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Forthcoming book: The Birds of Wales/Adar Cymru
The publishers of a new national avifauna are offering a discount on pre-orders placed before 30 June 2021. Supported by LERC Wales, the new book has been produced by volunteers from the Welsh Ornithological Society.
The core of the book is the 451 species accounts, built on data collected over the last century, and the written history and archaeological record of Wales since before the last Ice Age. In addition, there are shorter accounts of more than 100 non-native species that have occurred ‘in the wild’.
Richly illustrated by some of the country’s leading nature photographers, the book tells the stories of all the birds recorded here, whether common or rare, and anticipates what may occur in the coming decades. Knowledge of many species has improved thanks to monitoring by volunteers, and information from all the major recording schemes has been used by authors of the species accounts, many of whom are acknowledged experts on the species.
The Birds of Wales traces the earliest evidence, such as Barnacle Geese that bred in Pembrokeshire before the last Ice Age and the footprints of Common Crane preserved in Severn Estuary mud around 7,000 years ago. The authors have also explored the historic record in English, Welsh and Latin. Gerald of Wales documented what is probably the earliest bird identification dispute in 1188, an argument about whether a bird heard near Caernarfon was an oriole or a woodpecker.
The book describes, for the first time, the history of bird recording and conservation in Wales and the environmental context that has resulted in big changes for our birds. It will be no great surprise that only a quarter of breeding species have experienced an improvement in status since 1900. Nonetheless, Wales is significant for its populations of Chough, Hawfinch and Pied Flycatcher, and our Manx Shearwaters are of global importance. Looking to the future, it finds that one-third of Welsh breeding species are projected to lose some or all of their geographic range here by the end of the century. It will have an essential place on the bookshelf of everyone with an interest in birds in Wales.
The Birds of Wales will be published, in
English, by Liverpool University Press on 1 July 2021, price £45. It can
be ordered at the pre-publication price of £25, plus p&p until 30 June. Use
the code WALES50. liverpooluniversitypress.co.uk/r/birds-of-wales
or phone 07766 472078.
If you want to record your wildlife sightings for the Watching Nature Recover camera trap project please use the link below.
The spreadsheet has the necessary headings and includes a link to a website for finding grid references.
This
atlas of butterfly records
prepared by Douglas Boyes (County Butterfly Recorder for
Montgomeryshire) outlines the 43 butterfly species recorded in Montgomeryshire.
It includes distribution maps, information on the biology of each species,
details on recording butterflies and a map to highlight the most under-recorded
areas of the county.
Vice County Recorder for dragonflies in Radnorshire, Bob Dennison, has produced the 2020 report, which you can download here.
The slides from our Winter Tree ID training zoom held on 5th December 2020.
Each year the BIS Manager produces a report detailing our finances, funding, staff, data, data providers, technical developments, the services we provide and our efforts to encourage wildlife recording. The latest report for the financial year 2019-2020 can be read using the link below.
The Managers Report for April 2019 to March 2020 was presented to the BIS Directors at the November 2020 AGM.
The latest community update from the BBNP.
Our 30th issue contains an array of articles on mammals, highlighting the value of trail cameras, many an exciting bee & wasp sighting, new discoveries across the BIS area, a mothing marathon, an introduction to new BIS Manager, Bradley Welch and look back at the achievements & memories of the past 16 years with previous manager Janet Imlach. There’s news on two new projects and a report of some success in the control of invasive species in the Brecon Beacons National Park. Our regular Recorder of the Season continues the mammal theme and contains some wonderful photography and Data Officer Jo takes a look at the datasets imported this year as we edge towards 3 million records.
Read or Download a PDF from the link below or visit issuu.com to read it in magazine style, click here.
The first official red list for mammals has been compiled by the Mammal
Society. It's sobering reading with 11 of the 47 native mammals at
imminent risk of extinction.
There is a separate list for Wales, click below. There's more information on the Mammal Society website.
BIS is now recruiting for an LERC Manager.
