There have been some great questions and points about eBird. Thanks everyone
for both eBirding and trying to figure out how to do it best. eBird is a
true crossroads between birding and science. As we develop eBird, we're
continually walking the line between building better tools that birders want
to use, while maintaining our focus on collecting useful scientific data in
the process. The truth is, every piece of data submitted to eBird is
valuable--from single records of a bird in space and time (Incidental
Observations), to complete checklists with associated effort information
(travel count <5miles or a stationary count for example). But there are
differences between the levels of analysis we can perform using the
effort-based observations versus incidental observations. As eBirders and
conservation biologists, we're always interested in how to make the most out
of the data. There are a thousand ways to use the data and probably some we
don't even know yet but someday we will. Take White Nose Syndrome in bats
that hit a few years ago as an example or West Nile Virus. We never would
have thought about those until they began to hit. Check out this article on
eBird. It explores some of the reasons why recording effort can make a big
difference when it comes to data analysis.

We are always asking folks to be exact and accurate. I have been asked many
times what that means. How exact and how accurate? Well, as best as you can
do! Seriously, sometimes we have time to stop and do a great stationary
count and write it all down. Great! We need those scattered all over the
landscape! Other times, frankly, we are just birding and enjoying the beauty
of the world and we don't have time to scratch down every detail. We are
birding for joy. I am all for it, do it! And if you scratch them down as
incidental observation with no effort for a place you visited, that's great
data too. We get caught up sometimes in exact counts too. Sure it is great
to be as exact as possible, especially when we are talking a small amount of
individuals. The idea is to me as close as possible to the real number. If
there are really 324 Starlings on a telephone line and you count 304 as your
estimate, that is absolutely fine. We just don't want to be orders of
magnitude off. We don't want to just type in 500 without some sort of
attempt at estimating the numbers rather than thin air guess. There are
actually some reallly good eBird articles on estimating numbers. Check them
out:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/trouble_with_X
http://ebird.org/content/ak/news/bird-counting-101
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/bird-counting-201

Thanks everyone. From personal notebooks in shoe boxes, to Records of
Vermont Birds on paper forms beginning in the late 1970s to Vermont eBird,
we sure have come a long way!

Kent

Kent McFarland

Conservation Biologist

Vermont Center for Ecostudies

PO Box 420

Norwich, Vermont 05055

<http://www.vtecostudies.org/>
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