Banbury Ornithological Society

The species of birds seen in the BOS includes residents, summer visitors, winter visitors, passage migrants and vagrants. This page shows the species seen regularly in the BOS, that is those that have been seen almost every year from 2000-2019. There are currently 130 such species. For each species the following information is provided:

The number of years seen from 2000 to 2019
The number of months each year the species is seen. This helps to distinguish visitors from residents.
% Of Months - the percentage of the 240 months under review that the species has been recorded as being present. This provides an additional measure of occurence, though it is less accurate for species that we do not fully record. This figure is not provided for species we do not regularly record, i.e. very common species.
Records - the number of records we hold for this species since 1982
Max Count - the maximum number of birds seen in a 1 km square per day
1km squares - the number of 1km squares the species has been recorded in. This gives a measure of the distribution. There are 1200km squares in the BOS area.
Rank - this is a number to sort the birds into Taxonomic order, as defined by the IOC

Note that you can sort the list by any of the column values, such as by species name, by clicking on the column heading.

Sean Woodcock, MP for Banbury visited the BOS reserve at Balscote Quarry recently, to see conservation in action. Steve Holliday, one of the site wardens said, “Balscote may be a small site (6ha) but, through positive management, it holds Red List birds such as Lapwing and Yellowhammer, 24 species of butterfly and much more." We looked at the vital role volunteers play in habitat management on site and, in light of BOS data on local bird declines, how we can develop a more joined-up approach to nature conservation locally. We finished by discussing how new proposals in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill can benefit, not harm, biodiversity.

A walk round Farnborough Lakes and Woodland

Take Main Street into Farnborough from the A423 – the Southam to Banbury road - where Rachel and Gary will meet us at the Village Hall, (post code: OX17 1ED) where there is parking for about 10 cars. Please car share where possible and park responsibly in the village if the car park is full.

The walk from the Village Hall is less than half a mile downhill to the lakes. Those who would prefer a shorter walk or to avoid walking back up the hill later may like to park in the National Trust carpark at the bottom of the hill by the side of the lakes. Wait there for the main group to join you. Read more ...

Regular Species in the BOS

Sean Woodcock MP visits Balscote Quarry

Outdoor Meeting: 10 August 2026 @ 7pm