Bird recording

Recording areas

In July 2008, British Birds published a definitive list of the Bird Recording Areas of Great Britain, which aimed to be acceptable to all national and local authorities and which could be generally recognised.

The following updates have been made since the paper was published in 2008.

East Glamorgan and Gower
Following discussions between the Welsh Ornithological Society and the local societies concerned, it is now recommended that Glamorgan should be treated as two Recording Areas at both national and local level: as East Glamorgan (UAs of Bridgend, Rhondda/Cynon/Taff, Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff, Merthyr Tydfil and the west part of Caerphilly) and Gower (UAs of Swansea and Neath Port Talbot). This updates the paper by Ballance & Smith (Brit. Birds 101: 364–375) to reflect local practice, which at present is strongly in favour of separating the two areas.

County recorders

The following list (which can be downloaded as an Excel sheet here) provides the key point of contact for that area. In the majority of cases, the Recorder will be the appropriate person to deal with all aspects of bird records from that area, including rarities and rare breeding birds, but if not they will be able to redirect your query. In a few cases, a separate contact is shown as being the main contact for rarities.

County/recording areaNameEmail
Alderney, Channel IslesJonHorton[email protected] Recorder
AngleseySteveCulley[email protected]Recorder
Angus & DundeeJonCook[email protected]Recorder
ArgyllJimDickson[email protected]Recorder (rarities)
ArgyllMalcolmChattwood[email protected]Assistant Recorder
ArranJamesCassels[email protected]
AvonRupertHiggins[email protected]Recorder
AyrshireFraserSimpson[email protected]Recorder
BedfordshirePeterNash[email protected] Recorder
BerkshireMarekWalford[email protected]Recorder
BordersDavidParkinson[email protected]Joint Recorder
BreconshireAndrewKing[email protected]Recorder
BuckinghamshireMikeWallen[email protected]Recorder
CaernarfonshireRhionPritchard[email protected]Recorder
CaithnessRobHughes[email protected] Recorder
CambridgeshireJonathanHeath[email protected]Recorder
CarmarthenshireGaryHarper[email protected]Recorder
CeredigionRussellJones[email protected]Recorder
Cheshire & WirralJaneTurner[email protected]Recorder
ClevelandAlanCrossley[email protected]Recorder
ClydeJohnSimpson[email protected] Recorder 
ClydeValWilson[email protected]Assistant Recorder (rarities)
Clyde IslandsBernardZonfrillo[email protected]Recorder
Co. Durham (rarities)AndrewKinghorn[email protected]Recorder
Co. Durham (rare breeders)NeilParker[email protected]
CornwallBobBosisto[email protected]Recorder
CumbriaChrisHind[email protected]Recorder
DenbighshireGlennMorris[email protected]Recorder
DerbyshireRoyFrost[email protected]Joint Recorder
DerbyshireSydGarton[email protected]Joint Recorder (annual report)
DerbyshireMarkBeevers[email protected]Recorder (rarities)
Devon-Position vacant[email protected]Recorder
DorsetIanStanley[email protected]Recorder (rarities)
Dumfries & GallowayGavin & AlynChambers[email protected]Recorder
East GlamorganPhilBristow[email protected]Recorder
East YorkshireJacobSpinks[email protected]Recorder
EssexTimHayward[email protected]Recorder
Fair IsleRobFray[email protected]Acting Recorder
FifeGrahamSparshott[email protected] Recorder
FlintshireGlennMorris[email protected]Recorder
GloucestershireRichardBaatsen[email protected]Recorder
Greater LondonRogerPayne[email protected]Recorder & Editor
Greater ManchesterIanMckerchar[email protected]Recorder
Guernsey, Channel IslesMarkLawlor[email protected]Recorder
GwentDarrylSpittle[email protected]Recorder
HampshireMartinPitt[email protected]Recorder
HerefordshireMickColquhoun[email protected]Recorder
HertfordshireAlanGardiner[email protected]Recorder
HighlandJohn Poyner[email protected]Recorder
Isle of ManDavidKelly[email protected]Recorder
Isle of MayIainEnglish[email protected]Recorder
Isle of WightRobinAttrill[email protected]Recorder
Isles of ScillyJohnHeadon[email protected]Recorder
Jersey, Channel IslesTonyPaintin[email protected]Recorder
KentBarryWright[email protected]Recorder
Lancashire & North MerseysideSteveWhite[email protected]Recorder & Editor
Leicestershire & RutlandCarlBaggott[email protected]Recorder
LincolnshirePhilHyde[email protected]Recorder
LothianStephenWelch[email protected]Recorder
MeirionnyddJimDustow[email protected]Recorder
Moray & NairnMartinCook[email protected]Recorder
NorfolkNeilLawton[email protected]Recorder
North YorkshireKeithWimbush[email protected]Recorder
NorthamptonshireJonCook[email protected]Recorder 
North-east ScotlandIanBroadbent[email protected]Recorder
Northern IrelandGeorgeGordon[email protected]Recorder
NorthumberlandTimDean[email protected]Recorder
NottinghamshireKeithRainford[email protected]Recorder
OrkneySteveDudley[email protected]Recorder
Outer HebridesYvonneBenting[email protected]Recorder
OxfordshireIanLewington[email protected]Recorder
PembrokeshireJonGreen[email protected]Joint Recorder (Rarities)
Perth & KinrossGeorgeDunbar[email protected]Recorder
RadnorshirePeteJennings[email protected]Recorder
ShetlandMikePennington[email protected]Recorder
ShropshireJohnMartin[email protected]Recorder
SomersetBrianGibbs[email protected]Recorder
South YorkshireMartinWells[email protected]Recorder
StaffordshireNickPomiankowski[email protected]   Recorder
Sufffolk (Southeast)SteveFryett[email protected]Recorder
Suffolk - RaritiesDavidWalsh[email protected]Recorder (rarities)
Suffolk (Northeast)RichardWalden[email protected]Recorder
Suffolk (West)ChrisGregory[email protected]Recorder
SurreyKevin Duncan[email protected]Recorder
SussexDavidThorns[email protected]Recorder
Upper ForthChrisPendlebury[email protected]Recorder
WarwickshireChrisHill[email protected]Recorder
West Glamorgan & GowerEdHunter[email protected]Recorder
West MidlandsPeterForbes[email protected]Recorder
West Yorkshire-Position vacant-Recorder
WiltshirePaulCastle[email protected]Recorder
WorcestershireCraigReed[email protected]Recorder
YorkshireChrisRobinson[email protected]Recorder (rarities)

Updated: October 2024

If you find contact details that don't work, or can see an update we've missed, please e-mail [email protected]