Many of the birders on this list-serv post their checklists to eBird, and eBird appreciates that very much. In fact, Maryland is a place that possesses one of the highest concentration of active eBirders in the U.S. and Canada.
Some of you also extensively use the HotSpots (Shared Locations) that represent, on eBird, locations where good birding is likely to be experienced and that many birders are likely to want to visit. Others of you occasionally or frequently recommend birding places for designation as eBird "HotSpots."
You should know that eBird administrators very recently liberalized the criteria by which the suitability of birding locations as HotSpots is determined. Formerly, a location needed to be publicly accessible, reasonably "birdy," and likely to be visited by many birders. Now, the designation of "reasonably birdy" has been relaxed, although the requirements that the place be publicly accessible and likely to be visited by lots of birders remain.
One new HotSpot in Maryland has been created as a result of this liberalization of criteria is Hunt Vally Town Centre in Baltimore County. This is the place where a Black-headed Gull has been seen at regular intervals since late 2011, and continues to be seen into 2013. The former criteria would have prevented this location from being named a HotSpot, because other interesting birds, beyond the Black-headed Gull, are seldom if ever recorded there.
A plea to those of you who have been to see this rare gull at the Hunt Valley Town Centre and have a Personal eBird Location here: Please Merge your location with the HotSpot Merging is very easy, involving "Manage my Locations" in your personal My eBird. If you don't know how to make the merge, just contact me at <dhmbowen...> and I will provide you with assistance.
And if you are yet to go to Hunt Valley to look for the gull, please use the existing HotSpot as your location if you see it there. Of course, if you see the gull at an entirely different place, please use a location that most closely defines where the bird was actually observed.
Many thanks
Michael Bowen Bethesda, MD eBird HotSpot Reviewer for Maryland, DC, and Delaware
Comments and questions off-line only, please to <dhmbowen...>
Michael Bowen HotSpot Reviewer for Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia Bethesda, MD
D.H. Michael Bowen 8609 Ewing Drive Bethesda, MD 20817 Telephone: (301) 530-5764 e-mail: dhmbowenATyahooDOTcom
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