Banbury Ornithological Society - Short and Long Day Counts

Every year two full-day counts are held across the entire BOS area. The first is held in early January from 08:00-16:00 and the second in early May for 12 hours. The surveys complement the WRSS and SRSS in providing a count of the total number of species across the entire region, not just specific sites.

The surveys are conducted as a team, with the aim to field at least one team per 100-km square. For observers, the incentive is to beat the par species count of previous years, with awards given to the team most over par. A second award is provided for finding the "star" species of the day.

The comparitive results over the years supplements the findings from the other surveys, giving us confidence in the survey results.

Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury visited the BOS reserve at Balscote Quarry recently, to see conservation in action. Steve Holliday, one of the site wardens said, “Balscote may be a small site (6ha) but, through positive management, it holds Red List birds such as Lapwing and Yellowhammer, 24 species of butterfly and much more." We looked at the vital role volunteers play in habitat management on site and, in light of BOS data on local bird declines, how we can develop a more joined-up approach to nature conservation locally. We finished by discussing how new proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill can benefit, not harm, biodiversity.

Two Islands - Handa, Scotland & The Farnes, Northumberland - Graham Lenton

Handa a beautiful island off the north-west coast of the Highlands of Scotland boasts up to 150,000 seabirds. Its location seems to have its own weather pattern and the island is uninhabited apart from a seasonal warden and reserve volunteers. It is accessed by a ten-minute ferry from the hamlet of Tarbet and its white sandy shores and clear blue waters make it appear almost tropical. The seabird colonies of puffin, guillemot, razorbill, kittiwake and fulmar are easily viewed from the top of the island where sea cliffs of the Torridonian Sandstone reach over 300ft (100metres). Other notable birds that breed on the island are great and arctic skua, stonechat, wheatear, cuckoo, twite, oystercatcher, arctic tern, common, herring and great black-backed gulls, shag, eider, red grouse, ringed plover, snipe, rock dove, meadow and rock pipit and reed bunting. Most of the divers can be seen flying or on the sea around the island and black guillemots are often seen in the bay. Read more ...

Short and Long Day Counts

Sean Woodcock MP visits Balscote Quarry

14 September 2026 - Indoor Meeting at 7.30pm