The BOU Records Committee (BOURC) is responsible for maintaining the British List, the official list of birds recorded in Britain.
Members are appointed by the Council of the BOU and come from a diverse background of ornithology and birding and includes a Chairman and Secretary, and the Chairman of British Birds Rarities Committee (BBRC).
The Committee is a well-balanced team of birders with international ornithological and birding experience and knowledge, and includes both professional and amateur ornithologists. Skills of individual members include detailed knowledge of bird distribution, taxonomy, statistics, the wild bird trade, genetics and historical research. Expertise in bird identification and vagrancy is also extremely important. The ability to handle regular batches of paperwork, often of a detailed and complex nature, and to do so promptly and reliably, are key qualities. The work is entirely voluntary and unpaid.
Click on highlighted names to see an individual’s profile.
Chair
Alexander Lees (Manchester Metropolitan University)
Secretary
Chris Batty (Lancashire)
Members
Ross Ahmed (Tyne and Wear)
Pierre-André Crochet (Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive, France)
Mark Golley (Norfolk)
Andrew Holden (ex officio, BBRC)
Mark Thomas (RSPB)
Jane Turner (Cheshire)
Leila Walker (BOU Chief Operations Officer)
BOURC Category F Sub-committee (CFS)
Prof Umberto Albarella
Jo Cooper (British Museum)
Dr Dale Serjeantson
Dr John Stewart
BOURC Consultants
Steve Dudley (Category C consultant; former BOU Chief Operations Officer)
Dr Bob McGowan (National Museums of Scotland, museums consultant)
Keith Naylor (historical records consultant)
Andrew Owen (Chester Zoo, captive bird trade consultant).