Ornithology Section: London's Birds

Through our many field meetingsand indoor meetings we provide opportunities for our members to develop and extend their their knowledge of London's diverse bird life. These include plenty of events that are suitable for beginners.

For many years we have been collecting and publishing a significant body of information, records and scientific papers about London's birds in our annual London Bird Report.

Many of our members are currently involved in the latest bird mapping project, the BTO's New Atlas Project

Buzzards can be seen around the periphery of our area. In the London conurbation itself, Kestrels and Sparrowhawks are more familar raptors.
The Jay, a member of the crow family, is often seen in London gardens where there is enough cover. It eats acorns, and by spreading them around is an agent in the regeneration of secondary oak woodland.
The Chiffchaff is a summer visitor found typically in open woods and scrubland. It is named after its distinctive song.

The Moorhen is a common bird of freshwater margins, easily identified by the red base to its bill.
The Tawny Owl is the only Owl that will commonly enter urban areas, and has been recorded throughout our area.
The Hobby is a summer visitor and passage migrant seen over residential areas, parkland, open countryside and wetland habitats. They catch and eat dragonflies on the wing.

Welcome to the LNHS Ornithology Section

The London Bird Report

This is an annual publication that the Society has produced since 1936, containing all the significant records during the year and various other papers. These papers can be site guides, reports about weather events affecting birds, or more specialist papers. The report is issued free to members of the Society, and can be purchased by non-memers. Back copies are available - see our publications page.

Ornithological Bulletin

The bi-monthly Ornithological Bulletin, issued to members with the LNHS Newsletter, gives an update of recent sightings.

Indoor Meetings

The Ornithology Section organises a range of indoor meetings and field trips. Our indoor meetings cover a wide variety of topics, including bird identification, historical reviews of sites, and reports of foreign trips. Indoor meetings are usually held at a convenient and eaily accessible meeting room near Kings Cross station.

Outdoor Meetings

The Section's field trips range from mornings out in London at sites such as Regent’s Park, to day trips by coach to locations further afield. Most of these are to well-known reserves or other areas of importance for birds. Such areas generally have much of general natural history interest in addition to their birdlife. Write-ups of these trips are regularly published in the Newsletter. We offer plenty of events for beginners, as well and for more experienced birders - these are listed our Programme.

Reading Circle

We also organise an ornithological Reading circle that circulates a series of magazines to members at reduced subscriptions.

Bird Recording

The geographical area that we cover is divided into seven bird recording areas, or 'sectors'. (The boundaries of the sectors are more or less based on the original county boundaries). 'Inner London' consists of a rectangle based on Charing Cross.

If you intend to submit bird records, please read the detailed instructions, including the criteria for recording each species, that are given in the latest London Bird Report. A recorder may request notes; the following link advises species for which notes are required: http://editthis.info/londonbirders/LondonList

Please download and save this spreadsheet and use it to email records to LNHS bird recorders. The first line of the spreadsheet has been completed as an example. (If you have any problem downloading the spreadsheet please contact our ).

Volunteers wanted for New Bird Atlas

The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) began fieldwork in November 2007 for its Bird Atlas 2007-11 project. This will be a new survey of the distribution and breeding habits of all the birds of Britain and Ireland. LNHS members will be involved with this project in the London region, where it is hoped that every 2km square (tetrad) will be covered. For details of how to take part, and the latest update, go to our NEW BIRD ATLAS page.