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VALIDATING  DEVON  ATLAS  BIRD  SIGHTINGS

What Is Validation? Any bird sightings entered into the Devon Atlas program need checking, or validating; for all manner of reasons. Obviously some reports may be questionable, but a greater probability is data entry issue, e.g. the given location is wrong - many people make simple data entry errors.

My rôle is to check all the half a million or so Devon records, find any anomalies and resolve them. Mostly this is a quick and simple process, but it relies upon the cooperation of the recorder. Sometimes recorders seem content to leave queried records as they stand, in the mistaken belief they will eventually find a place amongst the thousands of other entries in the published atlas. So it’s important to understand that a queried record equals a ‘blocked’ record, i.e. it will not proceed to data analysis.

Peter Robinson - Atlas Validator

How Will I Know I Have a Queried Atlas Record? If you enter your atlas data online, as Timed Tetrad Visits (TTVs) or Roving Records, you should see a massage on your screen every time you log on, saying you have one or more queried records. Normally that message will be the result of me having queried your record and you should be able to reply using the information on screen. But if not, you can email here and my mobile is 07768 538132.

If your record was submitting as a BirdTrack record, or a TTV or Roving Record on paper you may not know about the query and I will try and resolve the issue via staff at BTO HQ, who may contact you.

You should also be aware records for some scarcer birds of prey, e.g. Red Kite, are validated by Mark Darlaston.

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