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Re: Maryland Pelagic Data in eBird

From:

Joanne Howl

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Date:

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 14:24:59 -0500

 Sorry for what is probably a very elementary question - 

Can someone define exactly what a "pelagic" is?  

Is it anytime one is in a boat?  In a boat on the Bay? On a boat in the Ocean? Or?

 

 Joanne


-----Original Message-----
From: Bill Hubick <>
To: MDOSPREY <>
Sent: Sun, Feb 26, 2012 6:22 pm
Subject: [MDOSPREY] Maryland Pelagic Data in eBird


Hi Everyone,

Disappointed about the Maryland pelagic being canceled this weekend? Well, 
here's an easy we can still contribute to improving Maryland's pelagic data in 
eBird! We've created a new eBird hotspot called "Maryland Pelagic (General)", 
and it's intended for use when no precise location is available for a Maryland 
pelagic report. This is rarely the case for current trips, but is certainly the 
case for most pelagic data from years past.

The Maryland pelagic map is pretty messy right now. While most of us would never 
dream of plotting a land-based sighting at a best guess within 100 miles, most 
of us have picked a random location at sea and plotted all of our pelagic data 
there. In some cases, there are reports of the same birds from vast distances 
apart. We understand that we can't go back and recover the GPS track for old 
trip, and we appreciate that so many users want their full lists in eBird. 
That's great! However, there are many benefits of merging all of this general 
pelagic data into one "general" hotspot:

- Significantly increased accuracy of our pelagic data
- Cleaner, more useful Maryland pelagic map
- Best of all, more useful pelagic bar charts once checklists are merged into 
this location

Maryland pelagic birders have been awesome about pelagic data collection for the 
last couple years. We keep full lists for each 30-minute block, capturing 
valuable, detailed information on where pelagic species are being seen. The 
eBird lists are compiled, usually by Rob Ostrowski (thanks, Rob!), and then 
shared with all participants. This process is time-consuming and sometimes takes 
a few days, but it's well worth the wait!  For observers who want to report 
sooner as a placeholder, please use the new "Maryland Pelagic (General)" hot 
spot.

Please consider merging all of your general Maryland pelagic reports into this 
new hotspot!

1. Look up the name of your general Maryland pelagic location. One way to do so 
it to check your Maryland life list and check the location for pelagic species 
such as Great Shearwater.
2. Go to My eBird > Manage My Locations.
3. Select the name of your general pelagic location.
4. Click the "Merge" button.
5. Find and click the "Maryland Pelagic (General)" hotspot.
6. Check the "Delete after merging" checkbox.
7. Click "Merge"
8. If you had just one catch-all pelagic location, you're done. Otherwise, 
repeat for the others as applicable.

THANKS!

Some photos from the weekend:
http://www.billhubick.com/photos/updates/20120226.php

Good birding!

Bill

Bill Hubick
Pasadena, Maryland

http://www.billhubick.com

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