From time-to-time the Bedfordshire Bird Club invites birdwatchers to participate in projects and surveys on various bird species in the county, this includes lcoal initiatives and work done in support of BTO Surveys. Contact details of whom to report sightings to are given, and, where possible, feedback on any findings will be provided so that you can see the value of your sightings.
Garden Bird Feeding Survey – click for dedicated page
*NEW* Winter Garden Bird Feeding Survey 2023/24 – starts on Sunday 1st October. Form for download, please click preferred format PDF XLS
The Christmas Bird Hunt 2022. Take part and find out how we got on dedicated page
BTO Survey – Heronries – click for dedicated page
Roger Hicks Rookeries Survey. Roger has been surveying rookeries since 2013 in the county and a dedicated page on the website covers recent studies. Full details and a map of Bedfordshire rookeries is available on the specific website dedicated page
WILDLIFE SITE BIRD CRITERIA DOCUMENTS
CRITERIA FOR SELECTION
In all cases, it must be proven that a site has reached at least one of the threshold values within the last five years. Species should be present on more than one occasion and in at least two of the years under review. Conditions at the site must be conducive (provided there is no intentional effort to destroy part or whole of the site) to this value being typical or consistently reached.
The following appendices should be used to identify Wildlife Sites that are important for birds:
- Qualifying levels for winter and passage birds. Sites supporting the required number of species or individual birds, as defined in Appendix 8a.
- Breeding bird indices by habitat. Sites that support a range of breeding birds with a value equal to or exceeding the indices, as defined in Appendix 8b.
- Colonial breeding species; this criteria can operate separately or in conjunction with Appendix 8b. Thresholds are for the number of pairs or nests. Grey Heron (3 or more), Common Tern (5 or more), Sand Martin (5 or more), Black-headed Gull (10 or more).
The criteria are supported by two documents:
- Appendix 8A Qualifying Thresholds for Winter and Passage Birds _January 2016_
- App 8B Breeding Bird Indices by Habitat (revised Feb 2020)
The criteria are supported by two further documents: