Since the NTBC (or Tyneside
Bird Club as it was then) took over sole authorship
of the Annual Report (Birds in Northumbria) from the
Natural History Society of Northumberland, Durham &
Newcastle-upon Tyne in 1970, the membership of the County
Records Committee has been listed in the report (since
1971). All records of rare and scarce species in the
recording area have been assessed by the committee,
who have also studied all records included in the report,
and, who have on occasions, decided on nomenclature
for use in Bird Club publications. The CRC meets three
to four times a year and during the year assesses about
250+ records of rare or scarce birds for publication.
The current members (except for the chairman) serve
for a period of four years and retire by rotation.
Members of the
County Records Committee - 1970 to present.
The following list details the current
list of species that are considered by the committee
for publication in Birds in Northumbria. The list is
in three parts - Category A = species for which full
written details are required, preferably on a rare bird
record form (or that format followed), Category B =
species for which brief written details are required
and Category C = records of sub-species for which written
details are required to prove the id of the sub-species
claimed.
1. Category A - Full notes.
All species and subspecies considered
by the BBRC.
Any species or subspecies removed from the BBRC list
after publication of these notes.
Any species or subspecies not previously recorded in
the County.
Any record for which the CRC have asked for full details.
The species below.
Cory's Shearwater, Great Shearwater, Balearic
Shearwater, Night Heron, Purple Heron, Egyptian Goose,
American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Surf Scoter, Honey
Buzzard, White-tailed Eagle, Montagu's Harrier, Rough-legged
Buzzard, Spotted Crake, Corncrake, Crane, Stone Curlew,
Kentish Plover, Temminck's Stint, Pectoral Sandpiper,
Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Red-necked Phalarope, Grey
Phalarope, Sabine's Gull, Ring-billed Gull, Bee-eater,
Short-toed Lark, Woodlark, Richard's Pipit, Tawny Pipit,
Water Pipit, Nightingale, Aquatic Warbler, Marsh Warbler,
Crested Tit, Woodchat Shrike, Chough, Rose-coloured
Starling, Serin, Ortolan Bunting, Little Bunting.
2. Category B - Brief notes
Black-necked Grebe (winter only), Fulmar
('Blue phase' birds only), Storm Petrel, Leach's Petrel,
Little Egret, White Stork, Bittern, Bean Goose (try
& identify to race), Green-winged Teal, Red-crested
Pochard, Red Kite, Goshawk (coastal records only), Hobby,
Dotterel, Long-tailed Skua (juvenile birds only), Yellow-legged
Gull (L. c. michahellis only - full notes for all other
races), Black Guillemot (away from the Farne's area),
Turtle Dove, Wryneck, Bluethroat (autumn birds only),
Icterine Warbler, Barred Warbler, Pallas's Warbler,
Yellow-browed Warbler (Inland records only), Red-breasted
Flycatcher, Bearded Tit, Golden Oriole, Red-backed Shrike
(autumn only), Great Grey Shrike, Mealy Redpoll, Common
Rosefinch.
3. Category C - Subspecies - notes
as appropriate to confirm identification (3).
Cormorant P.c.sinensis (1), Lesser Black-backed
Gull L.f.intermedius & L.f.fuscus, Herring Gull
subspecies other than L.a.argenteus & L.a.argentatus,
'Northern' Great Spotted Woodpecker D.m.major, 'Scandinavian'
Rock Pipit A.p.littoralis, Yellow Wagtail subspecies
other than M.f.flava & M.f.flavissima, 'White' Wagtail
M.a.alba (Autumn only), 'Black-bellied' Dipper C.c.cinclus,
'White-spotted' Bluethroat L.s.cyanecula, 'Siberian'
Lesser Whitethroat S.c.blythi, Chiffchaff subspecies
other than P.c.collybita (2), 'Northern' Willow Warbler
P.t.acredula, 'Northern' Treecreeper C.f.familiaris,
Jackdaw subspecies other than C.m.spermologus, 'Northern'
Bullfinch P.p.Pyrrhula.
PLEASE REMEMBER, THE COUNTY RECORDS COMMITTEE CAN REQUEST
A DESCRIPTION FOR ANY RECORD AT ANY TIME.
Comments on the above list.
- 'Continental' race Cormorants (P.c.sinensis)
are considered to be extremely difficult to identify
in the field on current knowledge, and are therefore
are going to be published as 'sinensis' type. Full
notes, esp. head details, will be required for acceptance
as P. c. sinensis (unless the bird is colour ringed).
- If no notes are received on any claimed
abietinus/tristis Chiffchaff, then they will be published
as 'eastern' Chiffchaff.
- This sub-species list is not exhaustive,
the County Recorder can request notes anytime on a
record of a claimed scarce race.
And finally…..
If observers can remember to send in notes ASAP after
the record (with the months record cards perhaps), it
would make the committee's task of record assessment
for the annual report a lot quicker and easier. If no
notes are received then the record cannot be included
in Birds in Northumbria! Thank you.
Ian Fisher - November 2002 |