Essex Birdwatching Society (EBwS) encourages everyone to record their sightings and to submit their records either through the EBwS website or via BirdTrack. You don't have to be a society member to do this, but you do need to register on our website which takes two minutes and is completely free! This can be done by clicking here.
But why is recording your sightings so important and what happens with your records?
Keeping a record of the birds you see can be very rewarding. You can track the species that come and go throughout the year; compare the species seen in different habitats; compare year on year records for your local 'patch'. However, the most important thing is to submit your records to EBwS as they can then be shared with other members and also with the scientific community. Records are shared with the Essex Records Partnership which is a collective of organisations that maintain a database of natural history records for the county. The data is accessed by local authorities, conservation bodies, ecological consultants and other interested parties for things like planning developments and for ecological surveys. Whether it's to study historical changes in population, or to determine breeding patterns in an area earmarked for development, your records can really make a difference so please don't forget to submit them using the links below.
Some rarity species may require you to submit a description to verify your sighting. A link to download a species description form can be found by clicking here.