|
Computer Recording System:
Most records are now completed and submitted to the bird recorded at the end of each month via e-mail. A very simple Excel computer programme has been created for you to enter your monthly sightings on to computer and forward to the Bird Recorder for direct input onto the main database. If you have a computer capable of e-mail and have Windows Excel we would be very grateful if you would use this method as it save an awful lot of time for everyone.
If you wish to complete your records by this method please contact Trevor Easterbrook on 01295 810835 or e-mail him on trevor.easterbrook@btinternet.com.
When you receive the programme you will have 3 files, 2 Excel input files and 1 Word file with instructions. Please note three rules which ensure that all the entries take the same form on the database:
COMPUTER PRINTOUT OF RECORDS: At the end of each year all the observers who have sent their records in on record cards, will receive a printout of their own records for the year and are invited to point out any input errors before incorporation into the Annual Report. Members who submit their records via the computer programme will not receive a printout as they already have their records saved on their own computer. Acceptance of Records:
The B.O.S. has
always striven to maintain the highest possible standard of acceptance of
records. For this reason it is
Society policy that records are vetted and, when they relate to locally rare
species or unusual occurrences, they are referred to the Acceptance
Subcommittee. A full but concise
written description, copied from field notes and sketches made on the
spot, is expected for all species marked with an asterisk in the list of
recordable species. This applies
to all observers regardless of experience and may either be entered on the
reverse of the record card or posted or e-mailed to the Bird Recorder. The description should be factual and
cover everything of importance/notably topographical features (including field
marks), voice, behaviour and viewing conditions. The conventional topographical terms
should be used. The factors taken
into account by the Acceptance Subcommittee include not only the merits of the
description but also the known ability and experience of the observer and
corroboration by a third party or circumstantial evidence.
After full
consideration of all the facts, the record will either be accepted or, if
there is any doubt at all, rejected in which case the observer will be
notified by letter explaining the reasons.
Rejection does not mean that the observer is not believed but that the
evidence is considered deficient in one or more respects.
For national
rarities (marked with a double asterisk in the list) referral to BOURC
(British Ornithologists' Union Records Committee) is
necessary and completion of a BOURC rarities form is obligatory. The B.O.S. then abides by their
decision. The Society has introduced a
supplementary form which
observers are requested to complete in addition to their written description,
designed to make the acceptance process as objective as possible.
The Society reserves the right to request a written description for any species.
|