8:03 This brings up something I was wondering; if you're watching a live feed of something taking place nowhere near you and you identify a bird in the background, does that count as birding? I happened to be near a TV playing a live golf tournament in Florida last year and there was a robin loudly calling. Can that count as say, an incidental sighting (to use eBird's criteria)?

I do agree that there are too many rare bird information systems and that does make it confusing for someone like me who is not deeply entrenched in the local birding community.

I agree that a central repository for bird reports that moves quicker than eBird and works better than all the other available tools would be nice, but so many challenges! Who decides what the rules are? As soon as you create a rule, people who don’t like that rule will cry censorship or gatekeeper and leave to find another tool, or in some cases, create their own. Maine Wildlife came out of Maine Birds. And now apparently there’s an Unfiltered Maine Wildlife- because Maine Wildlife is too strict?? There is also NE Wildlife which I think was created because CT Birds and Wildlife didn’t allow owl posts. In the social media world, people are joining the groups with which they feel an affinity with the content and the culture. I’m not sure it’s possible to have one resource that makes everyone happy. I agree that eBird could be this, but they are way behind on interface and development. Have you done anything with iNaturalist? Anyway, I have some ideas on what you could do to improve your tracking that you did for the northern hawk owl and how you could turn it into a sort of app without too much pain. Feel free to email me if you’d like to chat.

I had my rare bird alerts on from eBird, as I live in the CA Bay Area, and my phone is literally blowing up. I turned it off a while ago, and while I haven't been birding a lot this summer due to the crazy heat, I personally find using apps for anything other than cataloging my finds to take a lot of the enjoyment out of birding for me. Thats just my 2 cents from a youngin though no shade to anyone who chases rares lol

"Gatekeeping" is really only a pejorative in this context, and most of your good elements of gatekeeping are just normal moderation or throttling out of consideration for stakeholders in an unbiased manner. I'd personally avoid using "gatekeeping" in a positive sense, as there's a real risk of sending the message that elitism and snobbery is good actually.

Here in the UK, we also have Birdguides (birdguides.com) which gathers all rare bird sightings from all platforms onto their app. In fact, some people have full-time jobs of finding bird reports on local Facebook groups and adding them to the app, where birders can get live reports of scarce or rare species on the app sometimes just minutes after the initial identification of the bird.

Another great video, Doug. The education of the term "Eternal September" was very informative. We use Group Me in my country and I find it frustrating that it's gated (though understand why). I've found that it's not the right app for RBAs and when new and excited, but maybe less informed or educated people join (either about birds or social norms) the moderators aren't very kind in providing the education in a thoughtful way. For months I've been thinking Discord was the perfect solution - and am glad to see some communities start to adopt it. I've thought about starting my own, but the idea of migrating here seems challenging and - unfortunately - would probably be more politcalized instead of focusing on the birds and education. Taking a step back - its truly incredible how for birds and RBAs have come in the last few decades, and even 5 years or so.

I’ve found Discord to be the best option because it offers the ability to have conversations, as well as to simply send out rare bird alerts. Locally, there’s one for Maryland and DC, and it provides a forum for people across the two states to connect and share. It doesn’t create silos like with GroupMe (e.g. most MD counties and DC have individual GroupMes), it’s more inclusive, and information is archived in a more user-friendly way.

I really enjoyed the more historical and researched aspects of this video

In Sweden we use Band groups a lot for bird alerts.

“Get out there and find your own”. Amen brother.

I started using e-bird when it first came out, and used it for a few years (before that I used listservs) . But increasingly, it felt like the marriage of technology and the hobby was sucking the life out of birding for me. I'm no luddite; I've worked in tech for decades (in fact, my organization hosted our state's RBA listserv and it's admin worked a few cubes away from me). Around this time, I also grew weary of chasing rarities. Pulling up to a location and finding a long sought-after bird simply by following the gaze of 400 cameras felt anti-climatic. I remember seeing a common greenshank minutes after parking my car in a long line of other cars and thinking "thank god that's out of the way, now I can go birding!" I had a similar feeling when seeing an ivory gull. All of this struck me as the opposite of what I thought I was supposed to feel -- apathy instead of exhilaration, obligation instead of wonder. I hate to say it, but social apps have made me anti-social (if one can consider apps to be truly 'social'). In the end, I now just enjoy going out into the quiet woods of my local patch with only my bins, seeing the expected birds of the season, arriving at their familiar haunts like old friends returning from a trip.

In Ontario, we had all the issues you mentioned. Various poorly moderated facebook groups slowly killing off the ontbirds listserv, local whatsapp groups sharing timely updates with a select few local birders but not the broader community, etc. It all came to a head in 2019 when people were fed up with not receiving updates for provincially significant species because they weren't members of each local whatsapp group; so the Discord server was created. I know you mentioned Discord halfway through the video, but I think most of the concerns you brought up in the video are addressed by the platform. Every county gets 2 channels; 1 RBA, and 1 chat for updates and information relevant to the county (requests for information about access to specific locations, etc). Then there are various channels for other related topics, as you showed in the video. All of these channels are well-moderated, and each user gets to individually select which channel they want to receive notifications for, but they can always view all of them. Importantly, a high enough percentage of birders are using the platform that when a rarity does get reported on inat, or a local facebook group, or ebird for that matter, it quickly gets re-posted to the appropriate discord channel. The key is you need as many people as possible to get onto the same platform, and you need different sub-categories within the platform so people only get notifications for postings that are actually relevant to them. Discord addresses these far better than having a single, province-wide RBA, or a litany of regional facebook and whatsapp groups.

The font update was great 🤥

I created a local discord for Northwest Louisiana and Northeast Texas because the vast majority of the birders here are elderly and don't want to share their sightings with anyone (sometimes waiting full months to upload to eBird) we only have a handful of members but they're all great people that are interested in having community and open info to help others.

That's a great point about the interpretation of "Recently Fledged." Maybe there should be more specific language on that. The backtracking thing, I tend to do it the way you mentioned. Stopping the track at the furthest poing of a trail and stopping it, then adjusting the time at the end is the best way in my experience. I've had trouble editing the track lately. It seemed to be easier, but maybe I'm missing something. Oh! And thanks for the tip about normalizing the bird audio. I don't upload audio often, unless it's to verify a species that may come up as rare.

Great informative video Doug! I was lucky enough to witness a Red-throated loon a couple of weeks ago. Relatively rare sighting in Northern Saskatchewan Canada but the area is also vastly under-birded.

Thanks! If y’all wanna see the painted bunting y’all are welcome to come to my house in Texas where they’re abundant! We can do rarity trade trips 😂

I stopped a birding session, went to the grocery store, drove home, and two hours later noticed I had the blue “GPS recording” arrow on my phone. Had to use the edit slider to remove 20 miles of my “track”.

Great video, I learned a few things! I've certainly made some of these mistakes (including asking about the language issue on the Facebook forum.) I do the backtracking correctly, more or less, but sometimes I'm not sure the distance reported by eBird is accurate to begin with. Also, sometimes I backtrack more than once or travel on complicated sets of trails, so it's a pretty rough estimate in that case. I think when staking out a rare bird and only reporting that species, I would use "incomplete" rather than "incidental", since birding is still my primary purpose. I mostly use my phone for audio, these days usually using Merlin. In Audacity, I apply normalization and HPF (maybe too much, I usually go to 250Hz), but it often sounds pretty harsh afterwards. At some point I might get better recording hardware.

In the eBird Community Discussion Group I've seen the subject of nestlings come up many, many times. The general consensus is nestlings are supposed to be counted, however, they are not supposed to be aged as "juvenile". Is this correct? If so, why are they not considered "juvenile" and why is there not a category for nestlings? TIA

Thank you for the interesting video! I’ve used eBird for several years but I learned a few helpful tips from you regarding Breeding Codes and subspecies.

Great video! Love the channel. I’ve never been totally clear how to handle a new bird observed while backtracking. My best guess: include the bird, remove the backtracked distance, and keep the time equal to the total out-and-back travel time (not just the out). If that’s correct, that last part always requires me to make a mental note of the total time before I start reversing the backtracked distance on the app, which also reverses the time. If that’s not correct and only the out time should be given, that makes it seem like I observed the bird with less effort than I actually spent. I'm definitely still birding on the way back.

Thanks for the video, Doug! Having been a birder for nearly 50 years, I will admit that I am not comfortable adding potentially incorrect subspecies, so I don't. Clearly, there are experts with expert-level equipment who can discern subspecies differences through finely detailed photographs or with elite, costly binocs, something many of us do not have access to. In addition, I have attempted only one audio recording because I caught it via Merlin, and it's not a simple process to export a Merlin recording and clean it up. As for the codes, the eBird app in Android doesn't pop them from the front end of the app, and you have to dig deeper into the entry to find them. Lastly, especially with multiple sightings of the same species, it's not clear how to differentiate the breeding behavior from a red-headed woodpecker you saw a half hour ago and the one you're seeing now that's just perching. Sometimes, it's not clear what the bird is doing, especially from a distance. Again, it seems that no specificity is better than incorrect specificity.

Can you make a video about using “X” counts. For some reason, Its so confusing to me

Any chance for a more in depth video on breeding codes/atlasing?

Thanks for the audio editing tips. I figured normalization was encouraged, but wasn't sure about applying a HPF. I'm working on a parabolic mic and intend on recording/uploading some birdsongs soon. And jeez, didn't know about not factoring in backtracking. I wish I could permanently disable the gps feature (or at least edit my track post-submission). All of mine are inaccurate.

I think you played it as well as you could have. In Ontario we have controlled crowds on private property by using online sign-ups for time slots and requiring car-pooling when parking is tight - these are on the honour system. A donation jar is sometimes used to offset damage to lawns, pay for bird food or just for the homeowner to donate to a charity. In 2011 a Willow Ptarmigan turned up on the grounds of a nuclear power plant. One time access was granted for all who showed up at the appointed time. Ontario Power Generation provided a bus to shuttle us from the parking area to the viewing area. The previous Ontario record was in the 19th Century but we have had a couple more since then.

Hold the phone! You mean to tell me there is an edit/trim track feature in the app? 🤯🫣 Yep, found it. I take different approaches to backtracking lists depending on time/distance. Roughly, If I'm birding for an hour or less or going for a mile or less I'll typically let the GPS run and just adjust the distance when I submit the checklist. If I'm out for more than an hour or travel more than a mile then I'll often break it up into two lists-- one for out and one for back. Maine Bird Atlas and Mountain Birdwatch surveys got me into the habit of avoiding single checklists that cover a large time, distance, or elevation. I think I know why eBird asks to keep the GPS running for out-and-back lists. Behind the scenes they may be keeping a timestamp of when a bird was added to the checklist. (I know for a fact they track the order the species was added to the list.) The could therefore obtain more accurate location data by correlating the timestamp the observation was added to the checklist with the GPS track. They hint at this a couple of times. "eBird Mobile GPS tracks contain the most precise information on where you went birding and provide important location data for eBird Science products" and "researchers working on eBird Science products can see an eBird mobile GPS track". Even if they are not doing that specifically, the GPS tracks may better reflect the actual location than say the hotspot the checklist might have been assigned to.

When I see a bird that I’ve never seen before, and I add it as “incidental@- I’m doing something else, it always marks it as “incomplete.” Is it still being entered into the e-bird database?

This was a really great video and a helpful reminder for me about using ebird correctly!

Hi Doug, I'm a casual birder but do submit to eBird to help bird conservation. I don't use the app. Forgive this novice question. If I bird from point A to Point B, but then bird back directly from Point B to Point A, what will count as the total distance? Asking because I will reach an end point, but then turn back and walk the same trial directly again while submitting new observations of new bird species I missed when walking the first time. Often, a new species will appear that I had missed on my first walk. Thank you. BTY: I believe that eBird is steering more towards some competitive contest on who can submit the most species and rarities.

The more I eBird the more I learn I'm doing wrong. So all my "complete" checklists where something flew by so fast I didn't see it or was an unidentifiable silhouette that likewise left before I could ID it should have made those lists actually incomplete? Do I just enter all those as "bird sp.?" And on my out-and-backs I always turn off the track at the far end and then don't add any obviously new birds I see on my way back. Is that wrong? I at least finally stopped counting birds I just heard that were obviously different individuals (e.g. opposite sides of trail) and now my lists have a lot more Xs. I'm making what I feel is a serious effort to do this correctly so I'm only guessing there are a lot of bad data out there from less engaged users. ☹

I'm a hobby photographer who uses ebird. I do try to report when I see something abnormal, but often the report never shows. Possibly because I put an "X" on species such as Robins, Starlings, Seagulls and similar. I'm really not a "birder" in the classic sense as I really don't care if there were 10 or `15 Robins. I find that individual ebirders and time of day make those numbers mostly academic and not reliable. I also see some of the most dedicated ebirders are a bit like fishermen. I will see a report that reports 1 pelican. Yeah, pelicans are solitary creatures. This is done so that they see the most birds in that area that anyone has seen. I like ebird but I find it almost useless in real terms as 5 people watching the same lake will report wildly different totals and varieties of ducks for example. Thanks for the video, I've been guilty of the back and forth always and possibly the fledgling.

I appreciate the descriptions you add to your lists. I've been traveling and birding the past couple weeks around New England (spent a lot of time in Maine; my second time here and I'm still in love with it. Sadly dipped on the Anhinga but hopefully will catch that kingbird tomorrow!) and it has at times been difficult to find birds that are common at a hotspot, but I as a visitor don't know where to look for them in a large preserve. I always try to write comments on any species of note, as well as for any very common birds if I happen to see them doing something interesting or if I just get a really good look. I have really enjoyed your presence on KZfaq, great presentation and great information!

ANYTHING Identified by "Merlin" should be removed. There has been a huge increase of South American birds showing up in Ohio.

I've noticed pretty often that people will submit checklists with breeding codes, but not submit through the atlas portal. If you don't use the portal, your observation doesn't count toward the atlas! Yeah, I always took issue with the overuse of subspecies. Most of the time, they're just assuming based on likelihood and not on an actual identification.

Thank you for the tips. Very helpful. I took the course but missed that if I stop the track I should adjust the time. I always stop the track right before I turn back. Is the time issue because eBird wants to know that these birds were still there at 10 am say on a random Tuesday and they wouldn’t know that if my checklist just had me birding from 6 am to 8 am because I stopped the track at 8am? Thanks!

I also had no idea about the backtracking thing. I'm a bit confused why the app doesn't automatically remove backtracking from distance counts, if it's so important. You have the GPS data so why make users do it? Similarly, why aren't audio recordings normalised automatically, or by default? I can't think of any reason not to.

As always - great video Doug. Two main thoughts around this video: 1. Resource Education: While ebird has a lot of great resources, like the ebird essentials course, they do a TERRIBLE job of educating new users (or even existing users) of it (I happened to find that accidently and it was a huge help) and other resources (example: until this video didn't really understand the delineation of what a "complete checklist" meant). I disagree the essential course should be required, but think ebird needs to do a lot better job of educating new users of that and other core functionality of ebird - perhaps when creating an account or first time installing the app. Think about almost any commercial tech app when you first boot it up and how it holds your hand through it. That is something ebird is sorely missing. 2. Gating Deeper Features: I think a lot of the points you highlight are very valid around ebird lists being a primary source of citizen science data to make critical decisions on birds. This is so important and must remain - however i think to expect everyone to understand or treat it like that is a mistake on ebirds part. There's a lot of new and novice birders that just want to enjoy birding and log their reports without having to think about some of the more complex scientific aspects. OR, perhaps they are interested in evolving into utilizing more of the science based features (breeding codes, audio, etc.) but don't have the education or training to do so (see point 1 about how ebird doesn't make it easy for users to learn). A possible solution is for ebird to do a split in their app - something like when you load it up do you want "casual" or "pro". Casual being a streamlined view - no sub species or breeding codes or anything, so it can still be used in counts and bar chats. Pro retaining the breeding codes, subspecies, and maybe somehow holding audio uploads to a higher standards. However the "Pro" setting could be gated from users until the pass certain course through ebird academy. That way it weeds out casual users while also properly educating those who are looking to grow to the correct standards.

As someone who only recently started paying attention to correct eBird procedure after 4 years of eBirding, a lot of these tips really shocked me at first. One that seems especially poorly known is eBird pelagic protocol. Not only should you cut your trip into hour long chunks, but the pelagic hotspots are supposed to be for historical checklists not pelagics. By the way, one other thing that I have found useful for backtracking is using the edit track to approximate distances. Also I don’t know much about audio-editing software, but when I took a course at Cornell, they also recommended Ocenaudio which is free.

Some very good points and I actually moved out of the area I first started birding due to the actions of some self-appointed gatekeepers. I generally bird alone and when something rare is announced I generally do not go to look, mob style birding is not to my liking. I remember the obnoxious looks and comments from some old school birders who did not like cameras. I also met a very elderly man who was using his first camera after 70 years of birding but kept it hidden because his "old" companions did not approve. His eyes and ears and memory were going and for him to get clear sighting required the camera. We had a woman who became a well known local gate keeper, she only told her friends where certain birds were as long as they agreed to tell her when they found something special. At the same time some amazing young birders went onto university and became biologist and photographers and guides, people would discount these young birders as being know it all's but most of them were good caring people who are credit to the fields they work in.

I came into birding about 12 years ago from a photographers POV, I was encouraged to use Ebird during my first year and I thought it was an amazing program. I used it occasionally for personal research and more rarely for posting. The first problem I saw was the amount of people using it went from complete novices to want-to-be Ornithologists. The program was not designed for that but over the years it was tweaked and changed to where thousands of novices quit posting due to the demands and complexity and want-to-be Ornithologists became more obnoxious about those still trying to play by the rules and not being as committed as they were. This last month I quit posting, I still go out and enjoy seeing the birds and photographing what I see but trying to bird just to keep Ebird happy took a lot of fun out of it. If Ebird does not want to lose most of its users it needs a complete redesign. It needs to be set up for novice level birders, intermediate level birders and want-to-be Ornithologists. The vast majority of people who like birds and like to think of themselves as birders are novices and have no desire to commit tp something too complex. The other end of the spectrum are people who are truly passionate about birds and want to have some input into the science. There is nothing wrong with any level of birding, Ebird is just a tool and can be used or not and people can still get out there and doing their birding and talk to others about what they see. The most shocking piece of information I learned over my years of birding was that actual Ornithologist who are doing actual real science and research rarely use any of the information from Ebird other than locations of sightings. Any research or papers based on data from Ebird is discounted and not deemed worth much without further controlled investigations in the field science. Just keep in mind that birding can be fun, we all do it slightly differently and Ebird and other programs like it are only tools, you do not have to use these programs to enjoy yourself.

Thank you very much for your tips, this will help me becoming a better Ebirder.

Great video

Very interesting! I had no idea about the distance tracking. I always stop my checklist as to not backtrack, but it's good to know eBird wants you to continue tracking then adjust distance. Also I didn't know you could slide the distance back on those forgotten checklists haha. Awesome video like always Doug!

If I'm birding and know that I'm gonna be backtracking for the rest of my list without adding any distance from side-trails or other minor areas, I will just stop the list at the furthest point and then tap the clock to adjust my time at the end. I think it would solve a lot of confusion if the distance tracking feature could estimate backtrack by the amount of overlap, and adjust the distance for you. I had been eBirding for years before I learned that you shouldn't include backtracking, so making this more apparent to newer eBirders would be helpful too

I never knew that out and back and overlapping trails should not include the length of the whole walk, just one direction.

Ive been trying to learn when to use breeding codes as a newer Ebird user this helps alot. And appreciate you sharing your knowledge

Thank you for mentioning the eBird course on allaboutbirds. I didn't know about that so I will taking that course.