Surveys and Conservation

Surveys are an important part of KOS activities. As well as providing an enjoyable focus for birders and contributing to our understanding of the county’s birds, they provide much information of value for conservation.

  • National surveys
    • KOS works closely with bodies such as BTO and RSPB to ensure adequate coverage for national surveys in Kent, e.g. the 1999 Nightingale survey.
    • County surveys are organised only when they can be easily slotted in with national ones.
    • National surveys in 2002 were Mute Swan, and Breeding Waders of Wet Meadows (BWWM).
  • County surveys
    • We plan a programme of surveys of priority species that are not covered by national surveys
    • Priority species include those that are scarce or local in Kent or for which Kent holds a large proportion of national populations
    • Examples of recent surveys include the Great Crested Grebe (refer to paper in 1998 KBR), Hobby (refer to paper in 1999 KBR)
  • Other priority species
    • Time and resources are insufficient to census all priority species, and some cannot be surveyed effectively for other reasons (e.g. being widely dispersed)
    • KOS encourages submission of all relevant records of these species (e.g. Little Owl, Lesser Spotted Woodpecker and Hawfinch)
  • Site information
    • We encourage birders to compile site-based data, which can be valuable for :-
      • providing conservation bodies with authoritative assessments of site interest
      • deciding which sites warrant conservation designations, by English Nature or Kent Wildlife Trust
      • allowing us to track county populations of commoner species
  • Publication of survey results
    • Results of county and national surveys are published in the Kent Bird Report and in KOS News (see KOS Publications), and on this website
    • We encourage publication of summaries of other species’ status and about individual sites. We can make the full KOS database available to bonafide researchers (please contact KOS Archivist)
    • We promote the publication of broader based reviews of birds in Kent (e.g. Kent Breeding Bird Atlas 1988-94 and the Kent Red Data Book – see Kentish Wildlife References)
  • Advice and information
    • Data can be provided to anyone researching particular species or sites (please contact KOS Archivist). Fees are charged where the information is wanted for professional or commercial reasons
    • We advise conservation bodies on bird status when sites are threatened, or for policy development
    • KOS does not comment directly on planning applications, preferring to concentrate resources on data provision to conservation bodies
  • Links
    • KOS maintains links with neighbouring county bird clubs and with conservation bodies and others (e.g. Kent Wildlife Trust, RSPB, English Nature and Forest Enterprise – see Links)
    • The BTO Regional Representative is on the Conservation & Surveys sub-committee, to ensure especially close liaison with the premier national bird survey organisation

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