know. You can reach me either directly or via the "Contact Us" form at the bottom of this web page.
You can download the Crib Sheet here.
Contact us:
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