Don't know about the lists Sherman references, but just wanted to second 
his sentiment that eBird users should check the "list of all species 
observed" box only if they have truly made an effort to report ALL the 
species observed.  Being casual about checking this box is one of the 
easiest ways to import seriously bad data into eBird.  If you are just 
reporting all the species you found noteworthy or only the "good birds" 
it is NOT ok to check this box because that enters inaccurate bird data 
information (e.g. about the absence of "junk" birds) just as surely as 
reporting a species that you did not observe.  And knowing about the 
distribution of birds like Starlings, House Sparrows, Cardinals, 
Grackles, Canada Geese, etc. can be just as important from a scientific 
perspective as information about less common species.

Jim Moore
Rockville, MD

On 2/24/2012 8:14 PM, Sherman Suter wrote:
> At the same time that eBird provides lots of useful features to help one chase rare birds (and keep track of one's lists), the system is also intended to accumulate useful data for analyses of trends in bird populations and distribution.  Reflecting that end, the data entry pages include the question "Are you submitting a complete checklist of the birds you were able to identify?"  The answer to this question should serve as a filter for separating checklists intended to add a tick to the observer's personal lists from those that could be taken to represent a survey of the birds present at a given location and date.
>
> As a glance at recent postings from Maryland will indicate, people often answer "yes" but clearly should have picked "no".  For example, many of the reports of the Pink-footed Goose are accompanied by supposedly complete checklists that include zero to a handful of other species.  I do not believe that anyone who successfully (or, actually, even unsuccessfully) chased that bird failed to also identify a Canada Goose at the same location.  (And if an observer cannot identify a Canada Goose, there would be reason to be suspicious of a claimed Pink-footed.)
>
> In the long term, the useful ness of eBird data will depend on people answering this question correctly.
>
> As an aside, I have also seen checklists (e.g., from some California reports) that appear to err in the other direction:  Despite a seemingly complete list of species (with numbers that make sense and even short supporting notes for rarities), the checklist is flagged as incomplete.
>
> Cheers and good birding.
>
> Sherman
>
> Sherman Suter
> Port Republic MD 20676  /  Alexandria VA 22307
> 
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