How can I become a nest recorder?

Getting started

New nest recorders are always welcome to take part in the NRS—as more records are received, so our estimates of annual trends in breeding performance will become increasingly accurate.

Getting started as a nest recorder couldn’t be easier—simply click here to send us email requesting our Quickstart Guide to nest recording. Please remember to include your name, initials and postal address in the e-mail. Alternatively, please write to the Nest Records Officer at BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU.

Once we have your details, we'll send you a free Quickstart Guide and several 'nest record cards', which are all you need to get started. For a sample of the Quickstart Guide, feel free to download a copy here (.pdf 1.5Mb)*, though you will still need to contact us in due course so that we can send you some nest record cards.

Completing your first records

The Quickstart Guide is designed to help you monitor your first nests. Once you've completed one or more nest record cards, please send them to us at the address above along with your name and address. Upon receipt of your first nest records, we will then officially register you with the survey and send you the following:

i) Your own NRS Observer Code. This is a sequence of up to four letters (based on your initials where possible) that uniquely identifies you as the person responsible for submitting the record. Your Observer Code must be recorded on all nest records submitted to the BTO so that we know whom to contact should we have any queries. It saves you having to send us your name and address every time!

ii) A Nest Records Starter Pack. This is a more comprehensive set of materials than the Quickstart Guide and contains everything you will need to continue nest monitoring and develop your skills as a nest recorder. The NRS Starter Pack contains the following items, which can also be downloaded in PDF format by right-clicking the links and selecting 'save as':

The NRS Handbook (.pdf 9Mb)*, which provides detailed instructions for recording nests and submitting your data. It also includes the essential ‘Nest Recorders Code of Conduct’. A blue Coding Card (.pdf 112Kb)* listing all available Habitat Codes and Status Codes. For use in the field. A Summary Form (.pdf 276Kb)* on which to record the total number of records you submit for each species every year. This should submitted to the Nest Records Unit along with your cards at the end of the season. Information about IPMR (Integrated Population Monitoring Reporter) the program that allows you to record and submit your nest records electronically. A supply of nest record cards for those who don’t have access to a computer and can't use IPMR (more cards are available on request). The most recent edition of 'Nest Record News' (.pdf 241Kb)*, the NRS newsletter produced each spring, which contains articles written by nest recorders and BTO staff about nest recording, the ups and downs of the previous season and the latest productivity trends. You will be automatically added to the NRN mailing list once you have registered as a nest recorder. A Nest Record Scheme Leaflet (.pdf 315Kb)*, suitable to give to landowners and other people who are interested in knowing more about the Scheme (further copies are available on request).

The contents of a Nest Records Starter Pack, received free of charge on registering for the NRS. The free NRS annual newsletter contains a wealth of articles about the latest results from the NRS analyses and about nest recording in general.

Don't need a Quickstart Guide?

The Quickstart Guide is a very simple introduction to nest recording for those who have never tried finding and monitoring nests before. If you are already familiar with nest recording or you want to begin monitoring specific species such as waders or raptors, you might want to request the full Nest Records Starter Pack straight away. If so, please click here to send us an email requesting our a full Starter Pack and an Observer Code. If you are planning to start a nest recording group, or are starting a specific monitoring project, please let us know in your e-mail so that we can offer you further advice. Again, if you're not on e-mail, please write to: BTO, The Nunnery, Thetford, Norfolk, IP24 2PU.

Getting started with IPMR

A free copy of IPMR can be downloaded click here. Alternatively, a copy of the program can be obtained on CD by emailing the Nest Records Officer.

The latest version of IPMR can be downloaded from this website or a copy can be requested on disc.

An excellent step-by-step guide to using IPMR for Nest Recording has been written by long-time nest recorder Ian Spence. This is ideal for beginners as it contains ‘screenshots’ showing precisely what you see at each stage of data entry. To obtain a .pdf copy (645Kb) click here. Copies of this guide are included on all new IPMR CDs. However, if you have any difficulties in obtaining a copy, it can be sent to you as an email attachment on request. The ‘Help’ section within IPMR itself is also extremely useful. This can be accessed by clicking the ‘Help’ button above and to the right of each data entry screen, or by pressing the ‘F1’ key on any screen.

If you are unable to find a solution to your specific query within IPMR’s help files, assistance can also be obtained through the IPMR Yahoo! Forum, which has been set up to provide a medium for raising questions, providing guidance and discussing the various functions of IPMR.

For information on how to join the IPMR Forum please click here.

* The above .pdf files may be viewed using Adobe Acrobat Reader

Download a copy from here

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