Now is the ideal time to sign up to take part in the BTO Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) and to come along to an informal practice session along with other volunteers.

This national monitoring scheme is administered by the BTO and jointly funded by the BTO, JNCC and RSPB. It has been running since 1994 and its primary aim is to provide population trends for common and widespread bird species in the UK. Population trends for Sussex are also produced and published in the Sussex Bird Report.

Survey plots are randomly-selected 1-km squares of the National Grid, and the same squares are surveyed each year. Volunteers visit their squares three times each year during the breeding season, once to record simple habitat data, and twice to walk a fixed route, recording birds seen and heard. There are more than 150 BBS squares across Sussex, covering every type of habitat, and new volunteers are always needed.

Volunteers must be able to recognise common and widespread birds, but previous experience of survey work is not necessary. Help and support from experienced volunteers can be arranged if required, and some informal group practice sessions are planned for late March and early April 2018, to which new volunteers will be invited.

The BBS squares (asterisks indicate priority squares that have been surveyed before) in Sussex which currently need volunteers for the 2018 breeding season (updated 5/3/2018) are:

SU7802 Cobnor Point
SU8027 near Rake*
SU8029 near Liss Forest*
SU8624 Tote Hill near Midhurst
SU9017 Heyshott*
SU9216 Graffham Down*
SU9618 Coultershaw Bridge* (Waterways BBS: River Rother)
SZ7996 East Wittering*
TQ0124 near Kirdford*
TQ0205 near Lyminster*
TQ0502 Rustington
TQ0819 West Chiltington*
TQ1114 Washington Common
TQ1531 Broadbridge Heath
TQ1829 south Horsham*
TQ2836 central Crawley
TQ3304 Brighton Whitehawk
TQ3916 near South Chailey*
TQ4136 Ashurst Wood*
TQ4800 Seaford*
TQ4933 Friar’s Gate
TQ5211 near Golden Cross*
TQ5231 Crowborough*
TQ5738 Tunbridge Wells*
TQ6419 Earl’s Down*
TQ6521 Dallington Forest*
TQ6727 near Stonegate*
TQ7028 near Hurst Green
TQ8013 Baldslow (Hastings)*
TQ8413 near Three Oaks
TQ8518 Udimore*
TQ8613 Guestling Green
TQ8722 Peasmarsh*

For further information, please contact Helen Crabtree, 01444 441687, hcrabtree@gmail.com.

In 2018 there will be a Sussex-only breeding Firecrest survey. The aims of this survey will be to estimate breeding densities of Firecrests in Sussex, to obtain a better undertstanding of their distribution in the county, and to find out in detail what kinds of habitats these birds are using. The survey will run in April, May and June 2018 (see the survey instructions here) and the survey sites will be 1-km squares largely self-selected by volunteers but distributed as widely as possible across the county and also randomly-selected 1-km squares confirmed to include at least some suitable breeding habitat.

Volunteers are being sought who can survey areas of suitable breeding habitat within the following randomly-selected 1-km squares (updated 7/3/18):

Please contact Helen Crabtree at hcrabtree@gmail.com if you woud like to undertake surveys in the breeding season or would like further information.

In 2018 there will be a Sussex-only breeding Firecrest survey. The aims of this survey will be to estimate breeding densities of Firecrests in Sussex, to obtain a better undertstanding of their distribution in the county, and to find out in detail what kinds of habitats these birds are using. The survey will run in April, May and June 2018 and the survey sites will be 1-km squares largely self-selected by volunteers but distributed as widely as possible across the county and also randomly-selected 1-km squares confirmed to include at least some suitable breeding habitat.

To assist with the selection of suitable survey sites in good time before the 2018 breeding season commences, volunteers are being sought NOW who are willing DURING THIS WINTER to search 10-km squares or smaller areas for sites with habitats that are potentially suitable for breeding Firecrests. Detailed advice about suitable habitats is available here but essentially mixed coniferous/deciduous woodland is thought to be preferred, especially if there is douglas fir, western hemlock, norway spruce or holly. In addition, volunteers are being sought who can visit one or more of the following 1-km squares during January or February to check for the presence of suitable breeding habitat:

Please contact Helen Crabtree at hcrabtree@gmail.com if you know of sites near you that hold breeding Firecrests, or if you would be willing to search an area or one of the squares listed above over the winter for suitable habitat, or if you woud like to undertake surveys in the breeding season. The breeding season surveys themselves will involve three visits to each 1-km square to search all suitable habitat and to record numbers of singing Firecrests and Goldcrests.

In 2018 there will be a Sussex-only breeding Firecrest survey. The aims of this survey will be to estimate how many breeding pairs of Firecrests there are in Sussex, to obtain a better undertstanding of their distribution in the county, and to find out in detail what kinds of habitats these birds are using. The survey will run in April, May and June 2018 and the survey sites will be 1-km squares largely self-selected by volunteers but distributed as widely as possible across the county. To assist with the selection of suitable survey sites in good time before the 2018 breeding season commences, volunteers are being sought NOW who are willing DURING THIS WINTER to search 10-km squares or smaller areas for sites with habitats that are potentially suitable for breeding Firecrests. Detailed advice about suitable habitats is available here but essentially mixed coniferous/deciduous woodland is thought to be preferred, especially if there is douglas fir, western hemlock, norway spruce or holly. Please contact Helen Crabtree at hcrabtree@gmail.com if you know of sites near you that hold breeding Firecrests, or if you would be willing to search an area over the winter for suitable sites, or if you woud like to undertake surveys in the breeding season. The breeding season surveys themselves will involve three visits to each 1-km square to search all suitable habitat and to record numbers of singing Firecrests and Goldcrests.

Now is a good time of the year to consider taking part in the BTO Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), because if you take on a BBS square you will also have the option to take part in the Sussex Winter Bird Survey (SWBS) by surveying the same square over the coming winter.

The BBS is a national monitoring scheme administered by the BTO and jointly funded by the BTO, JNCC and RSPB. It has been running since 1994 and its primary aim is to provide population trends for common and widespread bird species in the UK. Population trends for Sussex are also produced annually. Survey plots are randomly-selected 1-km squares of the National Grid, and the same squares are surveyed each year. Volunteers visit their squares three times each year during the breeding season, once to record simple habitat data, and twice to walk a fixed route, recording birds seen and heard. There are more than 150 BBS squares across Sussex, covering every type of habitat, and new volunteers are always needed. Volunteers must be able to recognise common and widespread birds, but previous experience of survey work is not necessary. Help and support from experienced volunteers can be arranged if required, and some informal group practice sessions will be planned for March 2018 to which new volunteers will be invited.

The BBS squares (asterisks indicate priority squares that have been surveyed before) in Sussex which currently need volunteers for the 2018 breeding season (updated 15/1/18) are:

SU7802 Cobnor Point
SU8027 near Rake*
SU8029 near Liss Forest*
SU8624 Tote Hill near Midhurst
SU9017 Heyshott*
SU9127 near Fernhurst*
SU9216 Graffham Down*
SU9618 Coultershaw Bridge*
SZ7996 East Wittering*
TQ0124 near Kirdford*
TQ0205 near Lyminster*
TQ0502 Rustington
TQ0614 Parham Park*
TQ1829 south Horsham*
TQ2836 central Crawley
TQ2904 Hove*
TQ3916 near South Chailey*
TQ4136 Ashurst Wood*
TQ4800 Seaford*
TQ5211 near Golden Cross*
TQ5514 near Chiddingly
TQ5738 Tunbridge Wells*
TQ6419 Earl’s Down*
TQ6521 Dallington Forest*
TQ6727 near Stonegate*
TQ7028 near Hurst Green
TQ8016 near Westfield*
TQ8413 near Three Oaks
TQ8613 Guestling Green
TQ8722 Peasmarsh*

For further information about the BBS, please contact:
Helen Crabtree
BTO Representative for Sussex
Phone: 01444 441687
Email: hcrabtree@gmail.com

For further information about the Sussex Winter Bird Survey, please contact:
Christine George
Email: sussex.wbs@gmail.com

There was a Sussex survey for rock pipits last winter and this survey will be running again this winter. The focus of this Sussex-only survey is the counting of numbers of rock pipits along defined stretches of coast, covering all coastal and estuarine habitats. The aim of the survey is to gain more information about wintering numbers of rock pipits in Sussex, and to find out how these wintering numbers vary in different habitats, e.g. rocky shores compared with pebble beaches and saltmarshes. We have information from atlas studies about the distribution of rock pipits in Sussex in the winter, but no information about numbers based on systematic studies. Surveys conducted last winter showed interesting results with the highest numbers of rock pipits being observed on beaches that are backed by cliffs; continuing the surveys through this winter will enable interesting comparisons to be made between years and the collection of more data from some of the habitat types.

The survey this winter will begin on 1 October and will run until the end of February; for each coastal stretch ideally two or three visits will be made over the winter.

Volunteers are needed to cover stretches of the coast or edges of estuaries and harbours. Volunteers should choose the stretch they would like to cover, preferably within the broad areas listed below, and then simply register this with Helen Crabtree (hcrabtree@gmail.com), providing the approximate start and end points of the chosen stretch. The recording form and other information will then be supplied. Stretches can be any length but would ideally be at least 1-2 km and could cover beach, rocky shore, saltmarsh, riverbank or estuary habitats, anywhere in Sussex. Surveys of coastal stretches with few or no rock pipits will be just as valuable as surveys of areas where there are many rock pipits, so regular coastal walks that volunteers are doing anyway could be registered for this survey even if rock pipits are rarely seen.

Please contact Helen Crabtree at hcrabtree@gmail.com if you are interested or would like further information.

Stretches for which volunteers are particularly needed:

Pagham Harbour
Goring
Shoreham
Hove and Brighton
Ouse Valley
Eastbourne and Sovereign Harbour
Hastings
Fairlight cliffs