The Cornwall Bird Atlas is a ten year project which began in 2000 and will finish in 2009. The Project is an excellent example of how ERCCIS supports the recording efforts of a local group; CBWPS.
Atlas data have been gathered at tetrad (2 km square) level for both the breeding season and for the winter. This has not simply been an exercise in finding out what birds occur where. In every tetrad in both seasons, there has been at least one one-hour timed bird count to assess the population size of all the species that are found. In many cases the counts have been of two hours or more.
Collecting the data has meant that considerable fieldwork has been carried out. There are approximately 1,000 tetrads in Cornwall, all of which have had to be visited within certain dates, times and weather conditions.
When finished, the distribution and population of every bird species for these times of year will be determined for Cornwall. This systematic fieldwork will enable both a population estimate for the whole county to be made during each season and form a basis for future monitoring. Moreover, a combination of this work with map-based habitat information held on the geographical information system (GIS) will enable ERCCIS to investigate the relationship between species density and various topographical features such as altitude and landcover class.
It is intended that the atlas will be published as part of a new book focussing on the birds of Cornwall. It is 30 years since the last volume of The Birds of Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly, by Penhallurick, was published and subsequent fieldwork, including that for the atlas, has generated new data that need to be brought together in one place ensuring it is widely accessible.
