The Birds of Herefordshire 2007-2012 ― An Atlas of Their Breeding and Wintering Distributions

The Birds of Herefordshire is the first systematic assessment of the breeding and wintering distribution and abundance of the bird species of the county of Herefordshire. It is the culmination of a project, undertaken over a period of ten years, by the Herefordshire Ornithological Club (HOC). The Club, founded in 1950, has carried out many surveys and published annual reports, but never an undertaking as large as a county Bird Atlas.

The opportunity provided by the initiation of the British Trust for Ornithology's ambitious Bird Atlas 2007-11, published in 2013, gave the invaluable stimulus and collaborative framework for HOC to embark on the task. Field work, conducted over the five years 2007-12 amassed a volume of data from a total of 545 tetrads (2-km squares) surveyed across the county. Observations by HOC members and numerous other birders contributed nearly a quarter of a million records to combined BTO and HOC datasets.

The Atlas presents 215 species accounts and includes 348 distribution and abundance maps with colour plates of many species. Together with supporting chapters, this Atlas provides a unique benchmark of the current status of the birds of Herefordshire, which will not only expand our understanding but form the basis of future monitoring of the county's bird populations. It will also be of value for research, conservation and, indeed, to all interested bodies working to maintain the well-being of Herefordshire birdlife.

All authors are members of the Herefordshire Ornithological Society.