The preferred way to submit bird records to HOS is via the structured Excel spreadsheet, which can be downloaded from this website (see Bird recording page). The spreadsheet has additional tabs (bottom left of the worksheet), which give specific details on how particular fields are used. A general set of instructions for submitting records can also be downloaded from the Bird recording page.
A set of guidelines has been produced, showing, by species, what information is requested from submitters. These guidelines can be downloaded from the Bird recording page. For rarer species, identified in the guidelines, an Unusual Record Form is required providing detail on the sighting and the evidence supporting it. Again, this can be downloaded form the Bird recording page.