tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4355582359860808952024-03-06T01:27:52.461-07:00Colorado & Wyoming eBirdEverything eBird for Colorado and Wyoming, from the keyboards of the region's eBird reviewersTony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-71204484685939297132020-01-11T14:14:00.003-07:002020-01-11T14:17:16.671-07:00Size comparisonsIn a previous <a href="https://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2017/08/ebird-basics-species-comments-box.html" target="_blank">post to this venue</a>, various of us Colorado reviewers suggested how best to use the details box for species that are flagged by the relevant <a href="https://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2015/02/stone-age-to-industrial-age-evolution.html" target="_blank">eBird filter</a>. In this post, I wish to elaborate on that topic, suggesting better ways to use size comparisons to convince those suspicious busybodies that are eBird reviewers to accept reports.<br />
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Something that I see a lot as a reviewer is a phrase something like this:<br />
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<i><b>… about the size of a warbler...</b></i></div>
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<i><b>… about the size of a sparrow...</b></i></div>
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and similar entries. These sorts of comparisons are fine with some groups, but these two groups have fairly large size variation from smallest to largest, so the phrase does not really work as a good descriptor of size.<br />
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As example, I start with the warblers, that is, the New World warblers (family Parulidae). Now that Yellow-breasted Chat has been moved to its own family (Icteriidae; not to be confused with the New World blackbirds, Icteridae), the size variation within the family has been greatly decreased. However, the range of sizes of ABA-Area warbler species (using the length estimates provided in the Sibley Guide, 2nd ed. as a gross indicator) is 4.25-6 inches. Yes, that 1.75 inches from smallest to largest is a pretty small absolute difference. However, as a relative difference, it's huge: <u><b>>41%</b> of the smallest length</u>.<br />
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If we take that 41.2% size difference in warblers and scale that difference to something larger, like humans, then that relative size difference becomes more apparent. Using data from <a href="https://ourworldindata.org/human-height" target="_blank">this website</a>, the average heights of human males in various countries ranges from 160 cm (5'3") in Timor to 182 cm (just less than 6'0") in The Netherlands. That difference of just about nine inches is 13.75% of the smallest average height. As you can see, the relative difference in size across warblers is MUCH larger, in fact, <b>just about three times larger!</b><br />
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So, is your bird the size of a Lucy's Warbler (4.25"), the size of an Ovenbird (6"), or of something somewhere betwixt the two, say something common like a Yellow Warbler (5")?<br />
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The sparrows provide another, even more-pointed example. The range of lengths of ABA-Area sparrow species (family Passerellidae; not to be confused with the Old World sparrows, such as House Sparrow, family Passeridae) is <b><u>5-9.5"</u></b>! <b>That is a difference over the smallest species of 90%, more than double the difference among warblers!</b> Of course, if we remove the towhees from consideration, that difference changes to <b>ONLY 50%</b> (5-7.5").<br />
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So, is your bird the size of a Grasshopper Sparrow (5"), a Vesper Sparrow (6.25"), a Fox Sparrow (7.5"), a Spotted Towhee (8.5"), or an Abert's Towhee (9.5")?<br />
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The take-home message is to be more precise in your size estimates where possible. That is because we reviewers don't know what you mean if you compare something's size to that of a large, variable family of birds. Imagine comparing some bird to a family like Accipitridae, which ranges in size in the ABA Area from male Sharp-shinned Hawk to female Bald Eagle.<br />
<b></b><b></b><b></b><br />Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-64171977866123258102019-12-31T11:34:00.004-07:002019-12-31T11:34:48.525-07:00"Unmistakable"Many species of birds occur in Colorado and Wyoming that some observers might consider "unmistakable," such American Avocet, American White Pelican, and American Robin. However, as anyone that has spent any time reviewing eBird reports or browsing the incredible collection of photos submitted in eBird checklists knows, there probably is no truly unmistakable species. Below, I provide some examples.<br />
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1) Viewing conditions can make IDs difficult and many inexperienced and less-skilled observers can have difficulty distinguishing among Snow Goose, American White Pelican, and Whooping Crane -- all large white birds with black in the wing.<br />
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2) Some species might be "unmistakable" in circumscribed conditions, but not in a larger sense. In Colorado, Brown Thrasher is a widespread, though local, breeding species on the plains. As such, there are few species with which it might be confused. However, during migratory periods, any number of largish, ground-foraging passerines might be -- and have been -- mistaken for the species, particularly Hermit and Wood thrushes and Fox Sparrow (Red). The species is fairly rare in the state in winter, so care should be taken in identifying those birds. Additionally, there are four accepted Colorado records of <a href="https://cobrc.org/Reports/SpeciesDetail.aspx?id=355" target="_blank">Long-billed Thrasher</a>, three in winter, so it behooves the observer of a reddish, streaked thrasher to consider that possibility at that season. That differentiation requires fairly good views, and details of even Brown Thrashers in winter should include details on how Long-billed was ruled out.<br />
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3) Some observers, mostly new birders, make incredible identification mistakes. While I could enumerate a panoply of mistakes that would cause amazement to experienced observers, I will provide just one that should serve to prove the point. An Aplomado Falcon report was submitted to eBird from a California observer. From the details provided, that person was a new birder. As the observer thought that it was some type of raptorial bird, the observer had asked a falconer friend for his thoughts on the bird's ID, and he had responded that the orangey-red coloration below left only Aplomado Falcon as an option. Unfortunately, the nicely photographed species was a Red-breasted Nuthatch.<br />
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The above points illustrate why eBird reviewers cringe when an eBirder uses "unmistakable" as part or parcel of the comments in which <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2017/08/ebird-basics-species-comments-box.html" target="_blank">details of the identification</a> should be provided. Please avoid using that term.Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-56010720833143612042019-12-01T13:06:00.000-07:002019-12-07T10:27:54.129-07:00Details provided about counting relatively large numbers of birdsThe eBird help section has an <a href="https://support.ebird.org/support/solutions/articles/48000838845-how-to-count-birds" target="_blank">excellent article</a> on counting large flocks, passels, gobs, and masses of birds, and I encourage all eBirders and other birders to read it. This article, however, is about the details provided by eBirders to support their submitted <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2017/08/ebird-basics-species-comments-box.html" target="_blank">large numbers of birds</a> that the relevant <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2015/02/stone-age-to-industrial-age-evolution.html" target="_blank">filter</a> flags.<br />
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In the above-linked article on the details box, is this sentence:<br />
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<span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;">For entries that are flagged due to a </span><u style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia";">high number</u><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;">, a simple comment on how the number was derived is what we want: "counted 1x1," "counted by 10s," or "estimate" usually suffice.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;">I wish to add a corollary to the above. For numbers of a species that flags at a low value, say <10, particularly for numbers <5, the careful eBirder may also want to provide some ID details. That is because such low filter limits are created by one of two aspects of occurrence: <b>1)</b> The report date is near either the front end or back end of a migration-abundance taper (see Fig 1 <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2015/02/stone-age-to-industrial-age-evolution.html" target="_blank">here</a>) and higher numbers might actually involve other species (such as Clay-colored or Brewer's sparrows among Chipping Sparrows) and <b>2)</b> the species is typically found only in low numbers within the relevant filter region.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;">The main thrust of this article, though, is points about methods of counting, as reported in species comments by eBirders.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;"><b>Point 1:</b> Many people seem unaware of the general mathematical concept of "<a href="https://www.statisticshowto.datasciencecentral.com/measurement-error/" target="_blank">Greatest Possible Error</a>." I learned this in math class in either elementary school or high school, and it has stayed with me throughout my life. Relative to this essay's subject matter, this concept of Greatest Possible Error means that if counting by </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia";"><b>10</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;"><b>s</b>, then one should allow for an error of </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia";"><b>5</b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;"> <u>for each block of </u></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia";"><b><u>10</u></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px;">. Additionally, that Greatest Possible Error can go in either direction, that is a block of 10 might hold as few as 5 or as many as 15.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Example 1: I am counting Red-winged Blackbirds as they come into a marsh to roost for the night. I have decided that the rate of arrival is low enough that I can easily count the birds in blocks of 10. The arriving flock peters out and I have arrived at 270, counting by 10s. However, I see another few birds approaching and realize that there are only 4. Since 4 is smaller than the Greatest Possible Error of my counting by 10s, I do NOT add those four birds in, either as 4 or as another block of 10. Had there been 6 more birds, I would report a total of 280.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Corollary 1a: When counting by 10s, my final total MUST end in a zero. That is, one cannot count by 10s and report 276, for multiple reasons. First, 6 does not equal 10, nor vice-versa. Second, the possible error, particularly the Greatest Possible Error, in the previous 27 blocks of 10 so swamp those measly 6 additional birds that the 6 are irrelevant. Thus, when counting by 25s, the reported total must be a multiple of 25, such as 175, 350, 6000, etc. When counting by 100s, the result must end in at least two zeroes.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Corollary 1b: When dealing with very large numbers, say >9999, the concept of <a href="https://www.purplemath.com/modules/rounding2.htm" target="_blank">Significant Digits</a> comes into play. Considering all of the possible errors inherent in arriving at a figure of 15,017, there is no good reason to report those last 17 birds. By reporting those 17, one is entering the realm of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/False_precision" target="_blank">False Precision</a>.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><b>Point 2:</b> A count is a count is a count. A count is neither conservative nor liberal. If one reports on a count, either by <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>1</b></span>s or <b>5</b>s or <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>10</b></span>s or <b>37</b>s, it is simply a count. It is understood that mistakes are made during counting and that the possible sources of counting mistakes are legion. No modifiers are needed. Additionally, unless one specifies the size of the counting block, a "count," whether "conservative" or not, is assumed to be by <span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; color: black; font-family: "georgia"; font-size: 16px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><b>1</b></span>s, thus is unlikely to end in zero (1-in-10 chance; though see next sentence) and really unlikely to end in two zeroes (1-in-100 chance) . There are caveats about probability when counting, as there is actually a much larger chance than 10% of a count of 1 for a number of reasons, but once one is past those first few birds, those estimates in parentheses, above, are reasonably accurate.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="color: #cc0000; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Example 2: In my experience in Colorado, the most difficult flocks to count are large, dense flocks of American White Pelicans. Despite that I have learned over the years that "counts" of such flocks are invariably lower than the number of birds present, I still find it impossible to arrive at an accurate count until the birds spread out or leave in such a manner that I can get a better count. However, unless the situation changes to allow a more-accurate count, I report the number that I counted, knowing full well that it is probably low. I report such, as I can justify that number; I know it to be at least the minimum number of birds present. That probably-low count is NOT a "conservative count," as I counted each apparent separate individual that I could detect. Who knows, my count might be bang on, so, again, it is not a "conservative count," it is simply a count by 1s (or 1x1 -- "one by one" -- in Van Remsen parlance).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;">Corollary 2: As an eBird reviewer, I have seen many estimates of American White Pelican numbers that were low or crazily low, sometimes accompanied by photos that prove that the estimate was low. This happens frequently in late summer and fall when the species masses in large numbers at particular water bodies on Colorado's plains. In fact, reported counts of American White Pelicans at places such as Jackson Reservoir, Morgan County, can differ by an order of magnitude, that is 10x larger or 1/10 the number (and don't get me started about the illogicality of the phrase "10x smaller") -- on the same day! At approximately the same time!</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #674ea7; font-family: "georgia";"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">The take-home message of
this essay is that care should be used in counting </span><b><span style="font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;">and in reporting</span></b><span style="background: white; font-family: "georgia" , serif; font-size: 10.5pt; line-height: 107%;"> of numbers of birds.</span>Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-78540844125882601142019-02-23T16:17:00.003-07:002019-03-02T12:28:12.753-07:00Getting Information From eBird<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8u_rWLLJW2cEMP8z09JIbh4YoSzB8Iqnimd36kiGsnbzdPX1Au3DCCqONC92XpxyTPiu0-hFXnOygt1InOH-lVgpUMWDSn6XJNsexCUwMR7VoburxTP-oDr9FVvTpMmGPlmrNJ9BWr65P/s1600/Fig1-cacg-cang-I25corridor-ebird.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="427" data-original-width="657" height="257" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8u_rWLLJW2cEMP8z09JIbh4YoSzB8Iqnimd36kiGsnbzdPX1Au3DCCqONC92XpxyTPiu0-hFXnOygt1InOH-lVgpUMWDSn6XJNsexCUwMR7VoburxTP-oDr9FVvTpMmGPlmrNJ9BWr65P/s400/Fig1-cacg-cang-I25corridor-ebird.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;"><i>Figure 1. Average counts by week on the public eBird checklists of Cackling (blue line) and Canada Geese in ten Colorado counties straddling the I-25 corridor from Larimer and Weld counties south through Pueblo County. Data are from Larimer, Weld, Boulder, Broomfield, Adams, Arapahoe, Jefferson, Douglas, El Paso, and Pueblo counties. In eBird, "weeks" begin on the 1st, 8th, 15th, and 22nd, with the last week of each month incorporating however many days are in the month after the 21st. Thus, the range of time in that last week spans 7.25-9.00 days, depending on the month. Counts of Cackling Goose in the area considered span the range 0-115,000, while counts of Canada Goose span the range 0-20,000. All <b>366,606</b> public eBird checklists </i></span><i style="font-size: 14.6667px;">(as of 23 Feb 2019)</i><i style="font-size: 11pt;"> from the defined area were used to generate this chart. <b><span style="color: red;">Click on figures to see larger versions.</span></b></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11.0pt;">While many eBirders know at least the basics of entering their data into the eBird database, I have found that relatively few have much in the way of knowledge about extracting information from the database, such as that presented in Fig. 1, above. That figure shows quite graphically (pardon the pun) that Cackling Goose greatly outnumbers Canada Goose nearly the entire time that the species occurs regularly in the area, a fact that many birders seem not to know. Since these sorts of data products are the entire reason behind eBird's existence, this post </span><span style="font-size: 11pt;">illustrates the ease with which anyone may extract such. The results of eBird data mining can assist in </span>understanding<span style="font-size: 11pt;"> of occurrence patterns of birds in many parts of the world.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;">While occurrence graphs such as that presented above might seem difficult to make, the task is really quite simple, as the eBird output engine does all the heavy lifting. All one needs do is to tell eBird what one wants to see in the way of such data presentations, <u>assuming that the facility exists in eBird</u>. The rest of this post will present a visual step-by-step instruction of the process. Reading these instructions will take <u>much, much longer</u> than the actual output process takes. <b>Note that I include a screen capture of each step in the process, with examples for most steps, of both computer (laptop or desktop) and phone (iOs version only)</b></span><b style="font-size: 14.6667px;"> screens</b><b style="font-size: 11pt;">.</b><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> In all of the figures, the phone example is on the right side (if present). Additionally, pink arrows are included to direct your attention to the next step in the process.</span></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">STEP 1</span></u></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k-KH6RGAZKdP4GMiMb1C0dYfYIkgeecJ106PLmbuvS92g987PboVeAXElbJZi1xT6xaTwNCsl_xIUf7l3JsQdNvOkYp7M_PQbLUIu_hbXZ6UGqNUvX1DoSjHwUE2HyYILps-uGDMsU4e/s1600/Fig02-eBird-homepage.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="1300" height="122" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-k-KH6RGAZKdP4GMiMb1C0dYfYIkgeecJ106PLmbuvS92g987PboVeAXElbJZi1xT6xaTwNCsl_xIUf7l3JsQdNvOkYp7M_PQbLUIu_hbXZ6UGqNUvX1DoSjHwUE2HyYILps-uGDMsU4e/s400/Fig02-eBird-homepage.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i>Figure 2. After going to the eBird home page (</i>ebird.org<i>), one will see the important bits as presented in the figure. On a computer, click on the <b>Explore</b> link; on a phone, tap on the menu icon in the upper right and then tap on <b>Explore</b>.</i></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">STEP 2</span></u></b></div>
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<i>Figure 3. On the Explore page, click/tap on the <b>Bar Charts</b> link. (Say "hi" to Marshall Iliff of eBird HQ.)</i></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">STEP 3</span></u></b></div>
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<i>Figure 4. Select a country (top arrow) and, if necessary, a state/province (bottom arrow). In the computer version, I have already highlighted the state, which then fills that state name in the right column that allows choosing the entire state or just select areas (you can select as many as 15 counties; <u>this is where I selected the 10 counties that I used in Fig. 1</u>). On a phone, you will have to tap the state/province scroll bar open and find the state/province that you want. Once you have selected the state and which of the four options in the right column, scroll down and click/tap the <b>Continue</b> button. </i><i><b>Note:</b> The phone version of this figure shows other options for areas that are not shown in the computer version, but only because they do not fit on a single screen as configured. One of these is the <b>My Locations</b> option. This is where you can get a summary of your yard list, should you want such. (<u>And that is why you should always have a single location that you use for entries from your yard!</u>)</i></div>
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<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">STEP 4</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Figure 5. To select counties/provinces on a computer, hold down the Ctrl key and click the individual counties that you want. On a phone, scroll through the counties list and tap each one that you want. Once your selection is complete, click/tap the <b>Continue</b> button.</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Figure 6. <b>Note:</b> The computer and phone screens are identical for this step, so I present only one. The result of hitting the previous Continue button is this long-scrolling page showing the occurrence bar charts for every species and non-species entry recorded on public eBird checklists for the area of interest (in this case, the ten counties selected for the graph depicted in Fig. 1). You can see that the selected counties are listed. Careful observers will note that I forgot to include Denver County here and in the county selection for the graph depicted in Fig. 1! Oh, well. The arrow points at the column of graph icons that you will be using in this step. Scroll down to one of the species that you want to investigate and click on that species' graph icon. For this example, we will stay with the goose investigation, so you might want to click on the graph icon for Cackling Goose. <b>Note:</b> All of the actual species entries are hot links, which take you to the respective eBird species page.</i></span><br />
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<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">STEP 6</span></u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 11pt;"><br /></span> <span style="font-size: 11pt;"><i>Figures 7a and 7b. This page shows three graphs (you might have to scroll if you view the page on your computer in landscape mode) pon clicking on the Cackling Goose graph icon in the previous step. The uppermost graph is a bar graph (in green) and the second is a line graph (in blue). Both show the frequency of detection of Cackling Goose on the public eBird checklists of the region of interest. The bottom graph is a bar graph showing the weekly sample size of public checklists informing on the line graph, above (and recall that those individual weekly sample sizes total the all-time sample size of 366,606 public checklists from the ten counties selected, as noted in Fig. 1). Though your eyes might immediately go to the line graph, both frequency graphs and the sample-size graph are important. However, at this step, what is truly important is presented in Fig. 7b, the arrow pointing to the <b>Change Species</b> button. Click/tap that button.</i></span><br />
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<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">STEP 7</span></u></b></div>
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<i>Figures 8a, 8b, and 8c. Once you click/tap the Change Species button in the previous step, you will see the screen presented in Fig. 8a. If you were actually going to change the species, you would un-click the check box in front of Cackling Goose. However, since we want to add another species to the graph, we need to keep that check in that box and then start typing the name of the species that we want to add, here being Canada Goose. Once you have the species that you want, click/tap the <b>Continue</b> button. <b>Note:</b> A somewhat shorter method of getting to the species that you want in this box (or any other species-selection boxes in eBird), one can use the four-letter code for the species, if you <a href="https://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/1987817-quick-entry-codes-in-ebird" target="_blank">know them</a> or can figure them out.</i><br />
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<b><u><span style="color: red; font-size: large;">STEP 8</span></u></b></div>
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<i>Figure 9. After clicking the previous step's Continue button, we are back to the screen showing three graphs, as in Step 6. This figure presents only the line graph from that screen; note the key indicating which species is which. (In case you have problems discerning the colors, Cackling Goose is represented by the lower line.)</i><br />
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Now that we've gotten both species that we wanted to investigate into the graphs, it is time to explain the various data-presentation options. The pink arrow in Fig. 9 indicates that of the six data-presentation options, we are looking at the frequency data. This graph indicates that even when both species are present in the region of interest, Canada Goose is reported more often, almost certainly because it is found at more locations in the region. To get to the data presentation that is presented in Fig. 1 (at the top of this post), we will need to click on the <b>Average Count</b> tab (at the opposite end of tabs from the <b>Frequency</b> tab). If you do not understand what a particular tab presents, you can always click on the "<b>What is...</b>" link in the bottom-left of the screen for an explanation. Note: On the Frequency tab, the sample-size graph (the bottom graph) presents, as noted in the caption to Fig. 1, the number of public eBird checklists from the region of interest and throughout the time period of interest. <b>Note: The sample-size checklist </b><b style="font-size: 14.6667px;">on all other tabs presents only the number of checklists on which the individual species was/were recorded (thus does not include zero counts).</b><br />
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Finally, once onto the screen presented in Fig. 9, one can change the time span used, the species, and/or the region of interest. The ease with which you can change the facets makes it easy to compare occurrence patterns of different areas -- say, eastern plains vs. West Slope, different time periods -- say, the 1990s vs. the 2000s, or, as here, a couple species of geese (one can compare as many as five species). You can also get at this facility from the Region option on the Explore tab.</div>
Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-58359172664303930712018-06-29T14:31:00.002-06:002018-08-14T18:13:42.098-06:00Providing details on flagged high counts of birds<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;">Home-page screen of the current iOs beta version of the eBird application (app). Click on image(s) to see larger versions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">In the beginning, the eBird app required users to provide details for any species that the relevant filter flagged as unusual, either due to the species' rarity or the count being higher than the <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2015/02/stone-age-to-industrial-age-evolution.html" target="_blank">filter limit</a>, else the checklist would not submit. In 2017, eBird Central decided to dispense with the requirement for details on high counts in order to submit checklists, despite the moaning and gnashing of teeth by many eBird reviewers (including the entire Colorado contingent). This change was incorporated into the then-new Android version of the app and is in beta-testing mode in the iOs version. While both versions of the app still require written details in order to submit reports of rarities, reports from the Android version do not require details for non-zero counts exceeding the filter limit, and the iOs version is heading that way.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Many eBirders have probably rejoiced at this change, but we reviewers really dislike it. That is because a large percentage (though still a minority) of reports in our eBird review queues have no details due to this change. That means that reviewer workload got substantially larger and for very little benefit to eBirders in general. Before the change, something like a simple "estimate" or "counted by 1s" or "counted a portion and extrapolated total" were all that we requested for <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2017/08/ebird-basics-species-comments-box.html" target="_blank">reports of high counts</a>. The primary reason that reviewers want those details is so that we can be sure that the number reported was the number intended. Even on a phone, it is possible to make a mistake (or series of mistakes) and report unintended numbers.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333;">Because filter limits are kept fairly tight in much of Colorado and Wyoming, reviewers in this region already have a larger task than do many, so this extra workload of having to query observers for details on high counts can be the straw that broke the camel's back. That broken back might result in blanket movement of non-documented reports of counts greater than the filter limit into eBird's non-public data, and none of us -- eBirders or reviewers -- want that. So...</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;"><b>PLEASE REPORT DETAILS OF HOW ANY HIGH COUNTS WERE DERIVED.</b> (Again, see <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2017/08/ebird-basics-species-comments-box.html" target="_blank">here</a>.)</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">For those that haven't studied how the new app versions look and act, below are some illustrated examples of what your app can show you and what we, as reviewers, would really like eBirders to do.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white;">Figure 1. iOs beta version app showing a hypothetical checklist. Note that the Rock Pigeon tally is indicated as exceeding the filter limit (which is set at 39). Also note that the Inca Dove entry is of a species that has a filter limit for the date and location of zero or is not on the relevant filter at all (in fact, it is not on the filter, as there are no county records). In order to submit the checklist to eBird, the app will require comments for the Inca Dove. However, it will not require comments on the high count of Rock Pigeons. We repeat: </span></span><b style="color: #333333;">PLEASE REPORT DETAILS OF HOW ANY HIGH COUNTS WERE DERIVED.</b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpc_aL9qfr8kyxktRRUT8oaEK1-KsZfBshW5U9ajLHR8uJtxo59L0oRKwBkcS-noCkzr1Bxj5WaC5cf0M8Kr0pQ7-GVyqWHVcNM4SecKojlQ4RjN9oteJr9lqkTFj2tF9-H7CWG1w6Vs_/s1600/app-detailshc-6-29-18-tl.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1285" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCpc_aL9qfr8kyxktRRUT8oaEK1-KsZfBshW5U9ajLHR8uJtxo59L0oRKwBkcS-noCkzr1Bxj5WaC5cf0M8Kr0pQ7-GVyqWHVcNM4SecKojlQ4RjN9oteJr9lqkTFj2tF9-H7CWG1w6Vs_/s320/app-detailshc-6-29-18-tl.jpeg" width="186" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Figure 2. Upon tapping on the Rock Pigeon entry in the checklist on the app (see Fig. 1), one can add the detail that we reviewers would like to see on how the high count was derived. We do not need a novella written, just a simple, brief description of your counting/estimating technique (here, "estimate").</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_Q1SB8hhPUeudoDGtoDHP65DWcCUmmm4wzlWHZCyYLq-K5sr8lWljFR9gOeaUc8HywlUhzTxb8bOfbz5pPwiGY7U5sDOoN4Q8QBmIuZTB8UoiCHJjeQNX8IF1OGnLIogAVuwrUpFGBMQ/s1600/app-detailsrare-6-29-18-tl.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1284" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn_Q1SB8hhPUeudoDGtoDHP65DWcCUmmm4wzlWHZCyYLq-K5sr8lWljFR9gOeaUc8HywlUhzTxb8bOfbz5pPwiGY7U5sDOoN4Q8QBmIuZTB8UoiCHJjeQNX8IF1OGnLIogAVuwrUpFGBMQ/s320/app-detailsrare-6-29-18-tl.jpeg" width="186" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Figure 3. Unlike for the Rock Pigeon high count (Fig. 2), rarities require a bit more text. Minor rarities or those entries of species that are only marginally early or late can be supported by skimpier details, but true rarities, like this Inca Dove, need to be supported by firm details. This example is just barely enough for validation, though the promised photos would obviously help a lot.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs0qu1_wUHAJOkbzpbmMB7x-V_eNEPdQgqeo3sV3N2wWETokNLY6a2-0UcegjcBWbFrQ1xc25dzJq9OjUIj9OYhUe1S9iS2QZ8Jr0qIJW8j8yAPSu36La0ihrzfVuQGNmVHQFygTHnJ3o/s1600/details-v2-6-29-18-tl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1290" data-original-width="750" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXs0qu1_wUHAJOkbzpbmMB7x-V_eNEPdQgqeo3sV3N2wWETokNLY6a2-0UcegjcBWbFrQ1xc25dzJq9OjUIj9OYhUe1S9iS2QZ8Jr0qIJW8j8yAPSu36La0ihrzfVuQGNmVHQFygTHnJ3o/s320/details-v2-6-29-18-tl.jpg" width="186" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Figure 4. We reviewers, all being eBirders ourselves, know what a pain it is to have to type much more than a few words into the comments field. However, assuming that one follows through and provides those promised details and/or photos, simply letting us know that you understand why a species flagged and that you'll get to providing those critical details as soon as you can get to a more-typing-friendly machine serves as a useful placeholder. However, <b>PLEASE PROVIDE THOSE DETAILS AND/OR PHOTOS AT YOUR EARLIEST POSSIBLE CONVENIENCE</b> so that we do not have to spend the time querying you.</span><br />
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">[A<i> side note about numbers: If one counts a flock of birds by 10s, one cannot report 362 (even if one counted 360 and then two flew over later), as that number is not divisible by 10 without figures to the right of the decimal. It's kind of difficult to have 0.2 of a live bird. One also cannot "count by 5s, then 10s" and report 365, as one's total must be a multiple of the grossest sample size -- in this case, 10. Think of it like this: Before starting a road trip, you check your car odometer, which reads 26362. Upon arriving at your destination, you check it again and it reads 26398, yet you report to the friend that you are meeting that you drove 36.2 miles. The process of counting in smaller sets of birds is similar.</i>]</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Tony Leukering and Scott Somershoe (CO reviewers)</span>Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-86645741348984878782018-02-14T20:15:00.002-07:002020-10-29T11:11:55.026-06:00Greater Scaup: An eBird problem child<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeLyInL4KQdfYBymIHjhTZ4SH6G8h8Ih91uexNqD7kUPJ7bqCDu-qyyKVhB3_ssKdavjtxtjEW6VhEz5E004SCY9bhYBfLe4qwVnlAV_S4yU8VoPpiMsexgSeE4gT6DGwTWGB64WyDTdl/s1600/grsc-im-m-capemaypt-1-07-12-tl-cropvlarge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="969" data-original-width="1500" height="206" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgeLyInL4KQdfYBymIHjhTZ4SH6G8h8Ih91uexNqD7kUPJ7bqCDu-qyyKVhB3_ssKdavjtxtjEW6VhEz5E004SCY9bhYBfLe4qwVnlAV_S4yU8VoPpiMsexgSeE4gT6DGwTWGB64WyDTdl/s320/grsc-im-m-capemaypt-1-07-12-tl-cropvlarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>[<u><span style="color: red;">Click on images to see larger versions.</span></u></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Immature male Greater Scaup, Cape May Pt., Cape May Co., NJ; 7 January 2012. Photograph by Tony Leukering.]</i></span></div>
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Greater Scaup is of regular occurrence in our two-state region, but is both over- and under-reported, due to the extreme difficulty that many birders -- even skilled ones -- have at identifying scaup. Leukering has treated this subject in <a href="https://cobirds.org/Publications/ColoradoBirds/InTheScope/21.pdf">some detail elsewhere</a> (Leukering 2011). We <u>strongly</u> recommend reading that paper first, but since you might not, this essay is meant to point out a few factors in scaup identification that are over-looked or ignored by -- or unknown to -- many birders.<br />
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We start with some bulleted cautions:<br />
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<ul>
<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">If the scaup that you are ogling is foraging; beware!</span></b> Head shape is not a useful differentiating feature of foraging scaup.</li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-weight: bold;">If the scaup that you are ogling has water drops on its back and/or elsewhere; beware!</span> That bird has recently been foraging; see previous caution.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">If the scaup that you are ogling does not have bright yellow eyes; beware!</span></b> Dull eye color is a sign of immaturity, and head shape in scaup with juvenile head feathering is not a useful differentiating feature.</li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-weight: bold;">If the scaup that you are ogling is a male that lacks complete adult-like plumage, particularly after December; beware!</span> Males lacking complete adult-like plumage after December are probably immatures; see previous caution.</li>
<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">If the scaup that you are ogling is brown; beware!</span></b> The timing of the molt out of juvenile plumage is quite variable across individuals of both species, such that immature males still with juvenile head feathering can be found very deep into winter. Additionally, eye color may change well ahead of plumage change, such that even scaup with yellow eyes may still hold juvenile head plumage; see previous caution.</li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-weight: bold;">If the scaup that you are ogling is brown and large and has a slight peak in front of the eye; thin-but-distinct eye rings; thin, pale post-ocular line; and looks like <a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/84162701#_ga=2.59165034.672625955.1518400672-334541348.1399337695" target="_blank">this</a>; beware!</span> The bird that you are ogling is a female Redhead.</li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000; font-weight: bold;">If the scaup that you are ogling has an apparently green head; beware!</span> The iridescent plumage of male scaup is not, WE REPEAT, <b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><u>NOT</u></span></b>, a reliable differentiating feature of scaup -- or of any other similarly plumaged species. Note the head color of these males: </li>
</ul>
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<a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/81867411#_ga=2.261155274.672625955.1518400672-334541348.1399337695" target="_blank">November, California</a><br />
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<a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/84264831#_ga=2.29294843.672625955.1518400672-334541348.1399337695" target="_blank">January, Florida</a><br />
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<a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/84081831#_ga=2.125163210.1550626797.1518662727-334541348.1399337695" target="_blank">January, Colorado</a> [the best of the lot]<br />
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Scaup ID has always been difficult, with, perhaps, the majority of birders not being able to consistently ID them correctly. Even skilled birders have trouble with this duo, so do not be afraid to use the "Greater/Lesser Scaup" entry in eBird. In fact, we will make it more plain: <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">Use the "Greater/Lesser Scaup" option unless you are certain of the ID of the scaup (singular or plural) you are ogling.</span></b><br />
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Okay, one more caution, and then we'll get to the meat of this essay. Finally!<br />
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<blockquote style="border: none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
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<br />
<li><b><span style="color: #cc0000;">If the scaup that you have ogled is represented in your photos/eBird checklist by a single picture; beware!</span></b> Head shape is changeable and ephemeral, and as with identification features, the more of them you have, the better. The more photos, the more likely that you will have captured the "true" head shape.</li>
</blockquote>
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One of the problems that birders create for themselves concerning scaup ID is not knowing the d<span style="font-family: inherit;">ifference in sizes of various duck species. For whatever reason or reasons, many or most birders seem to think that diving ducks are large, particularly relative to dabbling ducks. However, the reverse is true. Paying attention to neighboring ducks when ogling a scaup and determining the scaup's comparative size is very helpful. If that scaup is among other "bay ducks" (genus <i>Aythya</i>), size can be quite helpful, as:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Canvasback > Redhead > Greater Scaup > Ring-necked Duck ≥ Lesser Scaup.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">If that scaup is among dabbling ducks, then:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mallard > Northern Pintail > Gadwall ≥ American Wigeon > Northern Shoveler > </span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Greater Scaup > </span>Lesser Scaup ≥ <span style="font-family: inherit;">Cinnamon Teal </span><span style="font-family: inherit; line-height: 107%;">></span><span style="font-family: inherit;"> </span><span style="font-family: inherit;">Blue-winged Teal > Green-winged Teal</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Combining all of these species results in:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Mallard > Northern Pintail > Gadwall ≥ American Wigeon > Northern Shoveler > Canvasback > Redhead > Greater Scaup > Ring-necked Duck ≥ Lesser Scaup ≥ Cinnamon Teal ≥ Blue-winged Teal</span> > Green-winged Teal<br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Of course, the above comparisons are over-simplifications, as I created them from the "average" size values presented in Sibley (2014) [Yes, actually <u><b>reading</b></u> the field guides can prove quite useful in bird ID] and the wing-chord values in Pyle (2008). Unfortunately, there is variation in size in all species, with males averaging larger than females and, at times, adults being larger (at least, bulkier) than immatures. So, again, determining your mystery scaup's age and, <b><span style="color: #cc0000;">particularl</span></b><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>y</b></span>, sex can be critical to slapping the correct ID on the bird, and, below, we present a great example.</span><br />
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The recent incredible increases in both the number of birders and in the ease with which information about bird occurrences can be shared has exacerbated the problem of mis-identification of scaup. Additionally, one of those sharing venues -- eBird -- has particularly exacerbated the problem, as anyone can report bird occurrence to eBird, even when the identifications that result in those bird-occurrence data are incorrect. Thus, the fact that a single birder incorrectly reports a Greater Scaup from a location can create a situation of circular logic about that occurrence, with many other observers visiting that location and also incorrectly reporting that "Greater Scaup." These sorts of things then take on a life of their own, as few observers then critically examine the bird in question, because "the bird has been reported by others," so one of these scaup must be the Greater.<br />
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This essay is the direct result of one of those situations. Someone (I know not who, and it does not matter) reported a male Greater Scaup at Belmar Park in Jefferson Co., CO, in January. Others followed, some reporting a Greater Scaup; still more others followed. Kathy Mihm Dunning, Scott Somershoe, and Tony Leukering, due to eBird-review duties, had seen a number of photos from the location of the purported Greater Scaup, and were sure that the various reports were in error, as none of the photos embedded in eBird checklists provided definitive proof of ID. In fact, many photos were obviously of Lesser Scaup; some were less-obviously of Lesser Scaup.<br />
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Kathy and Tony visited Belmar Park on 3 February to attempt to solve the problem. As can be seen in the <a href="https://ebird.org/view/checklist/S42462007" target="_blank">resultant checklist</a>, they found ten individual scaup. The number of Lesser Scaup reported on the other 41 checklists that reported scaup from Belmar Park in January and early February 2018 ranged from one to ten. Greater Scaup were noted on 14 of those checklists, with all but one checklist reporting a single bird. Thus, it seems unlikely that the "Greater Scaup" in question was/were not present for their visit. In fact, some of the photos of the purported Greater Scaup were more-than-good enough for us to determine that we saw the <u>same individual birds</u>. Unfortunately, those birds were Lesser Scaup. <b>BUT</b>, there was a very interesting brown scaup. In fact, it was one of the birds depicted in the single checklist that reported brown Greater Scaup.<br />
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When endeavoring to identify a scaup, as with identifying most birds, determining the bird's age and sex are quite helpful when hoping to arrive at a correct ID. Conversely, if one is not hoping to arrive at a correct ID, then age and sex don't play any useful part. The primary reason that ageing scaup is critical for species identification is that the <u><span style="color: #cc0000;"><b>head shape of juvenile scaup, particularly that of Lesser, is somewhat to quite different from that of adults</b></span></u>. Yes, the heads of juvenile Lesser Scaup are often fairly rounded. Here are some examples of immature Lesser Scaup in fall:<br />
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<a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/83906661#_ga=2.202377302.672625955.1518400672-334541348.1399337695" target="_blank">November, El Salvador</a><br />
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<a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/83506471#_ga=2.92152157.672625955.1518400672-334541348.1399337695" target="_blank">September, Idaho</a><br />
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<a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/82623881#_ga=2.93258074.672625955.1518400672-334541348.1399337695" target="_blank">September, Idaho</a> [we particularly like the great variety of head shapes depicted in this photo]<br />
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<a href="https://macaulaylibrary.org/asset/80745141#_ga=2.196471275.672625955.1518400672-334541348.1399337695" target="_blank">October, Ontario</a><br />
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Of the Lesser Scaup at Belmar Park on 3 February, there was just a single male wearing complete (or nearly so) adult-like plumage; it is depicted in Figs. 1-2. All other male scaup present were obvious immatures (such as the second bird in Figs. 1-2).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ_1Z0_JdR6NPQu3HYP0HF2PtVUtpXVsfBUPUkI6LgqJSjeWXN2d3tnkWlQGBcyaRQEPAqZfGcK1BRRBOGyCP1E94P2wPC9aRYWDtAgxIRbs7IfqApYcgl397kc923q4KOk2TNPcSPRNJ/s1600/lesc-ad-m-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-tl-1-croplarger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="784" data-original-width="1153" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinQ_1Z0_JdR6NPQu3HYP0HF2PtVUtpXVsfBUPUkI6LgqJSjeWXN2d3tnkWlQGBcyaRQEPAqZfGcK1BRRBOGyCP1E94P2wPC9aRYWDtAgxIRbs7IfqApYcgl397kc923q4KOk2TNPcSPRNJ/s320/lesc-ad-m-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-tl-1-croplarger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmr7kFAFraBkuyN-hITm_cP4tlq4qF67M4-WZtma0Aa4ZZiQQOnU_WOu_zLO5e46MflzmgDwtkCF6TdLsSxrvyWuQjVeDk50yuYCXH3y89oSHgyYBIDrsLSwpnphNfztxlQFbJ5rkXgBG/s1600/lesc-ad-m-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-tl-2-croplarger.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1048" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnmr7kFAFraBkuyN-hITm_cP4tlq4qF67M4-WZtma0Aa4ZZiQQOnU_WOu_zLO5e46MflzmgDwtkCF6TdLsSxrvyWuQjVeDk50yuYCXH3y89oSHgyYBIDrsLSwpnphNfztxlQFbJ5rkXgBG/s320/lesc-ad-m-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-tl-2-croplarger.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Figures 1 and 2. Adult male (right) and immature male Lesser Scaup. Note the peaked crowns of both birds, but that the immature's crown is less-peaked. Also note the immature's mix of juvenile and adult-like plumage. Belmar Park, Jefferson Co., CO; 3 February 2018. Photographs by Tony Leukering.</i></div>
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The only scaup present that caused a slight increase in heartbeat rate was the bird presented in Figs. 3-6 and which provides the aforementioned great example of the usefulness of size comparison when identifying ducks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XgIS-FJajF-UVeHRNeh9H3qUMjTkBPvi84u1A6di4vFMkGcF9ctxAAA5ML5IrC1L6qGTWbkZJgN-Uv_ipB3Imjz2QHUJ_4EMJ52KbNtpt-qqYTh_Jc_ehx8yiStp_t23emr2JGe4wZ9s/s1600/lesc-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-kmd-01-cropsmaller-arrows.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="882" data-original-width="880" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6XgIS-FJajF-UVeHRNeh9H3qUMjTkBPvi84u1A6di4vFMkGcF9ctxAAA5ML5IrC1L6qGTWbkZJgN-Uv_ipB3Imjz2QHUJ_4EMJ52KbNtpt-qqYTh_Jc_ehx8yiStp_t23emr2JGe4wZ9s/s320/lesc-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-kmd-01-cropsmaller-arrows.jpg" width="319" /></a></div>
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<i>Figure 3. The interesting brown scaup. Note the disheveled plumage on the crown that makes the bird look like it's having a bad-hair day; that plumage is almost certainly juvenile crown plumage, and worn juvenile crown plumage, at that. Also note the handful of grayish feathers present on the sides, which present as whitish streaks. Also note the oddly orange color to the plumage encircling the bill. We do not know what that color means, but it makes for a distinctive scaup. The brown eyes indicate that this bird is an immature. The bits of gray side plumage indicate that this is a male, not, as one might think, a female. Note that it appears quite a bit smaller than the male Northern Shoveler behind it. Finally, note that that male Northern Shoveler's head is purply-blue, not green. Again, the color of iridescent plumage is highly unreliable as an identification feature. Belmar Park, Jefferson Co., CO; 3 February 2018. Photograph by Kathy Mihm Dunning.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTzZ2WYLkcbkZnY25usQyOUFvQtjnF276Pud8GuH4zp1fNe3pWK4IdRRSQGmbqg51U-BKQGhJq17NIamWh-DUdWosVHyHlOvbLI4VNer3wGygsUwn_mKnsfc2AV6q2GOqYtIAzXmzHhTL/s1600/lesc-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-kmd-03-croptiny-arrows.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="260" data-original-width="369" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaTzZ2WYLkcbkZnY25usQyOUFvQtjnF276Pud8GuH4zp1fNe3pWK4IdRRSQGmbqg51U-BKQGhJq17NIamWh-DUdWosVHyHlOvbLI4VNer3wGygsUwn_mKnsfc2AV6q2GOqYtIAzXmzHhTL/s320/lesc-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-kmd-03-croptiny-arrows.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Figure 4. The interesting brown scaup. Note the bird's apparently blocky head, non-peaked crown, and steep forehead. Part of that appearance is due to ephemeral posture, part due to retained juvenile head plumage. Since by this time that juvenal head plumage has been adorning the bird for, perhaps, 7-8 months, it is getting quite worn. That means that the feathers are becoming shorter, which may account for a few of the apparent Greater-like head features presented in this photo. This photo is also highly relevant to the above caution about using a single photo to describe your scaup. </i><i>Belmar Park, Jefferson Co., CO; 3 February 2018. Photograph by Kathy Mihm Dunning.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzz22cmFHSt70BtVRh-XoMvMfFhQVu8svAnI6n8p2ywJlS1Q1ucs1yGvv0lJ5yDFl6ER0eYLU0EKn4577qMmqvKfp8Op5Zk3puYnhW4RxKBuPg8PsdX_wBvTRzE_lWDJetzgJY0Y1kLChU/s1600/lesc-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-kmd-04-croptiny-arrows.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="356" data-original-width="357" height="319" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzz22cmFHSt70BtVRh-XoMvMfFhQVu8svAnI6n8p2ywJlS1Q1ucs1yGvv0lJ5yDFl6ER0eYLU0EKn4577qMmqvKfp8Op5Zk3puYnhW4RxKBuPg8PsdX_wBvTRzE_lWDJetzgJY0Y1kLChU/s320/lesc-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-kmd-04-croptiny-arrows.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<i>Figure 5. The interesting brown scaup. Note the bird's relatively narrow head and shallow angle created by jowls that do not bulge much (compare with birds on back cover comparison in <a href="https://cobirds.org/CFO/ColoradoBirds/InTheScope/21.pdf" target="_blank">this essay</a>). </i><i>Belmar Park, Jefferson Co., CO; 3 February 2018. Photograph by Kathy Mihm Dunning.</i><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-h2hS3xg3zhjZ6zDNtsV-AFMeSsTDdmpI5isfNL2oENlHLCS6kLWZSpFDTX5CPRjFmH0Lvk-VukqGt-3rKHBfheHUqNxoK_35h0CVYBH9YloNQOlFlO7MHesVpUnRHrJKVehdaX6CN6Y-/s1600/lesc-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-kmd-05-croplarge.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="535" data-original-width="1250" height="136" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-h2hS3xg3zhjZ6zDNtsV-AFMeSsTDdmpI5isfNL2oENlHLCS6kLWZSpFDTX5CPRjFmH0Lvk-VukqGt-3rKHBfheHUqNxoK_35h0CVYBH9YloNQOlFlO7MHesVpUnRHrJKVehdaX6CN6Y-/s320/lesc-im-m-belmarpark-2-03-18-kmd-05-croplarge.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i>Figure 6. The interesting brown scaup. Note that the scaup looks noticeably smaller than even a <u>female</u> Northern Shoveler. </i><i>Belmar Park, Jefferson Co., CO; 3 February 2018. Photograph by Kathy Mihm Dunning.</i><br />
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If you've slogged all the way through the essay: Thanks! If you've skipped ahead, the solution set to the murder is: Colonel Mustard, in the kitchen, with the wrench.<br />
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Literature Cited<br />
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Leukering, T. 2011. <a href="https://cobirds.org/CFO/ColoradoBirds/InTheScope/21.pdf" target="_blank">Greater and Lesser Scaup: Beyond crown shape</a>. Colorado Birds 45:75-78.<br />
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Pyle, P. 2008. <a href="http://www.slatecreekpress.com/" target="_blank">Identification Guide to North American Birds, part II</a>. Slate Creek Press, Bolinas, CA.<br />
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Sibley, D. A. 2014. The Sibley Guide to Birds, 2nd ed. Alfred A. Knopf, New York.<br />
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<i>Tony Leukering, Steve Mlodinow, Kathy Mihm Dunning, and Scott Somershoe (half of the Colorado eBird review team)</i><br />
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<br />Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-34837798138294950802018-01-26T12:45:00.002-07:002020-01-03T11:24:15.566-07:00The "Show Rarities" boxAs an eBird reviewer, I am continually surprised how few eBirders know about the "Show Rarities" box. Except for those few eBirders that look only at the birds at their feeders and who never host (knowingly or otherwise) a local rarity at those feeders, all eBirders will eventually run across something that is considered locally rare. That is, the entry gets flagged by the <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2015/02/stone-age-to-industrial-age-evolution.html" target="_blank">relevant eBird filter</a>. This is particularly true for those folks that don't eBird regularly, but occasionally chase interesting stakeouts, such as this year's crop of Snowy Owls.<br />
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The result of this ignorance of a basic part of eBird's infrastructure is that such observers usually wind up putting an entry for the chased Snowy Owl, or Red-breasted Sapsucker, or Brambling into one or another of the various "spuh" categories. In fact, this winter's Snowy Owl movement is really obvious anytime that I go to look at the photos entered into the "owl sp." entry, because the observer did not know about the "Show Rarities" box. Since the eBird program is very light on instruction as to how to use eBird and a lot of people hate "reading the manual," it is left to reviewers to explain to observers (or, in many cases, not) how to get those various rarities into the species entry, rather than letting them languish in an unidentified category (which serves almost no one well).<br />
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To find the "Show Rarities" box, one must be in the process of submitting a checklist directly via the Internet (that is, NOT via the eBird app) OR be editing an existing checklist (which one cannot do from the eBird app; at least, not yet). The "Show Rarities" box is on the right side of the checklist-view page, as indicated here (click on images to see larger versions). However, to get to the checklist-view page, you will have had to click on the "Edit Species List" button immediately after you opened the relevant checklist (Fig. 1).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7c_6MUb2N_cS1p4Gfu2RCXDOomWqT1BxmwW-40U2uBXn26eepPA3eogQQr693DB2MN_8F3rZ50WqnTNQcZ55pcKmjukbdmP2lcVO2ZoXJiM9XmxGgBjbuwcr0izraWKy0gksMub-DLMr/s1600/checklist-view.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="750" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ7c_6MUb2N_cS1p4Gfu2RCXDOomWqT1BxmwW-40U2uBXn26eepPA3eogQQr693DB2MN_8F3rZ50WqnTNQcZ55pcKmjukbdmP2lcVO2ZoXJiM9XmxGgBjbuwcr0izraWKy0gksMub-DLMr/s320/checklist-view.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Figure 1. This is the page that you see when you open an existing checklist (that is, one that you are not currently entering originally). The arrow points out the button on which to click to get to the checklist-view page (Fig. 2).</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEx8MX39YO09ChbyIdERyYDPKrS5pZInx-VdpL7Xd8Njkpfg-LjFDa9FDooUaknK6B1SuLO2UY0KdAkOgpHEDYmYXGdU_jnZuAM-7yxCkHK_GIk9CYFUP1sRezsgk-bI3vtEK0cSiVF_M/s1600/show+rarities.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="592" data-original-width="1117" height="169" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEx8MX39YO09ChbyIdERyYDPKrS5pZInx-VdpL7Xd8Njkpfg-LjFDa9FDooUaknK6B1SuLO2UY0KdAkOgpHEDYmYXGdU_jnZuAM-7yxCkHK_GIk9CYFUP1sRezsgk-bI3vtEK0cSiVF_M/s320/show+rarities.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Figure 2. The "Show Rarities" box is shown by the arrow.<br />
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If the entry for which you are looking is not presented in the checklist, look at that check box in front of "Show Rarities" to make sure that it is checked (it is not checked in the above graphic). If that box is unchecked, simply click on the box and the check-mark will be added.<br />
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However, if that check-box is already clicked and the entry for which you search is still not present, look above the "Show Rarities" box for the "Add species" feature. Clicking on "Add Species" will open a dialog box that will allow you to enter the entry for which you search, whether that is "Picoides sp.," "Wandering Albatross,", or, as in Fig. 3, "Great Gray Owl."<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YjzLJhQEA6sZgJM4roj9RvR8K5C9TSobR9Kp6738OsYS981OLiLoEQfoQdJOGcs9gl8TQEEHJZtB8iQY7JmUHhF_jz1PXVv-v8nJu8drU0SiVNuSpfLPP29Lm1PQ0Wtn98t1SrwRu-DC/s1600/add-species-2.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="581" data-original-width="1106" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3YjzLJhQEA6sZgJM4roj9RvR8K5C9TSobR9Kp6738OsYS981OLiLoEQfoQdJOGcs9gl8TQEEHJZtB8iQY7JmUHhF_jz1PXVv-v8nJu8drU0SiVNuSpfLPP29Lm1PQ0Wtn98t1SrwRu-DC/s320/add-species-2.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Figure 3. Once the "Add species" dialog box opens, simply start typing in the name of the entry.<br />
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In the example provided in Fig. 3, I have started typing "Great Gray Owl" and have not gotten to the owl part, but the option that I want is the first one on the list. Simply highlight that option (here, it is in blue) and click on it to move that option into the dialog box. Once that ation is completed, eBird will give you the screen presented in Fig. 4.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfzA2_Qisnn_y6UdF-k9Df343i92I4VWUmq4uYhhq1koqnnd5jDVvpN2rwYJ1haRmx2-sQpAR3K56NDVxAJsvVv0qxkTI2W-NcfxDAsAWzwIJ9gD9aRvWFcQ-mAapqJRmLh5eiOJMrIh-/s1600/add-species-3.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="1102" height="166" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdfzA2_Qisnn_y6UdF-k9Df343i92I4VWUmq4uYhhq1koqnnd5jDVvpN2rwYJ1haRmx2-sQpAR3K56NDVxAJsvVv0qxkTI2W-NcfxDAsAWzwIJ9gD9aRvWFcQ-mAapqJRmLh5eiOJMrIh-/s320/add-species-3.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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Figure 4. After filling in the dialog box in the previous step, this screen is the result.<br />
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Notice that eBird has filled in the number box, assuming that an observation that requires adding a species to the checklists -- that is, one that is not even on the relevant filter, would be rare enough that the likelihood of seeing more than one is low. If, however, one does wish to report more than one, simply highlight the number (or put the cursor to the right of the number and press the 'backspace' key) and type in the number that you wish to report. Then, because this entry is considered locally rare, you will need to provide details in the <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2017/08/ebird-basics-species-comments-box.html" target="_blank">"Details" box</a>. Of course, if you're simply trying to add an unidentified category (one of the "... sp." entries, called "spuhs" by eBird folks), then you'll need to just add a short note in the "Details" box as to why you're using it, and that that entry might need to be added to the relevant filter. Once you have completed those steps, simply click on the big, green "Save" button, and you can continue on your merry way.Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-40460328987348584592018-01-24T11:31:00.002-07:002020-01-03T11:09:46.538-07:00The "Change Species" buttonFor most of eBird's history, if one made a mistake and entered data in the wrong entry, to fix it, one needed to put all of the relevant information (number of individuals and any data on age/sex, etc.) into the intended entry and then delete the mistaken entry. This was a bit annoying, but particularly so if one had uploaded photos into that entry. One might have lost track of those photos, but even if one hadn't, just finding them and re-uploading was another minor pain.<br />
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Late in 2017, eBird introduced a great new checklist-editing tool: the "Change Species" button. This new button allows quick-and-easy transfer of data and embedded media from one entry to another, <u>as long as there are not already data in the target species entry</u>. This post is meant as a how-to essay on the mechanics of using the "Change Species" button.<br />
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After opening the checklist in question, click on the "Edit Species List" button (click on images to see larger versions):<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxDlc7oB0sSDDkxStVu4s5Y4IRe7fAqefE7M4yuxos5g_QbEnA80mg4xpAJ5gYxaXTnqAAI5LoG4ixzM_pstwZ7WwA-jNO0IPNVzqMyJZ9IqfTygCIjR4JPKOmpbenahuy_eePD95whLL/s1600/checklist-view.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="475" data-original-width="750" height="202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioxDlc7oB0sSDDkxStVu4s5Y4IRe7fAqefE7M4yuxos5g_QbEnA80mg4xpAJ5gYxaXTnqAAI5LoG4ixzM_pstwZ7WwA-jNO0IPNVzqMyJZ9IqfTygCIjR4JPKOmpbenahuy_eePD95whLL/s320/checklist-view.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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After clicking on that button, eBird will then provide you access to the various entries in the bird list:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQMmgPzYQtL_4IROMF2Rw4Thgofu7P2kbFR10dryHxk6gBzeFHmHlOClvQZujBW9OLbRyHA4gBBI2n97tdIiZUlafk8JTMu3FeDqHz5d4_BMNMVVC9Y2z3MhC7akyPDciPwFloOKkZN2d/s1600/change+species+button.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="570" data-original-width="1112" height="164" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUQMmgPzYQtL_4IROMF2Rw4Thgofu7P2kbFR10dryHxk6gBzeFHmHlOClvQZujBW9OLbRyHA4gBBI2n97tdIiZUlafk8JTMu3FeDqHz5d4_BMNMVVC9Y2z3MhC7akyPDciPwFloOKkZN2d/s320/change+species+button.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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In the above screen grab, we can see that I have entered the number of birds and a photo into the "longspur sp." entry, an entry that I had used as a place-holder until I could go through my photos and figure out a reasonable ratio of the longspur species present (Lapland and McCown's). So, now that I've done that, I can move the data AND the photo into the McCown's Longspur entry very easily by clicking on the "Change Species" button visible to the right of the species/category name. [If you want to move only the media, click on the "Only my media" radial button.] Once I click that button, I see this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pzDL7dAD7fxrVYVePIDfFQYkBpIOsH9WnrBTNVqHFSzcdhTUR3lRAjGRircfosWznybh8e8dfcnlsXkkY4yCpOBQjXh_u_N3BAwxhbOn72_B-EkH4WGWQoOYYN88xcKj5ycK3Ip3_6oX/s1600/change+species+button-2ndstep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="610" data-original-width="1105" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3pzDL7dAD7fxrVYVePIDfFQYkBpIOsH9WnrBTNVqHFSzcdhTUR3lRAjGRircfosWznybh8e8dfcnlsXkkY4yCpOBQjXh_u_N3BAwxhbOn72_B-EkH4WGWQoOYYN88xcKj5ycK3Ip3_6oX/s320/change+species+button-2ndstep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Since I want to move the number of individuals AND any other data or photos, I make sure that the "Entire observation" radial button is highlighted (rather than the "Only my media" radial button). Then I start typing into the blue ovaled box under "Change species identification to" the name of the species into which entry I wish to move the information. Once I start typing in the name, eBird starts giving me options that match the set of letters typed to that point. Because there is only one bird species in the world named after Mr. McCown, once I've gotten that far, that species is the only one offered:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-G75NU9uecDW3WUvekzK2xmm35DSyhsIU_1F3_MgbI_LBhZ3U_u5JYqzNQR064gDAShrA0RclNoP65ZCc_rhS0nms1o2knS_C2Rwb55HPkz0sJXbK9-np5NNb6yqjY4J9sz1FiVq6j1u/s1600/change+species+button-3rdstep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="1107" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8-G75NU9uecDW3WUvekzK2xmm35DSyhsIU_1F3_MgbI_LBhZ3U_u5JYqzNQR064gDAShrA0RclNoP65ZCc_rhS0nms1o2knS_C2Rwb55HPkz0sJXbK9-np5NNb6yqjY4J9sz1FiVq6j1u/s320/change+species+button-3rdstep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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However, for other species, you may have a couple to many options for species, depending upon how far into the name you've typed. You can scroll down the list and highlight the entry that you want and click on it, which will then show in that ovaled box:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCI4rDsn_ugLqKwdNXq1FUcICfloVjJPkdLZVW4xQsqyHTbX_UDPGVa5XsmbaP6opgFVwzzgqlykaVAQFWKd0qddWOF90jW99LkAw03TIMLaJi7iFB6zsUKXJhaALjUf_4XY4943gLJyJ/s1600/change+species+button-4thstep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="614" data-original-width="1103" height="178" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDCI4rDsn_ugLqKwdNXq1FUcICfloVjJPkdLZVW4xQsqyHTbX_UDPGVa5XsmbaP6opgFVwzzgqlykaVAQFWKd0qddWOF90jW99LkAw03TIMLaJi7iFB6zsUKXJhaALjUf_4XY4943gLJyJ/s320/change+species+button-4thstep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then, make sure that everything presented is correct and, if so, click on the green "Change" button, which will give you this screen:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigliv4TATMS1SatmND0UeBnTqmMELSdFBbqcF1p4Ied07VAYgh1t45h3160dueUV2UjmGYgBM3eQhFizV42gS2HnoGzVRywQ2k96RXLyG61Rft42mKjyS6mu8njAt36rlvGJmrKkuN6DWs/s1600/change+species+button-5thstep.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="603" data-original-width="1103" height="174" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigliv4TATMS1SatmND0UeBnTqmMELSdFBbqcF1p4Ied07VAYgh1t45h3160dueUV2UjmGYgBM3eQhFizV42gS2HnoGzVRywQ2k96RXLyG61Rft42mKjyS6mu8njAt36rlvGJmrKkuN6DWs/s320/change+species+button-5thstep.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Then, go through the checklist and make sure that everything is copasetic (or hunky-dory or the way that you want it) and click on the big, green "Save" button.<br />
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You're done. The process actually takes much less time than does reading this blog post.<br />
<br />Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-37815488807358172292017-08-09T18:46:00.001-06:002018-08-14T18:10:59.606-06:00eBird basics: The species comments box<span style="font-family: inherit;">For every entry that one makes in eBird, you have the option to provide comments. <span style="background-color: white;">You can put whatever you want in the comment section. However, for flagged reports, the information that is really needed are details that describe the bird and eliminate other species, or how you documented a high count, are needed. Why should you add such information? Pr</span><span style="background-color: white;">oviding the needed information up front saves the local reviewer time, effort, and, possibly, annoyance. You may also come to pay closer attention to details on uncommon and rare species, subsequently increasing your skill, and providing valuable information that's archived for people for years down the road.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Each species, subspecies, and undetermined entry has a comments box that is accessed by clicking on the "Add Details" button to the right of the species (or other entry) name (Fig. 1).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZxs94n6NWIQDHxs1p35b49yFSW0Y4_fcXnHeJJPKWBAsfUshfEzMQXEa9hQ5EESYu-MB3pZsubCVelqR8CBKHZQ1VvSDploSfnxIjM6mXXRi1QvFuJPFmBJPkGZya21fAjVvDiT8S1Dn/s1600/add-details-box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="1105" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUZxs94n6NWIQDHxs1p35b49yFSW0Y4_fcXnHeJJPKWBAsfUshfEzMQXEa9hQ5EESYu-MB3pZsubCVelqR8CBKHZQ1VvSDploSfnxIjM6mXXRi1QvFuJPFmBJPkGZya21fAjVvDiT8S1Dn/s640/add-details-box.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Figure 1. The "Add Details" button that leads to the species-comments box (see below).</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Clicking on that button leads to opening what eBird calls the "Details" box (Fig. 2). It is intended as a place to put comments on the species (etc.) that one is reporting.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTAEqnUGcKODn2COZoSdHt83-OLPk3iVElrdjaL9FAPJ7HsahnfCzqJomEpYLnN_Ph1_03sewJ4wqae6SECpMPdZrbfbOINDHkZp0ZCoQh5hSXGuR1F8LkbEnRe903buwmnayEDaDX3wj/s1600/add-details-box-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="505" data-original-width="1101" height="292" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLTAEqnUGcKODn2COZoSdHt83-OLPk3iVElrdjaL9FAPJ7HsahnfCzqJomEpYLnN_Ph1_03sewJ4wqae6SECpMPdZrbfbOINDHkZp0ZCoQh5hSXGuR1F8LkbEnRe903buwmnayEDaDX3wj/s640/add-details-box-2.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Figure 2. The opened species-comment box. Other useful features shown in this figure include the "Show Rarities" box (check it if the species you wish to report is not on the checklist) and the "Add species" link if that species still does not show after checking the "Show Rarities" box.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">One can add most anything to this box that one wishes; it sees a lot of use. Such comments, are varied and "include things like "Life bird #263;" "bird was visiting the right-most feeder in the back yard;" "I would not have seen it if it weren't for the ball game being pre-empted;" or "in a tree."</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As I wrote, one can put nearly whatever one wishes in that box. What eBird reviewers wish, however, is that more eBirders would use that box to provide details on <u>how that bird or those birds were identified</u> or <u>at how the reported number was arrived</u>? For species that the local filter considers rare, provide details on features that were noted that enable identification, with the amount of detail proportional to the level of rarity. <b>Perhaps more importantly, provide notes on what features were noted that rule out other, similar-appearing species.</b> [<a href="http://coloradobirdrecords.org/Articles/writingbirddescriptions_leukering.pdf" target="_blank">See an article about just such.</a>] For entries that are flagged due to a <u>high number</u>, a simple comment on how the number was derived is what we want: "counted 1x1," "counted by 10s," or "estimate" usually suffice.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For minor rarities or slightly out-of-season birds, a sentence or sentence fragment listing the aspects of the bird seen/heard may be all that is needed (e.g., "red, crested bird with black mask," "large bird of prey... white head and tail, dark brown body," or "long, slow, wolf whistle coming from above ground"). Indeed, for most entries that the relevant <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2015/02/stone-age-to-industrial-age-evolution.html" target="_blank">eBird filter flags, causing you to have to confirm your entry</a>, such examples are often all that the local reviewer would need to allow the report into the public database. For rarer events or trickier IDs, more details on the bird or birds' identification would be needed (Fig. 3). If one has a photo or photos and if one is entering the data via the eBird app, then providing the comment "photo" or "I have photos" is fine as a place-holder, but not as a final comment. If one has photos, please upload them using the </span><a href="http://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/973966-adding-photos-and-audio-to-ebird-checklists" target="_blank">"Media" tab</a> (Fig 2).<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4AsmuGGC59fpZAgs8X9xtJ4kC5OmTePDaLv2w1MbZgylMfhMT5vfQXfr4dFjdpChiUfJlE6thimanf-x2pgHX44totPRNsgSa7Hvta1-HF00DEgSaoP_TlQC6aub8h-jFRkVAw4EjiWW/s1600/details-in-sp-comments.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><img border="0" data-original-height="301" data-original-width="760" height="252" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjn4AsmuGGC59fpZAgs8X9xtJ4kC5OmTePDaLv2w1MbZgylMfhMT5vfQXfr4dFjdpChiUfJlE6thimanf-x2pgHX44totPRNsgSa7Hvta1-HF00DEgSaoP_TlQC6aub8h-jFRkVAw4EjiWW/s640/details-in-sp-comments.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: small;">Figure 3. Reviewer-useful comments on a species that is only slightly rare, but is a somewhat-tricky subspecies identification.</span></div>
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</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">For even rarer occurrences, be prepared to provide quite a lot of information in this box, preferably with a photo or photos and/or audio files added to the species entry via the <a href="http://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/973966-adding-photos-and-audio-to-ebird-checklists" target="_blank">"Media" tab</a> (Fig 2; also <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/view/checklist/S38345386" target="_blank">see this Eastern Meadowlark example</a>).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">Particularly if one is reporting a checklist using the eBird app, putting the comment in that you have a photo or photos is fine, <b>as long as one soon thereafter uploads the photo into the checklist</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: inherit;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: inherit;">So, why do this? The easiest answer to that question is that it will save time in the long run. Any flagged entry is liable to be queried by the local reviewer. Why wait? Why have to go through the query-response cycle (or the query-response-query-response, etc. cycle)? Providing the information up front saves that local reviewer time, effort, and, possibly, annoyance. It is a good thing to do in the care and feeding of your local eBird reviewer.</span><br />
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Finally, some observers question why a particular report is flagged and use the comments box to post it. This is fine. However, some of us have spent a LOT of time fine-tuning the filters that govern what is flagged and where, and being rude about that query is not at all helpful. Instead of terse comments such as "not rare," something like "Could you explain why this entry is flagged?" Except in a few filters in Colorado and Wyoming that have not seen a lot of work in recent years, there is good rationale behind the various filter limits. We suggest that you check previous posts on this blog, as your question may have been answered there.<br />
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Tony Leukering, Scott Somershoe, Steve Mlodinow, and Kathy Mihm Dunning</div>
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Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-54551019432427762132016-03-18T11:28:00.000-06:002018-07-19T09:44:16.653-06:00eBird checklists and miles traveled<span style="font-size: small;">One of the tasks that eBird reviewers find difficult is dealing with checklists that involve long, traveling counts. Such checklists often stand out because they tend to rack up relatively large numbers of individual species, thus tickling the relevant filter and getting particular species entries flagged. However, a large percentage of such checklists have no flags, thus do not see review until and unless a reviewer goes searching for anomalous eBird locations of habitat-restricted species, such as, say, White-tailed Ptarmigan. In fact, these habitat- and range-restricted species are the primary argument for having checklists with as precise a location as possible, else the resultant eBird maps show occurrence in areas or habitats in which the species does not occur.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">Unfortunately, the most comprehensive treatment of the subject is not that comprehensive and does not provide any hard-and-fast ground rules. Granted, hard-and-fast rules when dealing with biology are nearly impossible, but eBird does care, and care strongly, about checklist locations. In fact, I'm sure that if it were possible, eBird would prefer a checklist and associated precise location for every individual bird. Of course, that is not going to happen, at least, not anytime soon. However impossible the every-bird-is-its-own-checklist pipe dream might be, there are definite and very strong advantages to eBird of having checklists cover as little distance as we can get from eBirders.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: small;">The best guidance that I have found in the eBird 'Help' tab is the "Traveling Counts" section of a <a href="http://help.ebird.org/customer/portal/articles/974012-how-to-make-your-checklists-more-valuable" target="_blank">general-purpose essay on making checklists more useful</a>:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span>
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<span style="font-size: small;">Traveling counts have proven to be the most effective type of
observation for modeling bird populations at large scales. By doing
these counts, birders often detect a good proportion of the birds in a
given habitat. It is critical, however, that your traveling counts not
be too long. Our analysts are able to effectively use <span style="color: red;"><b>traveling counts
that are ≤5 miles</b></span> [emphasis added]. Most birding that is conducted on foot easily falls
within this window, but traveling counts by car can often be longer.
Please consider breaking up your long traveling counts into shorter-distance ones. It's best if these shorter counts are in a relatively
consistent habitat, or do not pass through habitats that are too
different. For example, a logical point to break a longer route into
segments would be a transition between forest and farmland, as the birds
found in these two habitat types are vastly different. Doing so would
make information associated with each location — such as vegetation
information from satellite images — more informative. Plot your
location at the center of the area traveled, not at the start point or
end point. It's okay to stop and spend time searching flocks of birds
more thoroughly on traveling counts, as we are not assuming that you are
traveling at a constant speed. You're birding after all!</span></blockquote>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;">I here note that eBird Central has repeatedly stressed that this "five-mile limit" should NOT be considered cause, in and of itself, for checklist invalidation, that the limit is simply one that is very useful in particular types of analyses, such as the <a href="http://ebird.org/content/ebird/occurrence/" target="_blank">STEM maps of migration of individual species</a>.<span style="color: black;"> Checklists covering trips of a reasonable longer distance are certainly permitted in eBird and most such provide perfectly valid and useful data. The problem that eBird reviewers face is where to draw the line on "reasonable."</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">Certainly, any eBirder should recognize that a checklist covering 650 miles on I-80 and crossing a state boundary (possibly, multiple state boundaries) and who knows now many dozens of county boundaries, does not provide data useful to anyone other than the observer. In fact, such would provide misleading information, as almost no matter where such a checklist were plotted, the list of birds could well include species not regularly found at or near the plotted location. But where lies the "reasonable" cutoff between 650 miles and five miles? Unfortunately, this illusory line is dependent upon where you are and what sort of areas are covered by the checklist.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">In much of the flatlands of Wyoming and Colorado, a checklist covering 15 miles might include just one or two habitats (e. g., native grassland and winter-wheat fields) that share a large proportion of bird species present in the area, and thus provide reasonable eBird data. However, in places like southwestern Huerfano County, Colorado, traveling on the road from Highway 12 toward Trinchera Peak -- the straight-line distance of which is just over 4 miles (though the road distance is a fair bit longer) -- one's elevation changes from roughly 9250 feet to over 12,100 feet. This road takes one from about the upper limit of elevational range of species like <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/pygnut?neg=true&env.minX=-105.85703634812899&env.minY=36.95465018824172&env.maxX=-103.98112082078524&env.maxY=37.526430317512215&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=6-7&bmo=6&emo=7&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2016" target="_blank">Pygmy Nuthatch</a> and <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/bkhgro?neg=true&env.minX=-105.85703634812899&env.minY=36.95465018824172&env.maxX=-103.98112082078524&env.maxY=37.526430317512215&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=6-7&bmo=6&emo=7&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2016" target="_blank">Black-headed Grosbeak</a> and the lower elevational limit of <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/gryjay?neg=true&env.minX=-105.85703634812899&env.minY=36.95465018824172&env.maxX=-103.98112082078524&env.maxY=37.526430317512215&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=6-7&bmo=6&emo=7&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2016" target="_blank">Gray Jay</a> and <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/pingro?neg=true&env.minX=-105.85703634812899&env.minY=36.95465018824172&env.maxX=-103.98112082078524&env.maxY=37.526430317512215&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=6-7&bmo=6&emo=7&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2016" target="_blank">Pine Grosbeak</a> to the above-timberline habitat of <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/whtpta1?neg=true&env.minX=-105.85703634812899&env.minY=36.95465018824172&env.maxX=-103.98112082078524&env.maxY=37.526430317512215&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=6-7&bmo=6&emo=7&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2016" target="_blank">White-tailed Ptarmigan</a> and <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/amepip?neg=true&env.minX=-105.98131918504305&env.minY=36.95223793788993&env.maxX=-104.1054036576993&env.maxY=37.52403629686713&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=6-7&bmo=6&emo=7&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2016" target="_blank">American Pipit</a>. Thus, any checklist covering the whole road will, perforce, require plotting some of the birds encountered in habitat different from that in which they typically occur.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">The above brings us back to the aforementioned eBird guideline about traveling distance and its emphasis on habitat. Though not stated precisely in the guideline, eBird is very much interested in checklist locations being fairly specific to the habitats of the species included on the checklist. Thus, in areas of the two-state region in which many habitats meet and mingle -- particularly obviously differing habitats, such as grassland and woodland or conifer forest and alpine tundra, the more precisely that locations are plotted and the shorter distances that are covered by individual checklists the better. With the eBird application (app) for smart phones (<a href="http://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/1101733-ebird-mobile-data-entry-app-best-practices" target="_blank">about which, please read the best-practices essay</a>), this becomes quite easy to manage. Granted, cell coverage in much of the two states leaves much to be desired, but there is a simple work-around when <a href="http://help.ebird.org/customer/en/portal/articles/1880550-preparing-for-a-trip-with-ebird-mobile" target="_blank">planning a trip to an area of poor cell coverage</a>. One can modify this technique when already out and unexpectedly (or otherwise) run into poor cell reception, by using an existing checklist in the app on which to base the new one. It is important to remember in such cases that county boundaries are often filter-region boundaries and species that are expected in some counties (thus, not flagged by occurrence, alone) may be unusual in a neighboring county, which may cause some slight disconnects between what species one sees and the "allowable" list of species on the current active checklist on the app.</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">Most eBirders understand the need to separate sightings in one county from those in another into different checklists. While this is less of a problem in Wyoming than it is in Colorado (mostly due to the many fewer counties in Wyoming), both states host birding locations that cross county borders, with Yellowstone N. P. being the mother of all examples in the two-state region (heck, the Park even straddles multiple <b>state</b> borders!). In Colorado, particular problem children birding sites include Chatfield S. P., Jumbo Reservoir, and Comanche N. G. However, the single most-recalcitrant problem child is the area around Denver International Airport (DIA).</span></span></span><br />
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The DIA problem was created when the airport was first proposed, because Denver County was allowed to annex a sizable chunk of what was then Adams County in order to build the airport and the access road (Peña Boulevard). This action created a long, snaking corridor of Denver cutting through Adams. Were it not for Denver County's small size and its near-complete lack of native habitat, the DIA problem would not be a problem. However, with birders' interest in county listing, this long snake of a Denver extension travels through some excellent habitat otherwise lacking in the county and providing access to species that have been extirpated from the original county boundary... such as Burrowing Owl. The whole eBird-review problem here is based on the fact that this corridor of Denver is so narrow, just 1.3 miles wide at its narrowest, thus it is nearly impossible on a birding jaunt of the area to not cross into and out of Adams County, sometimes multiple times. This all means that most (if not nearly all) eBird checklists submitted from the DIA environs cover an area claimed by multiple counties, something that is not "permissible" in eBird.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">In summary, I provide what I think are some reasonable guidelines on when to end the current eBird checklist and start a new one.</span></span></span><br />
<ul>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When a state boundary is crossed</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When a county boundary is crossed</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When crossing an obvious boundary between open habitat and wooded or forested habitat</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When arriving at </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">a birding location (particularly one that is an eBird hotspot) </span></span></span> </span></span></span><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">that
has well defined borders and that is managed by a particular government
agency or non-governmental organization (e. g., a state park, a
national wildlife refuge, a private preserve)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When leaving a birding location (particularly one that is an eBird hotspot) that has well defined borders and that is managed by a particular government agency or non-governmental organization (e. g., a state park, a national wildlife refuge, a private preserve)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When leaving the "understood" area of an eBird hotspot, even if that hotspot lacks well defined borders (e. g., "Yellowstone NP--Midway Geyser Basin" or "Rocky Mountain NP--Endovalley") </span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When accruing 15 miles of distance in relatively homogeneous habitat in open country (such as in sage shrubsteppe, grassland, agriculture)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When accruing 5 miles of distance in relatively homogeneous forested habitat without significant (</span></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">≤</span></span></span></span>750 feet) elevational change</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When accruing 2 miles of distance when encountering relatively significant elevational change (>750 feet, <span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;">≤</span></span></span></span><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><span style="line-height: 107%;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">1<span style="font-family: inherit;">5</span>00</span></span></span></span> feet)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;">When accruing 1 mile of distance when encountering significant elevational change (>1500 feet)</span></span></span></li>
<li><span style="color: #cc0000;"><span style="color: black;"><span style="font-size: small;">When accruing two hours of observation (one hour would be even better)</span></span></span></li>
</ul>
Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-78144993190228499662016-02-21T09:38:00.003-07:002016-02-21T09:59:58.987-07:00Update on Colorado and Wyoming filtersIt has been more than long enough for another post on this venue, and I apologize for that for myself and the rest of the two states' eBird reviewers. Personally, long work days and many other writing commitments can be blamed. Of course, if I didn't go birding, I'd have more time to write about birding.<br />
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As I alluded in <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/2015/02/stone-age-to-industrial-age-evolution.html">a previous post</a>, eBird is interested in pursuing more and better habitat-based filter regions, rather than the current system of using geopolitical boundaries to define them. As part and parcel of that interest, Don Jones (a member of the Wyoming review team) will be putting together a proposal for such for Wyoming as part of his undergraduate work (as the Brits would say) at university. I have spent some time in designing such a system for Colorado, and have nearly completed a first-draft version for eastern Colorado. Though Colorado's plains may seem to be easier to deal with in this regard than is the rest of the state, the reverse is actually true. The extreme topography gradients in western Colorado actually preclude making small, tight filter regions (one would need 100s of the things!), so fairly large filter regions will still be the easiest way to treat that part of the state. In eastern Colorado, however, there are numerous large reservoirs that attract a very different avifauna compared to most of the rest of the area. In addition, the large urban area with their de rigeur tree canopy also make for very different bird habitat than found on the rest of the plains. My current map has 26 regions defined from east of the Front Range-Wet Mountains-Sangre de Cristos Mountains line, where there are currently 20 regions, eight of which extend well up into the mountains. eBird is not yet ready to greatly expand the number of "arbitrary polygons" used as filter-region boundaries, but when they are ready, Colorado and Wyoming will be ready, too.<br />
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Since February 2015, I have split Cheyenne and Kiowa counties out of the former <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryI8wjMPrui-1RRrTngYFXLLRUrEI55uXMfOZzUqBXeuLnzqECvPOqSA69I-8JTuDG8Zme7aSHks1lt9eERpGKllFsEpf4abuejsL34qpBa2MmC1gZjRxm3zUHfCt3uNcp8j2dl54H6my/s1600/COFilterRegions.jpg">Southeast Region</a> into their own regions, bringing us to 39 current Colorado eBird filter regions, and with the Southeast Region no longer named such, as the remaining multi-county region is now titled Bent and Prowers. I had plans to split those last two counties, but have decided to spend the necessary time on designing arbitrary polygons, instead, which will (hopefully soon) negate any effort to make individual filters specific to Bent and Prowers counties.<br />
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Finally, I continue to fine tune existing filters, which may cause some to many data that may have resided comfortably in eBird for years to suddenly get flagged. Please do not be alarmed when you receive a request from one of us regarding a sighting from last year or from five years ago. This is a normal process, one that is greatly aided by the great increase in amount of eBird data available to analyze how filters might be made more precise. That is, thanks to you, eBird becomes stronger and stronger in its ability to define geographic and temporal bird occurrence in Colorado and Wyoming and the rest of the world.Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-14103431870709213462015-04-16T16:04:00.000-06:002015-04-26T23:28:31.714-06:00Colorado filter newsWhile this post will have little or no bearing on Wyoming birders, I write to inform the Colorado birding community that oversight of Kiowa County eBird entries is now managed by a county-specific filter rather than the broad (but getting less broad by the month) southeast Colorado filter. This means that various species that are of regular occurrence in general in the southeast, but rare in Kiowa County will have more-meaningful filter limits.<br />
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Kiowa County eBird data include <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-061&continue.x=49&continue.y=7&continue=Continue">reports of 288 species</a>, but many birders might be surprised by the number and variety of species for which there are no acceptable eBird reports from the county. This list includes:<br />
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/lepchi?neg=true&env.minX=-104.77795120078127&env.minY=37.74238048596895&env.maxX=-101.02612014609377&env.maxY=38.95289832945379&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2015">Lesser Prairie-Chicken</a></div>
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/bkchum?neg=true&env.minX=&env.minY=&env.maxX=&env.maxY=&zh=false&gp=false&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2015">Black-chinned Hummingbird</a></div>
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/rufhum?neg=true&env.minX=-104.77795120078127&env.minY=37.74238048596895&env.maxX=-101.02612014609377&env.maxY=38.95289832945379&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2015">Rufous Hummingbird</a></div>
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/rebwoo?neg=true&env.minX=-104.77795120078127&env.minY=37.74238048596897&env.maxX=-101.02612014609377&env.maxY=38.95289832945379&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2015">Red-bellied Woodpecker</a></div>
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/reevir?neg=true&env.minX=-104.77795120078127&env.minY=37.74238048596895&env.maxX=-101.02612014609377&env.maxY=38.95289832945379&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2015">Red-eyed Vireo</a></div>
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/pinwar?neg=true&env.minX=-104.77795120078127&env.minY=37.74238048596895&env.maxX=-101.02612014609377&env.maxY=38.95289832945379&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2015">Pine Warbler</a></div>
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<a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/map/btywar?neg=true&env.minX=-104.77795120078127&env.minY=37.74238048596895&env.maxX=-101.02612014609377&env.maxY=38.95289832945379&zh=true&gp=true&ev=Z&mr=1-12&bmo=1&emo=12&yr=all&byr=1900&eyr=2015">Black-throated Gray Warbler</a>.</div>
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Other species are so rare in the Kiowa eBird data set as to make for the <u>seemingly</u> preposterous phenomenon that there are more records for Reddish Egret than (among many others) such species as Red-breasted Merganser, Northern Bobwhite, Virginia Rail, Wilson's Snipe, White-winged Dove, Yellow-billed Cuckoo, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Brown Creeper, Eastern Bluebird, Sage Thrasher, Indigo Bunting, and Baltimore Oriole.</div>
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The next items on my to-do list are filters for Cheyenne (it is not particularly similar to anything else in the former southeast filter -- Baca, Bent, Crowley, Kiowa, Otero, and Prowers; note the water aspect of those counties), Archuleta and La Plata, and Lake.</div>
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Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-63197209090018139832015-04-10T12:59:00.000-06:002015-04-27T13:20:35.404-06:00Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology World Big Day!The Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology has announced a <a href="http://www.birds.cornell.edu/wsb/">worldwide Big Day</a> to be conducted on 9 May 2015, with the goal of getting as many as possible of the world's bird species recorded in <a href="http://www.ebird.org/">eBird</a>. Our two-state region can offer a couple of species unavailable almost anywhere else, Gunnison Sage-Grouse and Brown-capped Rosy-Finch. It also provides access to a number of bird species that can be difficult to find on demand, but which can be difficult elsewhere, including Trumpeter Swan, Harlequin Duck, Barrow's Goldeneye, White-tailed Ptarmigan, Dusky Grouse, Lesser Prairie-Chicken, Black Rail, Mountain Plover, Flammulated Owl, Northern Pygmy-Owl, Boreal Owl, Broad-tailed Hummingbird, Williamson's Sapsucker, Sage Thrasher, and Green-tailed Towhee. Alas, Black Swifts will not be in by then.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyaC2UfAz4Xt2OnKvUsgQBq8k3E7HXsecwqp_ccuwO6SOwxtJhrULQsqPwHF8H7kAQpQ809a2v8bVv2H7qQOca6QVLT-RNTnJtpnGSfqZ6RlPwaOAMmfh_X9fMxkVQygtK_AFKznR5rNG/s1600/BCRF_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYyaC2UfAz4Xt2OnKvUsgQBq8k3E7HXsecwqp_ccuwO6SOwxtJhrULQsqPwHF8H7kAQpQ809a2v8bVv2H7qQOca6QVLT-RNTnJtpnGSfqZ6RlPwaOAMmfh_X9fMxkVQygtK_AFKznR5rNG/s1600/BCRF_2.JPG" height="400" width="377" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Brown-capped Rosy-Finch - Snowy Range, Albany Co., WY © Shawn Billerman</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66JPhuyEOER8joSWpnJNf3s6gF-3DuwgeHAQqcpJPTEBAEVNvWvqtIxACFBcODMZgP-pXEc7Ip8WLMqyBB2_Gb9pO89SWhOtDnNQSYtWrOJlIA1E1csBiAPSB_wuXG5mDozoUTIem0qvc/s1600/WTPT_6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi66JPhuyEOER8joSWpnJNf3s6gF-3DuwgeHAQqcpJPTEBAEVNvWvqtIxACFBcODMZgP-pXEc7Ip8WLMqyBB2_Gb9pO89SWhOtDnNQSYtWrOJlIA1E1csBiAPSB_wuXG5mDozoUTIem0qvc/s1600/WTPT_6.jpg" height="285" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White-tailed Ptarmigan - Rocky Mountain National Park, Larimer Co., CO © Shawn Billerman</td></tr>
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I encourage the region's birders to assist the Lab in this endeavor by getting out and birding on 9 May and entering the resultant data into eBird. However, I have a couple of cautions for those doing so. Entering data at a local level, such as at an individual park (though not one the size of Yellowstone N. P.!) is much more useful than is a checklist covering the birding of half a day at a large number of locations. County-level lists are particularly inappropriate, especially in counties with large elevational ranges, which often result in high-elevation species being mapped at low-elevation sites and vice-versa. I particularly encourage those with the interest and/or easy access to any of the above-listed species to make an effort to find these species as, who knows, your detection might well be the only one in the world that day! Other owl species are also of particular interest, particularly the more-difficult species: Long-eared, Short-eared, and Northern Saw-whet Owls. (A caution about heard-only Boreal Owls -- winnowing Wilson's Snipe are often mistaken for Boreal Owl.)<br />
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Other states are taking part in this endeavor, with some considering informal competitions between/among counties. Perhaps the host of Boulder County birders could challenge the Larimer County birders or Wyoming birders in/near Natrona County could challenge those in/near Fremont County. Another type of challenge might be to bird some poorly-known county or portion of a county, as data from such areas is even more valuable due to the relative paucity of existing data from them. As a Colorado example, there are very few data in eBird from Hinsdale, Mineral, or Pitkin counties from the second week of May, while there are NO data in that week from either <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-065&continue.x=38&continue.y=4&continue=Continue">Lake</a> or <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-111&continue.x=46&continue.y=10&continue=Continue">San Juan</a> counties! (As something of an aside, check out how many weeks have NO data in eBird from these counties: <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-023&continue.x=23&continue.y=3&continue=Continue">Costilla</a>, <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-033&continue.x=28&continue.y=12&continue=Continue">Dolores</a>, <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-053&continue.x=63&continue.y=9&continue=Continue">Hinsdale</a>, <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-079&continue.x=52&continue.y=11&continue=Continue">Mineral</a>, <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-103&continue.x=47&continue.y=10&continue=Continue">Rio Blanco</a>, and <a href="http://ebird.org/ebird/GuideMe?step=saveChoices&getLocations=counties&parentState=US-CO&bMonth=01&bYear=1900&eMonth=12&eYear=2015&reportType=location&counties=US-CO-113&continue.x=31&continue.y=10&continue=Continue">San Miguel</a> counties.)<br />
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Challenge or no, I encourage all of the region's birders to get out on 9 May and enter the resultant data into eBird!Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-46151374058272957352015-03-14T16:52:00.000-06:002015-03-16T16:07:22.354-06:00The arrival of Swainson's HawksAs the time approaches in which the first Swainson's Hawk of spring is eagerly anticipated, I feel that a caution is warranted. While the identification of Swainson's Hawk is generally considered to be fairly straightforward, there are a few situations in which identifying a bird as a Swainson's Hawk is less than straightforward. In all of these situations, the difficulty lies in not understanding the whole range of plumage possibilities in other species. I have treated one of these: <a href="http://cobirds.org/CFO/ColoradoBirds/InTheScope/30.pdf">light juvenile Swainson's Hawk vs. light adult male Rough-legged Hawk</a>. Another is the Bald Eagle plumage termed "White Belly I" by <a href="http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/booksellers/press_release/hawksna/clarkwheeler_hawksna.pdf">Clark and Wheeler</a>, in which individuals have white wing linings and belly contrasting with dark flight feathers. The third situation, and the impetus for this short essay, involves certain adult Red-tailed Hawks.<br />
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Steve Mlodinow sent me a photograph this morning (Fig. 1) that seems to show a buteo with a reddish bib, nearly unmarked underparts, and very little in the way of white markings on the scapulars. Looking at the picture, I can certainly see how someone could go astray in the ID process!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRMPWbn_-_EPY4md6_D6_nsRO3Cjnuwy8b9wcdYy8ZSHwm6pkXfdJPplFjCvxYG_Od-BujP4ewr0dzXATHJG1gs7ravLZLgAoLgcgf7mcYxpjrB-mLOym9-1hCIaD2ZnDjrgH4k738-F4/s1600/RTHA-eastern-9Mar15-UnionRes-sgm.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRRMPWbn_-_EPY4md6_D6_nsRO3Cjnuwy8b9wcdYy8ZSHwm6pkXfdJPplFjCvxYG_Od-BujP4ewr0dzXATHJG1gs7ravLZLgAoLgcgf7mcYxpjrB-mLOym9-1hCIaD2ZnDjrgH4k738-F4/s1600/RTHA-eastern-9Mar15-UnionRes-sgm.jpg" height="449" width="640" /></a></div>
Figure 1. Adult Red-tailed Hawk, Union Reservoir, Weld Co., CO, 9 March 2015. Photo by Steven G. Mlodinow.<br />
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However, with a bit closer scrutiny, we can see that it is just the sides of the breast that are reddish; the center is white. Many adult Eastern (subspecies <i>borealis</i>) Red-tailed Hawks, at least those breeding at the latitude of Colorado (very few at the latitude of Michigan; pers. obs.), have little in the way of a belly band, thus enhancing the similarity with Swainson's Hawk.Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-84617589188126818082015-03-14T12:12:00.001-06:002015-03-16T21:34:05.035-06:00Bird-ID links<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I write a very short note to announce the publishing of a page on this blog that provides links to various <a href="http://cowyebird.blogspot.com/p/links-to-online-identification-articles.html">online bird-ID literature relevant to Colorado & Wyoming</a>. If you have suggestions of online papers to which you believe we should provide links, please enter such in the comments.</span>Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-435558235986080895.post-3388961060493160752015-02-26T13:54:00.000-07:002015-03-16T21:33:25.150-06:00Stone Age to Industrial Age: The evolution of eBird's filter systemDid you ever wonder why eBird asks for details about a report of American Dipper from Adams County, Colorado, but lets the same report from Park County, Wyoming, sail through without a twitch? I just want to say one word to you; just one word... "filters." <br />
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A filter is what creates the list of species (and non-species entries) that you see when you enter a checklist into eBird. Imagine, with the current world-wide scope of eBird, having to rummage through the entire list of the world's 10,000± species of birds just to enter the seven species that you saw in a nine-minute jaunt through your yard. Ugh. No one would use eBird. Thus, filters were created from the program's inception in order to streamline the data-entry process.<br />
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Filters have at least a couple other purposes, which go hand in hand with the primary purpose. The first of these is to call attention to the eBirder entering data that a species is not expected at the location, which helps point out possible data-entry errors. I've done it; you've done it. You meant to enter an American Bittern, but you got the number in the box for Least Bittern. Oops. eBird will point that out to you when it asks you to confirm the entry, as the species is rare in this region. Filters also involve abundance limits, which, again, enables the software to point out possible data-entry errors. This one I've done numerous times with my fat fingers. You meant to enter 1 American Bittern, but you accidentally also hit the zero on the number pad resulting in 10 American Bitterns. With the filter set at something less than 10, eBird will point out that error when it asks you to confirm the number, which is atypical for anywhere in this region.<br />
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In the beginning (2002), eBird was a very simple and simplistic world. The first iterations of filters were state-/province-based things (the program was originally restricted to the U.S. and Canada) that provided gross estimates of numbers acceptable for that state in each of the 12 months of the calendar. They were created as Excel spreadsheets, with species down and months across, each cell filled with an integer that was a gross approximation of what was thought to be the realistic maximum that one might encounter in a day's birding in the state/province; no matter where in the state/province. Abundant species, such as Red-winged Blackbird, might have a cell (or each of the 12 cells) filled with 100,000.<br />
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Chris Wood (currently the eBird Project Manager, but then "just" a Colorado birder with a strong knowledge of the state's bird distribution) and I constructed the first Colorado filter in 2001 and we did not really think through the ramifications of those cell entries. We did not consider data-entry errors. We did not consider what those cell entries might mean regarding permitting some fairly outlandish numbers to skip the review process. At the time, there were no non-species entries. That is, no spuhs, slashes, hybrids, subspecies. There were just species.<br />
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As eBird has become more refined with much more capacity and capability (thanks to Jeff Gerbracht and the rest of eBird's architect team), filters have become incredibly more complex. First, was the separation of the statewide filter into regional filters, using the county as the basic block, at least in the Lower 48. Circa 2005, Chris and I divided Colorado's statewide filter into five regional filters in which we lumped counties with similar avifauna: Northeast, Southeast, Mountains, Northwest, and Southwest. That, obviously, required some fine-tuning of each of those five filters to more-closely match each subregion's avifauna, such as excluding Northern Bobwhite from the three western filters and excluding Gunnison Sage-Grouse from the two eastern filters and the Northwest filter.<br />
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Next was the addition of various above-species-level entries, the spuhs (e. g., "goose sp.") and the slashes (e. g., "Semipalmated/Western Sandpiper"). That meant going through each of the five then-extant filters and adding those non-species entries relevant to each filter, which I did (Chris was now working at eBird) on a fairly conservative basis, putting in just the really common non-specific entries, such as "Snow/Ross's Goose" and "accipiter sp." That wasn't too bad. Tedious, but not too bad, and at the time, I was the only person working on Colorado's eBird filters. Due to Wyoming's low human population (thus birder population), the state did not then have a resident filter meister; the Stone Age (statewide) filter was established and maintained at eBird Central at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.<br />
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At some point after the addition of non-species-level entries, I started splitting the five Colorado filter regions into smaller ones in order to account for the complexity of bird distribution in the state, such as taking the species-rich and well-birded counties of Boulder and Larimer out of the northeastern filter and constructing a new filter that could be more tightly focused on that smaller region's avifauna. With available time, the number of Colorado filter regions grew, cracking double digits and never looking back.<br />
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In 2007, the addition of Marshall Iliff as the third member of the eBird management team (Team eBird; Brian Sullivan and Chris Wood being the other two), eBird's abilities expanded further, with a more-in-depth taxonomy that was to cover the entire planet (2010). (I find it very interesting that Brian, Chris, and Marshall all worked for me at Rocky Mountain Bird Observatory at various times and that all worked on the same project in Mexico with me one year!) Hybrids were added, as were many, many, many more non-species entries, such that there are now nearly as many non-species-level entries available in the ABA area as species-level entries, some used exceedingly rarely, some widely used.<br />
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Then, eBird tackled the "April problem." Those of us in the filter and record-review aspects of eBird had for years complained that the rigid monthly structure to the filters made for some major problems, with April being the poster child for such problems. In much of the ABA area, particularly the Lower 48, filter makers/editors had to decide between filtering out all occurrences of a migrant species that arrived in the filter region in the last few days of April, or allow all occurrences in the month of such species, even in early April when they were unknown. In Colorado, MacGillivray's Warbler is an excellent case in point, with the vast bulk of migrants arriving in May, but with a small number typically noted in the last week of April, but unknown in the state prior to the 22nd or so.<br />
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The solution was to throw out the monthly framework, replacing it with up to 13 individually adjustable time periods. The new system allowed chopping up, particularly, the short, intense spring migration of most migrant species into periods as small as five days, with each period allowed its own abundance limit (a number that is "permitted," with any larger number of birds of that species in that time period requiring review). As example, the Lincoln County, Colorado, filter has five filter periods covering the spring migration of Clay-colored Sparrow, each with its own abundance limit (in parentheses): 22-30 April (1), 1-7 May (9), 8-14 May (29), 15-21 May (15), and 22-31 May (9). The filters are also now constructed online, a move nearly enforced by the new system (Fig. 1); think about trying to construct an Excel spreadsheet that does this.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqTB4YgcUZea8GgyFp7i6a1KXfsotj5_DDu2Dn4N4Pzh0QFRyX8m7nnPOYxfcMkJUSSq0tdWkm0UPZS0aniMSiYCpBFYb44pTdO8S1crpknSk7hv5S24m3-1GDptguE3FRVneNEQ0DzoW/s1600/LIN.jpg"><img border="0" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnqTB4YgcUZea8GgyFp7i6a1KXfsotj5_DDu2Dn4N4Pzh0QFRyX8m7nnPOYxfcMkJUSSq0tdWkm0UPZS0aniMSiYCpBFYb44pTdO8S1crpknSk7hv5S24m3-1GDptguE3FRVneNEQ0DzoW/s1600/LIN.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
Figure 1. Abundance and seasonal limits of a variety of sparrow species (and non-species entries), January through about 15 August in Lincoln County, Colorado, as indicated by the current eBird filter for that county.<i> Click on image to see larger version.</i> Note that the short lengths of some of the temporal periods of the filter mean that values of more than one digit are partially hidden by the scroll arrows in each period (see Clay-colored Sparrow). Note that there are three non-species entries, two subspecies of Brewer's Sparrow (neither of which is allowed without review, as identification is quite difficult) and a spuh (<i>Spizella </i>sp.). One can quickly determine from this filter those species of this selection that are known to breed in the county, just Cassin's and Vesper sparrows. Note also that the individual abundance limits of the spuh entry allow for all temporally-occurring species of the genus, as it is fairly easy to imagine most of a large flock of mixed <i>Spizella</i> not being identified to species. Finally, the grayed '+' buttons indicate entries (Chipping Sparrow, Clay-colored Sparrow, <i>Spizella </i>sp.) for which all of the possible 13 temporal periods are used; that is, the occurrence patterns represented in the filter cannot be further divided.<br />
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As something of an aside, an abundance limit is the result of a decision about a tenuous balance between the number that might occur and catching data-entry errors, and such decisions need to be made for as many as 13 temporal periods for each of the species and non-species entries in each filter (the current Boulder County, Colorado, filter -- split off from the Boulder/Larimer filter a few years back -- lists 413 species and 231 non-species entries).<br />
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While the new filter system allows great flexibility in constructing species- and location-specific filter limits, it is also much more complex and much more time-consuming to construct. It takes me something like 5-20 hours of tedious effort per filter, whether constructing a new filter from scratch or completely overhauling an existing filter.<br />
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In the early years of this decade, big changes came about in the Wyoming birding community and in Wyoming eBird review and filters. First, Shawn Billerman arrived to attend to graduate studies at University of Wyoming. Before arrival, though, he had already been shanghaied by Team eBird (he did come straight from school at Cornell, so was already known by the powers-that-be) into tackling the state's eBird review. James Maley arrived a year later (working at University of Wyoming) and was quickly added to what was then a two-person team. Perhaps more importantly, though, they took on the task of bringing Wyoming eBird into the Industrial Age, as far as filters go. They divided the statewide filter into seven filter regions (Fig. 2).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsLROwgsUo-BaLOZQS1kEGMJqOW8IXb3zg4deDIdjXsH2cx2uSAAZ6lN4CWfsOiQ7qpdbaidkph-CUHQGQ-DFPOc4zIyPNZVupcw-DzQMTpRm1H5XjOiVTN5u5jnj8YaZB2wr0RsFk_A/s1600/WYFilterRegions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwsLROwgsUo-BaLOZQS1kEGMJqOW8IXb3zg4deDIdjXsH2cx2uSAAZ6lN4CWfsOiQ7qpdbaidkph-CUHQGQ-DFPOc4zIyPNZVupcw-DzQMTpRm1H5XjOiVTN5u5jnj8YaZB2wr0RsFk_A/s1600/WYFilterRegions.jpg" height="370" width="640" /></a></div>
Figure 2. The seven Wyoming filter regions.<br />
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Meanwhile, Colorado, with its considerably more-substantial eBird data set (and, perhaps, a filter meister with a wee bit more time on his hands), has 37 filter regions. As depicted in Figure 3, these regions are, generally, individual counties, though with a few two-county regions. The large, multi-county regions are in the process of being broken up into smaller units, with the Southeast region being an excellent example. Just in late February 2015, I have split the old large and unwieldy version of the Southeast filter into three regions: Baca, Crowley and Otero, and the rest of the counties. The San Luis Valley region, though large, is fairly homogeneous, so will not be broken up into smaller regions until some rather major changes in how eBird deals with filter regions come to pass (see below).<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryI8wjMPrui-1RRrTngYFXLLRUrEI55uXMfOZzUqBXeuLnzqECvPOqSA69I-8JTuDG8Zme7aSHks1lt9eERpGKllFsEpf4abuejsL34qpBa2MmC1gZjRxm3zUHfCt3uNcp8j2dl54H6my/s1600/COFilterRegions.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: black; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiryI8wjMPrui-1RRrTngYFXLLRUrEI55uXMfOZzUqBXeuLnzqECvPOqSA69I-8JTuDG8Zme7aSHks1lt9eERpGKllFsEpf4abuejsL34qpBa2MmC1gZjRxm3zUHfCt3uNcp8j2dl54H6my/s1600/COFilterRegions.jpg" height="414" width="640" /></span></a></div>
Figure 3. The 37 Colorado filter regions.<br />
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As it always has been, the primary impetus to establish a new filter region is to fine-tune filters to the landscape and the avifaunal occurrence (both spatial and temporal) thereon. Perhaps one of the best examples of the need for such new filters is Phillips County, Colorado (Fig. 3). At the time that I constructed the filter, the county was covered by the general Northeast filter (which also included Weld at the time). Note that all of those counties but Phillips has at least part of a major water body in it, while the largest water body in Phillips is probably a sewage pond (at Haxtun). Thus, Phillips County data were "allowed" to include large numbers of waterbird species that are actually fairly rare there.<br />
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However, just because a particular filter covers just one county does not mean that there aren't still difficult decisions about filtering to be made, and Wyoming is the epitome of that problem. Because of the state's low human population, its counties are overly large. The state's geography is also more varied and, well, eccentric. The combination of these two factors means that, unlike eastern Colorado, most of Wyoming's counties contain both low-elevation "flat" lands and high mountains, which makes for a wonderfully varied avifauna from a birding standpoint, but a nightmare from an eBird-filter point of view.<br />
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One of the best examples of this problem is Big Horn County, which combines the spine of the Big Horn Mountains (and the associated suite of subalpine forest species) and the low-elevation Big Horn Basin (and the associated grassland and shrubsteppe species). Because one would not expect to encounter Long-billed Curlew in the forest near the pinnacle of the Big Horn Mountains nor White-winged Crossbill in the open country northeast of Greybull, eBird really should not "allow" such occurrences. However, with county-based filter regions, such problems are encountered frequently. In the long term, the solution is filter regions based on physiognomy and habitat, not geopolitical boundaries -- what we might term Space Age filters. Though there have been arbitrarily defined filter regions in the past (e. g., most or all of the California coastal counties have "offshore" regions), Team eBird is moving in that direction in a general fashion. However, the process will be long, involved, and tedious, and will not happen tomorrow.<br />
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As more and more data are entered into eBird, the data sets for individual filter regions become more robust and allow for more-precise filter limits and temporal periods, so reviewers are constantly fine-tuning filters. However, as noted above, this is a slow process. Thus, you may encounter remnants of previous filter strategies mixed with more-"modern" strategies on individual filters in both states when entering data into eBird, simply because no one has found the free time to completely revamp older filters. So, when you encounter something that a filter flags that you believe should not be flagged, please let us know (politely!) in the species's comment field. That goes the same for occurrences that you feel ought to be flagged, but aren't. Most of you know your local area much better than any of us do; we're happy to learn such bits of information, particularly in Wyoming, which has many fewer data backing the various filters.<br />
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As eBird continues to grow in popularity, demands on its programming, design, and operations will also grow. With the very recent addition of Ian Davies to the management team and the resultant spreading of the workload at eBird Central, we can expect further enhancements, even radically new capability, to come online in the near-term future. I cannot wait to see the changes! <br />
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[This essay is largely based on a previous version that I posted to Cobirds, the Colorado birds listserve. Thanks to Team eBird and various members of the Colorado and Wyoming review teams for comments on an earlier version of this essay.] <br />
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Tony Leukering<br />
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Lead Colorado eBird reviewer and senior author of the Colorado & Wyoming column in <i><a href="http://www.aba.org/nab/">North American Birds</a></i><br />
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Welcome to the first post in a new blog that is focused on eBird in Colorado and Wyoming. If you wandered here and found yourself wondering, "What the heck is eBird," then you might want to <a href="http://ebird.org/content/ebird/about/">check it out</a>. The eBird review teams of the two states mean for this to be a way to impart information about all aspects of the eBird review process to the region's eBirders, with its primary purpose of making the review system at least translucent. There will be essays on how eBird filters work, how they are created, and what they mean for your entry of data into eBird. However, there is a strong secondary purpose: to show eBirders how they can get more out of eBird <u>and</u> put more into eBird, through helpful hints on a variety of topics. Such may include essays on ways to make their data more meaningful from a scientific point of view, how to use eBird's output features to increase their knowledge and understanding of both spatial and temporal distribution, and when and how to use non-species entries, among a host of other possibilities.<br /><br /> All of us are quite busy with eBird review and birding, in addition to all of those other things that "normal" people do (going to school, working, sleeping, lazing around putting jigsaw puzzles together), so this will not be a blog that's updated daily. Or even weekly. But, give us a bit of time and a few posts and then we'd be happy to tailor future essays to questions about or problems with eBird that you encounter. Realize, though, that there is an extensive <a href="http://help.ebird.org/customer/portal/topics/454401-frequently-asked-questions">FAQ</a> (that's "frequently asked questions" for you analog dinosaurs like me out there) at eBird that may well be able to answer your question(s).<br /><br /> Tony Leukering<br /><br />Lead Colorado eBird reviewer and senior author of the Colorado & Wyoming column in <i><a href="http://www.aba.org/nab/">North American Birds</a></i>Tony Leukeringhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11916255056323271189noreply@blogger.com2