I do it when possible, but it sometimes takes away the fun of birding. Sometimes I just want to focus on the birds and not worry about counts, especially if I’m already feeling stressed that day. It’s also not always safe. If I am alone in a sketchy area, I want to preserve my phone battery and pay more attention to my surroundings. Figuring out whether or not this is the fifth Song Sparrow I’m seeing or one I’ve already seen is not on the top of my priorities.
I'm in a sort of similar camp. I have ended up just using Merlin to track my life list and really only keeping notes on anything else if I'm doing a big day. I only really use eBird to see other people's sightings if I'm looking for something specific or what I can expect at a location. But I also get it if you want to eBird stats.
@@kaileebailee23 I always keep my eBird stats up to date, but I don’t always count them. Also if I’ve already seen a lot of birds on a given day, I might find myself omitting the birds I’ve already reported. I do try to keep my stats up to date for months, subregions, etc. Whether I make a complete checklist or not depends on my emotional state and safety of the situation. Sometimes I’ll go back after the fact to add more checklist details, but I’m probably not going to do it unless there was something interesting to report.
Good information there. When I need to add a specific location where a bird was seen say on a large reserve or site, I usually put in a what3words reference. This directs a person down to a 10 foot square, so pretty precise.
This is great information for anyone using eBird! Awesome job fellas! I especially like the emphasis on comments. Too many "Seen and heard well" comments out there. We definitely need to challenge ourselves to do better with that.
Adding media is not only for evidence but also for training Merlin photo and sound ID! There’s relatively way less bird audio. And Merlin sound ID still needs to improve in quality and coverage. Hence I’ve been making a point to contribute recordings
Well done! Thanks for spreading the word about “best practices” in eBird list creation and management. Accurate, data-rich eBird lists help everyone. The ever growing font of real-time information helps fellow birders who rely on timely data regarding hotspots, and accurate data helps researchers gauge and track Status&Distribution trends for a given species. A fine example of citizen science data collection. Thanks for another great video.
It is so hard to fumble with Ebird and photograph at the same time. I use ebird to find spots, but I'm not good at adding to ebird. Plus, I like to be vague as you mentioned. I would never point out a snowy owl, for example. Once his spot is known, everyone is out and he loses his roost spot :(. Same with nests. I never point out eagle or hawk nests unless I know the person
Good indeed. So, be specific but concise. In review, notes matter- habitat, if you want a bird found habitat features right around it or microhabitat, behavior in your terms, sounds, oiling, breeding behavior, and any other details in your own words which may "proove" a bird to the compiler and scientist. Great going. Thx.
Question: I almost NEVER can actually SEE the birds (vision issues). I identify by their calls. I have no way to know if I’m hearing the same cardinal, for instance, five minutes later or if it’s a different one. “X” seems like the best data I can enter. What are your thoughts? What else should I be doing in this situation?
Estimates are still preferred. I only hear out of one ear, so I can't hear directionally. I often have to estimate how many singing or calling birds based on frequency and perceived distance. Even a rough estimate is helpful because an X is basically useless for anyone who wants to use the data.
@@Protect-Privacy if you hear multiple birds at a time, you can assume there's more than one, and can probably tell if there are several. Similarly if you hear them at different volumes, there are likely multiple birds. An example would be if you hear one goose, that indicates a goose stopped by. But if you're hear hundreds or thousands, it can indicate the location is suitable as a stopover for migrating flocks. It's not important to be exact, but a decent estimate is infinitely more valuable than saying the species was simply present.
Once you submit a checklist, you hit the 'add media' button on the upper right hand side. Can't do this with the app, you have to be on the website. Hope this helps!
Ebird kind of annoys me tbh. I just want to keep track of what I see for my own records, but it turns it into more of a chore where it questions if I actually saw what i saw. Also if I'm grinding to find a bird, I feel someone else can go hunt it as well in the general area as opposed to needing the exact coordinates. Just my thoughts
eBird is a tool with lots of uses. My take is that if you report a bird, the hope is that you're willing to share the information so others can also enjoy the bird. It's not a competition to compare who tried the hardest to see their target birds. Maybe within a friend group it could be, but generally, I think most birders share their sightings freely so others can enjoy. With exceptions for sensitive species of course.
Oof. I tend to put "continuing" if other people have already reported it. :/ I guess I should probably be more helpful by writing longer notes, especially since I appreciate it when someone puts the coordinates or a description of where they saw the bird.
Great video! It really frustrates me when I open a checklist and the count of every species is X, so thank you for addressing that.
I do it when possible, but it sometimes takes away the fun of birding. Sometimes I just want to focus on the birds and not worry about counts, especially if I’m already feeling stressed that day.
It’s also not always safe. If I am alone in a sketchy area, I want to preserve my phone battery and pay more attention to my surroundings. Figuring out whether or not this is the fifth Song Sparrow I’m seeing or one I’ve already seen is not on the top of my priorities.
I'm in a sort of similar camp. I have ended up just using Merlin to track my life list and really only keeping notes on anything else if I'm doing a big day.
I only really use eBird to see other people's sightings if I'm looking for something specific or what I can expect at a location. But I also get it if you want to eBird stats.
@@kaileebailee23 I always keep my eBird stats up to date, but I don’t always count them. Also if I’ve already seen a lot of birds on a given day, I might find myself omitting the birds I’ve already reported.
I do try to keep my stats up to date for months, subregions, etc. Whether I make a complete checklist or not depends on my emotional state and safety of the situation. Sometimes I’ll go back after the fact to add more checklist details, but I’m probably not going to do it unless there was something interesting to report.
That's totally reasonable. Some people take this way too seriously. It's just bird watching lol
There’s no requirement to submit your sightings to eBird! It’s totally up to you!
I live in an urban area and know. Some parks you just can't go to anymore. You have to drive farther out.
Good information there. When I need to add a specific location where a bird was seen say on a large reserve or site, I usually put in a what3words reference. This directs a person down to a 10 foot square, so pretty precise.
This is great information for anyone using eBird! Awesome job fellas! I especially like the emphasis on comments. Too many "Seen and heard well" comments out there. We definitely need to challenge ourselves to do better with that.
Got some of these tips from a local ebird reviewer :p
Whenever possible, do a complete checklist rather than incomplete or incidental! Count all the birds (even the starlings and sparrows).
Adding media is not only for evidence but also for training Merlin photo and sound ID! There’s relatively way less bird audio. And Merlin sound ID still needs to improve in quality and coverage. Hence I’ve been making a point to contribute recordings
@@bumpinggoose6644 very true! Good point!
Well done! Thanks for spreading the word about “best practices” in eBird list creation and management. Accurate, data-rich eBird lists help everyone. The ever growing font of real-time information helps fellow birders who rely on timely data regarding hotspots, and accurate data helps researchers gauge and track Status&Distribution trends for a given species. A fine example of citizen science data collection.
Thanks for another great video.
It is so hard to fumble with Ebird and photograph at the same time. I use ebird to find spots, but I'm not good at adding to ebird. Plus, I like to be vague as you mentioned. I would never point out a snowy owl, for example. Once his spot is known, everyone is out and he loses his roost spot :(.
Same with nests. I never point out eagle or hawk nests unless I know the person
Good indeed. So, be specific but concise. In review, notes matter- habitat, if you want a bird found habitat features right around it or microhabitat, behavior in your terms, sounds, oiling, breeding behavior, and any other details in your own words which may "proove" a bird to the compiler and scientist. Great going. Thx.
Great tips! Thanks!
You’re welcome! Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the information.
Our pleasure!
🐦❤️
Question: I almost NEVER can actually SEE the birds (vision issues). I identify by their calls. I have no way to know if I’m hearing the same cardinal, for instance, five minutes later or if it’s a different one. “X” seems like the best data I can enter. What are your thoughts? What else should I be doing in this situation?
Estimates are still preferred. I only hear out of one ear, so I can't hear directionally. I often have to estimate how many singing or calling birds based on frequency and perceived distance. Even a rough estimate is helpful because an X is basically useless for anyone who wants to use the data.
@@timhahn Thank you. How do you estimate based on frequency and perceived distance?
@@Protect-Privacy if you hear multiple birds at a time, you can assume there's more than one, and can probably tell if there are several. Similarly if you hear them at different volumes, there are likely multiple birds. An example would be if you hear one goose, that indicates a goose stopped by. But if you're hear hundreds or thousands, it can indicate the location is suitable as a stopover for migrating flocks. It's not important to be exact, but a decent estimate is infinitely more valuable than saying the species was simply present.
@@timhahn Thank you for your time. I’m new to birding.
What Tim said!
I didn't know I could add media to my checklists. I'm still not sure how.
First you save the checklist, then go back in to add media
Once you submit a checklist, you hit the 'add media' button on the upper right hand side. Can't do this with the app, you have to be on the website. Hope this helps!
Ebird kind of annoys me tbh. I just want to keep track of what I see for my own records, but it turns it into more of a chore where it questions if I actually saw what i saw. Also if I'm grinding to find a bird, I feel someone else can go hunt it as well in the general area as opposed to needing the exact coordinates. Just my thoughts
Thats what the merlin bird id app is for
eBird is a tool with lots of uses. My take is that if you report a bird, the hope is that you're willing to share the information so others can also enjoy the bird. It's not a competition to compare who tried the hardest to see their target birds. Maybe within a friend group it could be, but generally, I think most birders share their sightings freely so others can enjoy. With exceptions for sensitive species of course.
I saw a black bellied whistling duck in Chillicothe ohio is that rare?
Yeah, very
Yes. BBWD is a southern species.
Oof. I tend to put "continuing" if other people have already reported it. :/ I guess I should probably be more helpful by writing longer notes, especially since I appreciate it when someone puts the coordinates or a description of where they saw the bird.
It’s one of those things where going the extra mile can really help anyone still wanting to see it :)
🦜 ❤️
🦜💕
🦜🦩♥♥!!