BB July Recording Areas

Recording areas of Great Britain David K. Ballance and A. Judith Smith Migrating Turnstones Arenaria interpres and a Dunlin Calidris alpina crossing an inland county boundary Alan Harris It has recently become apparent that there are The main problems are in the London area, some confusions and anomalies in the way that around the borders of Yorkshire, and in North national journals and organisations are and South Wales. Others arise from the use of reporting records received from County the titles of Metropolitan Counties, Scottish Recorders or taken from published sources. Regions and Districts, and other (often Examples of the problem can be seen in a recent ephemeral) creations, of which some actively Ibis paper on the British List (Dudley et al. survive in ornithology (e.g. Avon, Greater Man- 2006). We have, therefore, attempted to produce chester), while others have never been used for a definitive list of Recording Areas which will be recording or have not been universally accepted acceptable to national and local authorities and (e.g. Tyne & Wear, North and South Humber- which can be generally recognised. It is our side, Strathclyde). intention to describe current practice, not to The system of Watsonian Vice-counties, suggest corrections or improvements, except in invented in 1852 for botanists and still widely some details of presentation. used outside ornithology, is of importance in The list incorporates all Recording Areas and Wales (where it closely but not absolutely corre- relates them to old and new County, Regional sponds with the pre-1974 county boundaries), and Unitary Authority boundaries, and (except and also in Surrey, Suffolk and Yorkshire. In the in Scotland) to Watsonian Vice-counties. It is last two it gains support because county reports important that any code of practice should have been produced by sections of general derive from County and Local Recorders them- natural history societies. Vice-counties have the selves, and not be imposed upon them. In our great drawback that their boundaries are not view, a lesson can be learnt here from the recent marked on Ordnance Survey maps where they attempt to establish vernacular names that differ from those currently determined by Gov- would be internationally acceptable; these have ernment. Although in general they approximate been only partly adopted, and some have to the pre-1974 borders, familiar to older already been abandoned. Local patriotism is observers, there were many minor changes always stronger than bureaucrats assume, and between 1852 and 1974, especially in the 1890s, we have to recognise that some areas may for following the introduction of County Councils, years continue to be claimed by both new and and in the early twentieth century, when cities original ‘owners’, whatever centralisers may such as Sheffield, Bristol and Manchester were propose. expanding into neighbouring counties. The © British Birds 101 • July 2008 • 1–17 1 Recording areas of Great Britain ornithological interest of an area can affect from ferry routes, islands or lighthouses. From decisions on who is entitled to record it: the the Humber to the English Channel, the situa- most famously disputed site is the south side of tion is more complicated, largely because of off- Breydon Water, which until 1889 was clearly in shore sandbanks, many of which used to be Suffolk, and whose recorders still retain it. In marked by manned lightvessels. Following Wales, some claims have recently been made to automation, some of these have been replaced small areas where the shift of a border had by floats or buoys, though a few survive and passed unnoticed for more than a century. may be visible from the coast in good condi- Vice-counties have had no real effect on tions, even if they are now visited only by Scottish recording. Here, most local reports did service vessels. The writers of local avifaunas for not start until after 1974 and it was natural to coastal counties from Lincolnshire to Kent have look back to the system of Faunal Areas master- often thought that they should mention records minded by Harvie-Brown before 1914. These from such sites, which once included important were determined by geographical features, espe- rarities, but they have sometimes hesitated to cially river basins, and their influence can be accept them for a county list. It can be hard to seen in the naming of central Scottish recording find the exact position of marine sites, since areas; part of the Clyde/Upper Forth border is a land-based cartographers generally include as rare example of such a boundary not coinciding little sea as they can get away with; we suggest with any past or current political line. The con- referring to the annual Admiralty List of Lights trolling influence has been that of the Scottish and Fog Signals (UK Hydrographic Office). Oil Ornithologists’ Club (SOC), founded in 1936, and gas platforms proliferate, especially in the which produces an excellent map to define areas North Sea; some that are permanently manned (www.the-soc.org.uk). are regularly reported on by the North Sea Bird Occasions will arise when reference has to be Club, which also covers records from service made to pre-1974 records which were originally vessels. A few estuarine forts and other struc- for counties that once had other names or tures may attract breeding gulls (Laridae) and boundaries than those of today. It is suggested must therefore be assigned to Recording Areas. that the standard form for this might be (for Estuaries can raise local difficulties, such as example): ‘Chew Valley Lake (Avon; then [or those in the Tamar Complex (Devon and Corn- ‘formerly’] Somerset)’. Or (perhaps in a more wall). Boundaries are seldom mapped beyond strictly historical context): ‘Chew Valley Lake the mouths of rivers, and some are unclear (Somerset; now Avon)’. further upstream: the Lancashire & North There are some problems in marine Merseyside/Cheshire & Wirral border along the recording. Obviously, birds visible with a tele- Mersey is marked as ‘undetermined’. In the list scope from the coast of a county can be safely below, the boundary should be assumed to be claimed, at least up to the mid-line of a strait or the midway line unless otherwise specified. estuary that marks the border with a neighbour. In the English Channel and the Irish Sea, the In England, Wales and the Isle of Man, there is national boundaries are also normally assumed no general policy on the inclusion within to be the midway line, but it is not clear county or area frontiers of offshore records whether such counties as the Isle of Wight, beyond these limits. Many such records used to Devon or Lancashire & North Merseyside come from manned lighthouses and lightves- would actually claim records as far out as this, sels; the former, because they are built on rocks, or how the Isle of Man fits into the system. The can always be assigned to a Recording Area, but Isles of Scilly Bird Group has recently defined the latter may present problems. They remain of its own pelagic limits in the form of a rectangle some historical importance, especially for around the islands. Many sightings from ferries records published by the British Association must go unrecorded, for want of knowing who (1879–89, etc.) and by Eagle Clarke (1912). The would deal with them, but they can be sent to SOC map defines the allocation of remote the Editor of Sea Swallow, the journal of the islands, including all lighthouses, and the divi- Royal Naval Birdwatching Society. Beyond the sion of seas crossed by regular ferries; it also limit of any possible county attributions, establishes an offshore limit of three nautical records within British waters should be assigned miles (5.5 km) for those stretches of north and to the appropriate Sea Area. east Scotland where there are no complications Reservoirs have often been created from 2 © British Birds 101 • July 2008 • 1–17 Recording areas of Great Britain rivers that form county boundaries. Sometimes the use of Vice-counties; for example, there the boundary has been diverted so as to place were about 35 such adjustments to Worcester- the water wholly within one county, but more shire between 1895 and 1995, many of which often no change has been made, leaving an have been long forgotten by its inhabitants. invisible submarine frontier, as in King George’s The name in bold type is the Recording Reservoir (Greater London/Essex). Local Area. This is then defined in relation to current arrangements have sometimes been made for or past administrative boundaries; all Unitary the recording of such sites. Authorities (UA) now functioning are men- Institutions such as the BTO are naturally tioned, though hardly any of the wholly new eager to be given map references, which can be ones have ornithological recognition. Some plotted on a computerised database, yet they explanatory comment may be added, including must still be able to classify all entries by an a definition of any Areas of Double Recording agreed system of Recording Areas. Very few (ADR): that is, areas of any importance which local observers use map references when sub- are at present claimed by more than one county mitting records, except perhaps for exact loca- or area and regularly included in their reports. tions of breeding birds. The question of whether there is any exchange In order to compile a definitive list, we have of records has not been touched on. We suggest consulted all current County Recorders and that when records from these are published in those national organisations that are most national literature, both areas might be given, closely concerned with local recording.

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