Hi Everyone,

As we prepare to begin a new year of Maryland birding, it seems appropriate to highlight Maryland birders' success in collecting better bird distribution data than ever before. In addition to continuing support to the well-established MD/DCRC, Maryland birders have really led the charge in supporting eBird.

Maryland has repeatedly received recognition for being among the most dedicated states in terms of eBird use. Our percentage of committed eBirders in our community is extremely high and still continues to increase. Maryland also consistently ranks among the highest participation in the country. Check out the eBird home page right now to see Maryland in third place for total checklists submitted this month, following only California and Texas! That's impressive.

This tells me that not only is eBird a fantastic resource, but that there is an increasing commitment to collecting the most valuable data possible. We're gathering data at a finer scale and at greater volumes than ever before, and the speed of availability to science is far faster than ever. We've seen many examples of how this can be put to use in the last year, from the Gulf Coast Oil Spill Bird Tracker to the Rusty Blackbird survey to new animated occurrence maps and more. 

So, first and foremost, thank you and excellent job! As we prepare for 2011, we in the Maryland eBird Admin team thought now would be a perfect time to create a New Years resolution for continuing to improve our eBird use. Below is a wish-list compiled from a variety of suggestions. 

First, I guess it goes without saying, if you are one of the hold-outs, please give eBird a try! In addition to its value to science and conservation, it's a lot of fun. For those of us already using eBird, please consider targeting one or more of the following:

#1 Most Wanted - Please add comments! When a species is flagged as rare and you are asked to confirm, please take a moment to describe the bird (or add a link to any documentation). This will save time for both you and the reviewers in discussing details of the sighting. It also hones our skills and makes our reports more meaningful when reviewing them later. Finally, and most importantly, remember that someday the eBird reviewers (and users of the data) will not know you personally. Imagine the difference in reliability 10 years from now between an unusual report with notes and one without. Comments should be considered nearly essential if a single reported individual is flagged (e.g., one December White-eyed Vireo or one September Willow Flycatcher). If a rare bird has been present for two weeks, notes are great, but at least add "Continuing" or "Continuing since found by So-and-so on this date". For high counts that are flagged, consider adding a
 comment about how you estimated the flock (or maybe you carefully counted all individuals). If a count was flagged and you don't think it should have been, feel free to say so in the comments.

- Speaking of numbers, we can add a great deal of value from improving our counting (which many of us have found extremely satisfying). This does require time and effort, but the value is obvious. Remember that conservative estimates to order of magnitude are acceptable and much more useful than "X". It is good to know that American Robin was present, but were there 1, 10, 50, 100, 500, 1000, or 10000? Instead of looking at flocks and estimating, consider counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s when possible. If you don't already do so, consider keeping a running list as you bird an area, adding 10 White-throats, then 6 more White-throats, etc., rather than writing an impression when you're departing. Of course, always err on the conservative side. 

Some of us have recently begun using "clickers" for counting birds, and I must admit that I LOVE them. They are especially good for roosting flocks, a continuous one-way commute of small numbers (which add up quickly!), and a continuing count as you hike an area (e.g., singing Northern Parulas). Here's a link to the kind I use, but there are many types and they can be purchased at plenty of places: http://www.amazon.com/Robic-M-357-Tally-Counter/dp/B0007SXJTO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1293812196&sr=8-1

For more info on counting, you can also view this article from eBird:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/bird-counting-101

- If there's a hot spot for a location, please use it. By sharing hot spots, we make it far easier to see trends at a specific location, view accurate bar charts, and so on. If you insist on having a personal location near a  hot spot, please do not place it directly on the existing hot spot. This can actually block the hot spot from users looking for reports on the map.

- Use more specific locations. Consider breaking up your favorite locations into several distinct areas by habitat type. You don't need to go overboard, but perhaps your favorite site has an obvious woodland section and an obvious field section. Perhaps instead of using an 8-mile circuit you report at three distinct locations. Many small parks are already ideal sizes, but large areas such as Blackwater, Assateague, or extended driving routes are perfect for breaking up into multiple reports.

Sometimes you'll find that more detailed sites or careful counts are not possible, and that's OK. When you are in a hurry, feel free to estimate and simply add a comment such as "500 Ring-billed Gulls was a conservative estimate, but there were probably many more." or "Appeared to be half as many as last week, when I counted 1,250, though this count was rushed."

- If you do file a report for a very broad area, please report at the county or state level. Please do not, for example, file a report for "Assateague Island" and then include birds seen at the Ocean City Inlet. If filed as a single report (which is acceptable, but less valuable than specific sites), it should be filed at the "Worcester County, Maryland" level. State-level reports and those that cross county lines have little to no value, and might even be misleading. For example, a Blackwater NWR report that includes sightings from Ocean City is bad data for Dorchester County, and would need to be invalidated. 

- Check out the newly supported "yard" and "patch" listing options. Dedicated, consistent monitoring of small areas is some of the most valuable data eBird receives:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/news/new-yard-and-patch-games

Please don't be intimidated or discouraged by any of these suggestions. This is a positive message about great work and continuing opportunities to improve as time and energy permit. Follow these suggestions only if you, like many of us, are excited about continuing to improve Maryland's bird data. Your reports are already valuable and appreciated, and we would much rather have whatever you send than scare you away!  

I've taken up enough time already, but please also consider refreshing your memory on Phil Davis's resolutions for supporting the MD/DCRC. I dare say the best thing you can do to support the committee is to write up review species right away and get those reports submitted! It will be a better write-up, a shorter time investment, and will be greatly appreciated by Phil Davis and the rest of the committee. 

Here's Phil's MD/DCRC message from January 2010:
http://mddcrc-blog.posterous.com/new-years-resolutions-from-a-records-committe

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com