Dan/All,
This is great. Sharing promising new locations is very valuable!
Here is a way that we'd like to try sharing eBird locations (especially those that might not warrant a hot spot). This one might deserve a hotspot in eBird, but let's pretend it doesn't for a moment and discuss how we can proactively keep our maps nice and tidy. It's a little work for the sender, but I think it has a lot of value. This is based on how we kept the Black-headed Grosbeak map so pretty in Caroline Co. (and already improved).
SHARING A PERSONAL LOCATION IN eBIRD
1. Find a cool new site in the physical world. See birds there.
2. Create your eBird checklist at the new site. Carefully choose a good name. I like the one Dan used here.
3. After you've submitted your data, create a new eBird report at that same site.
4. Mark the new report for that date and set the protocol as "Incidental". Add no species to the list. All species reported? No.
5. Add this block of text to the report comments: "This checklist is shared to provide a shared location. PLEASE DO NOT EDIT THIS CHECKLIST! Instead, after you accept it, immediately delete this checklist under "My eBird
> My Shared Observations". The new location will still be added to your personal locations, which means you can select it from your list and see the location as a blue marker on the maps now."
6. Share this essentially blank report with yourself. That is, click to share the report, and then enter your own e-mail address.
7. Check your e-mail and see the shared report. Copy the URL (the link) that you would click to accept the report and send that link to others, even on MDOsprey. To be thorough, include a block of text like this along with the shared link: "This checklist is shared to provide a shared location. PLEASE DO NOT EDIT THIS CHECKLIST! Instead, after you accept it, immediately delete this checklist under "My eBird > My Shared Observations". The new location will still be added to your personal locations, which means you can select it from your list and see the location as a blue marker on the maps now. You're done! Using recommended shared locations will keep our map uncluttered and easier to search. Thanks for using eBird!"
ACCEPTING A SHARED LOCATION
1. Simply click the URL that the person provided.
2. Delete the checklist immediately. You still get the new location. (You can see it on the map as a blue marker and it shows up in your list of locations.)
WANT TO TRY IT?
Here is a recommended shared location for the long-staying Black-headed Gull at the Hunt Valley Towne Centre in Baltimore:
http://ebird.org/ebird/shared?subID=Uzk0MDU1NDE.&s=t
After you accept the checklist above, go to "My eBird > My Shared Observations" and delete it. If deleting freaks you out, you can view the report first and make sure you're going to delete this new one (not your real list). Then go to an existing Black-headed Gull checklist for the site and click "Edit Location". The site "Hunt Valley Towne Centre" will be in your list of personal locations!
There is currently a cloud of dozens and dozens of personal locations in the area that can be easily combined to show one record. This one is tough because some people won't be as interested in merging old reports. Sending out a personal location EARLIER in the process should make this technique very effective, though.
Hopefully you'll agree its worth the effort for prettier maps!
Bill
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com
Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland
http://www.billhubick.com
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