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Subject:

eBird to Expose Species Comments

From:

Bill Hubick

Reply-To:

Bill Hubick

Date:

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:02:54 -0700

Hi Everyone,

A recent eBird announcement will be of interest to many Maryland birders, especially eBird users. The eBird team plans to expose the species comments in eBird reports in the near future. Read more here: <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/exposing-of-ebird-species-comments>.

Although the announcement goes into great detail, I thought I'd share a few comments here.

-- On tools such as the Google Gadget, it will be possible to view more information on rare birds of interest. eBird users are encouraged to include descriptions, photo links, and other useful information in the species comments. See the announcement for the eBird team's recommendations. This will make it easier to confirm exceptional sightings, and, in some cases, to successfully chase a rarity.

-- Including species comments for exceptional observations has major benefits. A record with details is far more valuable in the long-term than one without details. Remember that future researchers and reviewers may not know you and your careful nature. For species or counts flagged as exceptional, comments can greatly increase one's confidence of the record's accuracy. Entering comments makes your own reports more enjoyable to peruse in the future, and I find the process to be a valuable exercise in and of itself. 

-- Greater visibility of comments increases our need to self-police. While these comments are valuable, keep in mind that they should now always be considered public. This means that you shouldn't include any species comments that you wouldn't want to post on MDOsprey. In addition to leaving out personal attacks and profanity, you'll want to keep in mind sensitive species and private property. If you report an exceptional sighting, your species comments will soon be visible via tools such as the Google Gadget. (Report-level comments will not be shared at this time.) This means that you should avoid posting specific locations of sensitive species. For rarities on private property, it is also appropriate to specify this information in the species comments.

-- If you have concerns about posting a sensitive species or a bird on private property, you have options. These include hiding the full report and reporting the bird of interest at the county level. Although I do these things infrequently, when I do, I prefer the latter. Hiding a report has several disadvantages: 1) it hides the full report contents from all eBird reporting tools, so it shows up only in your personal lists (no current use to science); and 2) I am paranoid that the hidden data will end up being shared later. Reporting at the county level means that the record shows up in any normal query, but is masked to the county level. If I find a new Barn Owl roost, I'll submit it as a "casual observation" at the county level. Keep in mind that in such a case you wouldn't want to list the specific location in the species comments!

Along with being careful to not publicize sensitive birds and locations, we should also be ethical consumers of eBird data. If someone reports a rare bird at their feeder, we shouldn't assume that they want 20 people in their yard the next morning!

While there are certain cases where discretion is required, I think this a good thing. I hope others will consider including comments for observations flagged as exceptional. It doesn't always have to be lengthy--a little can go a long way. Those of us reviewing the filters are also working to ensure that the state and county filters flag only sightings that are actually exceptional. There might still be the occasional flagged sighting that makes you roll your eyes, but we're working on removing the unexceptional flags. If you find a filter setting that should be adjusted (whether loosened or tightened), feel free to write me, Matt Hafner, Bob Ringler, and/or Jim Stasz. 

Manatee News

Update on the manatee that spent time in the upper Chesapeake this year (thanks, Ed Carlson!):

http://www.newjerseynewsroom.com/science-updates/manatee-stuck-in-new-jersey-waters-rescued

A few recent photos:

http://www.billhubick.com/photos/updates/20091030.php

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com