Bird Record Digitization Project

Skylark by Rob Porter-Jan 20th, Oxey MarshIf you would like something different to do during the current coronavirus crisis, please consider helping with our new HOS Archival Bird Record Digitization Project.

HOS has maintained a computerised database of all its bird records since 1993. We have recently upgraded this to a web-based system which is maintained by our database manager Alan Cox.

The new project is to digitize all our earlier records back to the 1950s. This will provide us with a 60 year plus time span of data which will enable us to more readily examine the status changes of our birds – not only in distribution and numbers but also in things such as arrival dates of summer migrants, timings of movements of passage migrants etc.

The records fall into several categories:

  • Annual records used to compile the bird report, usually by species
  • Data from wildfowl counts, bird of estuaries enquiry and individual species surveys, e.g. herons and nightingales.
  • Diaries, notebooks and logbooks from individual observers or sites.

The project involves transcribing the basic data for each observation – i.e. species, location, date, number, comments and observer names – into an excel spreadsheet. Full instructions will be provided and the archival materials will be sent to you by a secure delivery method. If you would be interested in helping please contact me get more information.

If you are interested, please contact John Clark (Johnclark50@zoho.com)