Breeding Evidence 81 What is breeding evidence?
For many years Breeding Atlases have categorised records according to ‘Possible’, ‘Probable’ and ‘Confirmed’ breeding and have mapped these differently so it is possible to see, for example, early colonists that are not yet breeding, or the edge of a range where a species is contracting and now failing to breed. The standard definitions identify several types of sightings you may make that constitute each category of breeding. For example, a single bird singing in suitable habitat constitutes ‘Possible breeding’, whereas a bird carrying food or faeces constitutes ‘Confirmed breeding’. Many of these types of evidence are things we see every day whilst birdwatching and surveying and we are seeking these records to help determine the category of breeding for each species in each 10-km square.
