Are you interested in birds? Can you tell a Blackbird from a Song Thrush, a Stonechat from a Whinchat? Would you like to contribute to a national survey on Arran?

In an article in the “Banner” in the autumn of 2007, information was given about this survey organised by the British Trust for Ornithology.  The aim is to produce maps of distribution and relative abundance for all bird species breeding and wintering in Britain and Ireland.  It will allow changes to be assessed in bird distributions since previous atlases of almost twenty years ago.

This article is a brief report on the first year of the survey. On 1^st November the second year starts.

From the first year results, there are changes between the distribution in 1988-91 and the provisional 2007-2011 survey.  For example, the 2008 results show that the Nuthatch, which previously did not breed in Scotland, is spreading north into Scotland.  With this trend, Arran should soon be added to the breeding areas of Nuthatch.  On the other hand, some species seem to be on the decline as breeding species in Scotland.  One example of this is the Whinchat, although from the maps, Arran still appears to be a stronghold for this species.

There are two methods of contributing to the survey roving records – whatever you see, whenever, wherever, and timed tetrad visits – concentrating on an area.  Arran is divided into over one hundred tetrads each one made up of four one kilometre squares on the Ordinance Survey Map.  All bird records sent to me have contributed to the roving records for Arran.  Some of you have done more than that and have taken on a timed tetrad visit.

From all of the bird sightings received for Arran over the four years of the survey, the intention is not only to contribute to the national Bird Atlas, but through the Arran Natural History Society, produce a comprehensive Bird Atlas for the Isle of Arran.

From roving records and timed tetrad visits in this first year, Arran is already identified as a species rich area.

In Arran, there is still a lot of work required to get timed tetrad visit coverage for the whole island. So far data from timed tetrad visits has been received from 25 tetrads for the winter and 21 for the summer.  The map shows timed tetrad visits in winter.  Black has had both early and late timed visits, yellow only the early visit, and white only the late.

  What’s next? There is more to be done.

Taking on a tetrad is not too onerous.  It requires two visits in winter, one Nov/Dec and one Jan/Feb, and two in summer, one Apr/May the other Jun/Jul.  Each visit is for one hour, or two hours if you wish. You choose a route covering the main habitats in the tetrad and count all the birds you see and hear.

For more information on BirdAtlas and to find out which tetrads require survey work log onto the website  http://www.bto.org/birdatlas/.  Follow on screen instructions, click on the "Request a Tetrad" button and choose your tetrads. It is that easy!