The Society organises and undertakes surveys in order to find out, in greater detail, about certain species or areas. These are often linked to other conservation organisations and records services, such as the Leicestershire and Rutland Wildlife Trust, the British Trust for Ornithology or the Leicestershire Museums Arts and Records Service. All that you require to take part in our field studies is a basic knowledge of common birds, a free morning or evening or two, weatherproof clothing (although many surveys are carried out during summer), and a bit of enthusiasm! Taking part in survey work is a rewarding way of contributing to conservation, whilst offering the ideal opportunity toimprove your identification techniques. For more details of these surveys, contact the Leicestershire & Rutland BTO Representative, Dave Wright (contact details).

Tetrad Survey Scheme
(Adopt a Square)

This is a simple survey in which anyone can participate, anywhere in the County, at any time of the year, and as often as they like.

Over the last few years, it has become noticeable that despite the increased number of observers in the field and records being submitted, there are still large parts of the County where we have little or no knowledge of the birds found there. In an attempt to fill some of the gaps the Society has introduced the 'Tetrad Survey Scheme'.

The idea is straightforward; we want as many members as possible to pick a tetrad (a 2km x 2km square), visit it at least four times a year (once in each season) and by completing a simple recording form, let us know what you've seen to enable us to fill some of the gaps. It doesn't matter where in the County your chosen tetrad is, although we obviously want to avoid the well-covered sites such as Rutland Water and Eyebrook Reservoir. It could be a tetrad close to your house or close to your local patch.

Primarily we are looking for records pertaining to Resident, Breeding or Wintering birds. Whilst passage migrant records are welcome, they are not so important for this scheme, but the more information we receive the better.

For further information click here.

Specific Species Surveys
The Society also carries out breeding and wintering surveys for specific species or groups of birds. Past surveys have covered, amongst others, Rooks, Skylarks, Lapwings, Nuthatches and Golden Plovers. These surveys have been mainly in co-operation with the BTO, whilst our Conservation and Scientific Sub-committee organises surveys such as the farmland bird survey, which covers species such as Grey Partridge, Turtle Dove, Tree Sparrow, Yellowhammer and Corn Bunting. The species covered usually appear on the Red Data List for Leicestershire and Rutland, as birds under threat or in decline. Monitoring them is very important, and will get the field-worker out into some different and interesting places.