Due to the CROW act (the right to roam), certain areas of the Bradford Metropolitan district, which were not originally included within the BOG recording area, are now accessible to the general public. With these developments in mind the group’s recording area came under scrutiny at a meeting of the records committee to decide what if any changes should be made. Other factors were also considered based mainly on previous suggestions from members for extensions of, or restrictions to the recording area. The following conclusions were agreed upon and a new BOG recording area was drawn up as a result, to be effective from January 2006.

To summarise, this means we are including all of the Bradford Metropolitan area, including the area up to Cononly Ings and Skipton sewage works, including those parts of Scargill Reservoir and Sandwith Moor currently outside the area (as they are poorly recorded elsewhere and a lot of work is being done by BOG members especially in the Sandwith area), and excluding much of the now well covered Halifax birders area. It is hoped that the additional areas will receive appropriately wide coverage from members.

Descriptions and Records:
When the group was founded in 1987, a list of aims was agreed upon. The third aim was to publish an annual report of the bird life within the recording area, which has been successfully done so far. For these reports to have any credibility the integrity of the records must be sound. The discipline of having a rarities list governed by a rarities committee is a necessity if this is to be achieved.

The Records & Rarities Committee would like the followind procedure to be followed:
1. Every effort should be made to submit paper records monthly. Failing this all paper records to be included in the report production must be handed to the recorder at the January indoor meeting or posted in time to be received by the date of the meeting.

2. All computer records not in the Group Recorder format must be handed in, emailed or posted to the recorder by the end of the January indoor meeting.

3. All Group Recorder software records must be in handed in, emailed or posted to the recorder by the end of the February indoor meeting.

4. The descriptions for any species requiring one should be submitted as quickly as possible after the sighting. Otherwise they should be handed in, emailed or posted in time for the end of the February indoor meeting to the recorder or a member of the rarities committee.

5. Any records not meeting these deadlines will not be considered for the report of that year. At the committees discretion any descriptions handed in late will still be considered and the accepted sightings will be included in the following year’s report.

6. Any YNU or BBRC description species will only be published once either body has accepted them. Descriptions of these species will be collected by the BOG recorder to be forwarded onto the relevant persons.

You may now be thinking that there isn’t enough time for you to get your records onto paper or into the database to get them in on time. Don’t panic. Records of common species are not required unless they are of breeding pairs, significantly high numbers or of odd behaviour. This means you do not have to record every Blue Tit that enters into your garden, but if you have a breeding pair, a family party visiting or a unusually large flock then the record is welcomed. All records of uncommon species are welcomed. All records of migrant species are welcomed however common they are. In general, remember that records are far more easily collated monthly, rather than a rush job at the year-end.

Any members who own a windows based computer and wishes to use the exclusive Group Recorder software please get in touch with the recorder for a copy of the disks (this is free to members though the disks need to be returned). The recorder will also help with the installation if necessary and is willing show you how to use the software (though it is straight forward if you are familiar with windows based programs).

Recorder: Mark Doveston
Bradford Ornithologist Group’s Records & Rarities Committee: Mark Doveston, Andy Jowett, Keith Moir and John Topham