Records Committee Overview

• Records Logon (Records only)

The Records Committee was reformed in 2011 at the instigation of the TOC council.

Formation of the CommitteeTop

From the council minutes of March 3, 2011:

“The Council discussed the opportunity to utilize a similar approach to the recent creation of the TOC Conservation Strategy and the need for a mandate to be prepared to be shared with the volunteers willing to work on the project. The mandate will include reference to a review of which records are to be kept, the rationale for their selection, the options for collection and the review and inclusion of the Hawk Watch, Warbler Survey and Winter Waterfowl statistics in the approach.”

PreambleTop

1. Why do we collect records?

- Historical precedent

- Historical data summarized in the TOC Reporting Guidelines

2. How will these records be used?

- to document population changes over time (increases, decreases)

- to document breeding (i.e. nests)

- to document rarities

- to have enough data to produce, one day, a book called “Birds of Toronto”.

3. What records should we keep?

- those that might aid the uses listed above, using the TOC Reporting Guidelines.

MandateTop

Investigate the various bird data storage and retrieval software systems already available, and make recommendations to Council as to which might best suit the TOC’s needs. Ease of use, flexibility and costs are possible factors to consider.

Consider how best to collect the TOC’s future bird records so as to maintain accuracy, continue to fulfill the goals stated above, and involve the greatest number of TOC members. Consider if the records reported on the electronic bulletin board “Ontbirds” have a role to play in this. Consider how the data collected during the various TOC inventory programs such as Hawk Watch, Warbler Survey, Winter Waterfowl, and CBC can be included in the new system. Make recommendations to Council for all these matters.