Cambridgeshire Bird Club:
Screaming Swift Survey 2008
Instructions
In 2008, we would like to continue, and further develop the surveys undertaken in 2002 and 2006 with two goals:
- To build up an inventory of locations of Swift colonies in Cambridgeshire
- To survey a selection of colonies on an annual basis with a view to calculating a population index
Low-level screaming parties are a strong indicator of a Swift colony in the vicinity.
For the inventory, we would like members to seek out locations where they see low-screaming Swifts on more than one date. Record the location, date, time of day, your name and contact details. The location should be recorded to the nearest 10 metres as:
- An 8 figure Grid Coordinate (e.g. TL45676567), or
- Latitude and Longitude, accurate to 0.1 seconds from Google Maps, or
- A precise verbal description (e.g. 35 Smith Street, Elsworth),
We will maintain a Google Map of all known colony locations, and each colony will have an identifier, e.g. CB25.001. Note: the location is the point where the observer stands to see low-screaming Swifts.
We would also like to receive information on known locations for observing low-screamers from prior years.
Although not the primary aim of the survey, we would welcome supplementary details on Swifts entering or leaving nest-sites, associated with a colony identifier. Information in the inventory will ultimately be passed on to a national Swift-monitoring scheme, uk-swifts.
For the population survey, we would like members to spend measured periods of 5 minutes at a colony location and supply the following data, filled in on the 5-minute survey form provided:
- Colony identifier (see above)
- Date
- Start time
- Maximum size of low-level screaming party
- Number of screaming flyby parties of Swifts (if one party flies around a building 3 times, that's 3)
- Maximum number of Swifts seen at any one time (ignore very high birds)
- Weather (the method is spelled out on the 5-minute survey form).
The optimum week for recording breeders is thought to be about the 3rd week of May and for recording prospecting non-breeders is about the second week of July. Poor weather during these weeks would mandate doing the surveys later. The optimum time of day is thought to be 0700 to 0900 and 1700 to 1900. The optimum weather is low cloud, no rain, no wind and good visibility.
While we are interested in 5-minute surveys at any date or time, we would request a special effort on or near these optimal windows.
We would very much like to encourage members to do several 5 minute surveys over a range of days and times of day at each colony. This may help us to validate our assumptions and recommendations for future years.
Links:
5-minute-survey-form.xls ( printable PDF )
Send colony locations and 5-minute survey forms to Dick Newell