The first atlas of breeding birds for the Barnsley Bird Study Group recording area, covering 560 square kilometres within South and West Yorkshire, and the most comprehensive and detailed account of breeding birds in the Barnsley area ever produced. Separate full-colour maps show breeding distribution and abundance for 130 species at one kilometre resolution, from data gathered during extensive fieldwork undertaken by over 40 local volunteer birders throughout the Barnsley area from 2006-2011.
Estimates of local breeding populations for the Barnsley recording area are given, alongside analysis and in-depth discussion of the local breeding status and aspects of conservation action for each of the 130 species. Atlas of Breeding Birds in the Barnsley Area 2006-2011 is a landmark publication in Barnsley ornithology and provides a fascinating insight into the breeding birds of the local area.
- Foreword by Simon Gillings & Dawn Balmer (BTO)
- Acknowledgements
- Preface
- Barnsley Bird Study Group Recording Area
- Habitats in the Barnsley Area and their Importance for Breeding Birds
- Atlas Methodology and Survey Fieldwork
- Summary of Weather during April to July 2006-2011
- Atlas Data Analysis and Barnsley Area Population Estimates
- Interpretation of Breeding Species Accounts and Maps
- Species Accounts
- Minor Species Accounts
- Changes in Status of Breeding Birds in the Barnsley Bird Study Group Area 1950-2011
- Barnsley Area Breeding Species Summary Data
- References
- Appendix
- Species Index
- Barnsley Bird Study Group – A Brief History
- Authors Biography
"This local atlas has been a long time in the making but the end product fully justifies all the hard work behind the project. This is an attractive, well-produced atlas covering the Barnsley Bird Study Group area of 560 km2, the first bird atlas of the area. [...] Some local atlases offer only brief accounts and say little about the maps – not this one! [...] The authors have worked extremely hard and deserve wide recognition. If this atlas has been available in time for the judging of the Best Local Bird Atlas award [...], then, in my view, it would have been a serious contender."
– Mark Holling, British Birds 112, March 2019
"'[...] Many bird clubs have produced books to illustrate their results and I expected this publication from the Barnsley Bird Group to be of that ilk. But it surprised me in many ways, all of them good. I was struck by the quality of the production. [...] The maps show the distribution in even more details than usual – data was gathered not just for every tetrad but every 1-km square. That's four times as many squares for observers to cover, making it a phenomenal undertaking. [...] It's no mean feat to get such precise information from every 1-km square in the area. It was done by asking each observer to make two six-hour visits to their tetrad and to make further visits after dusk. So the counts are based on at least 13 hours of birding in each tetrad with observations separated out into the four 1-km squares. [...] It is a shame that the book has taken so long but, given the almost ridiculous ambition with which it was created, this is hardly surprising. The authors have achieved their lofty aims magnificently and produced an exceptional study of local bird populations which ought to provide a template for other bird clubs to follow. I love this book and hope it reaches a wider audience than just the local birders who made it possible."
– Dave Gosney, Birdwatch, May 2019