I'm a little late chiming in, but this is a common issue, probably all states. A lot of folks go birding, at whatever intensity, some post to the list(s), some use eBird, and some post on Facebook, while others do combos of these and others yet do none.
In Tennessee, we had the same issue with cross-posting. For years eBird use in TN was pretty limited, but I slowly but surely got more people to use eBird (through talks to TOS chapters and some arm twisting) and encouraged posting to the state list TN-Bird. Many folks refuse to post to the list because of fear of criticism and scrutiny, and getting nasty grams from the list manager turned a lot of people off (everyone got rudely chewed out now and again). I ultimately created a TN Birding Facebook page, plus promoted Facebook and eBird through two websites I designed for my agency (I was ornithologist for the Tennessee state wildlife agency). We engaged with thousands of people that were otherwise unaware of birding groups and wildlife resources sharing information through utilization of the Tennessee's Watchable Wildlife (tnwatchablewildlife.org) website and and the new Tennessee Birding Trails (tnbirdingtrail.org) website and associated Facebook pages and an "Ask Scott" email link where I got all kinds of questions. Sadly, I launched the birding trails page day before I announced I was moving to CO to be the land bird coord for this region of the US Fish and Wildlife Service, so that page hasn't been completely promoted yet (but the Bird Trax rare bird gadget is on the home page and eBird is full integrated everywhere on both web sites).
The morale of the story is that we can engage thousands of folks to share information. Some will choose to post, eBird, FB, all or none, but we should continue to encourage use of multiple resources as much as possible. We constantly promoted the TN-Bird list on Facebook in Tennessee but folks often wouldn't post, so when someone posted a rarity (often via posting photo of a bird they couldn't ID), I made a point of posting to the list serve. That cross-posting was very important for a lot of reasons. In general, the List Serve is a very good archive of bird records, field notes, etc, where as Facebook is not searchable and is a terrible archive but is easy for engaging tons of folks easily. All outlets have positive attributes, but it's always going to be tough to make them all work to their max.
In terms of eBird data, I'll echo what Arvind said with the scientific value. In TN, when we were updating our State Wildlife Action Plan, I got permission from the eBird folks and downloaded 250,000 records of priority species occurrences in the state. These data were the majority of bird records we had for most species and were extremely valuable to conservation planning for the state. So submit those lists! Your every day birding records are valuable at many levels, no matter what state or country you are in. eBird isn't just a listing tool (although I use it for that too!).
I'd also add that birding is fun, has to be fun, and honestly, sharing birds with others is the greatest part of this crazy obsession (I mean, hobby) of mine. Some of my fondest birding memories are of sharing good birds with others, whether I found them, chased them, or founds goodies with a group. Memories of birds and birding days from years ago remain with me much better than what I did last week.
Good birding!
Scott Somershoe
Littleton CO
On Fri, Oct 30, 2015 at 8:19 PM, David Suddjian <dsuddjian@gmail.com> wrote:
As an avid eBirder and regular CObirds poster, I agree that the two satisfy different needs or purposes, but these overlap between the two outlets, too. I don't principally use either for chasing purposes, as that is a not a main interest for me, thus the immediacy is less a need. But I will note that a CObirds post can be a good deal more informative about the birding experience at a location, and offer much additional info that is lacking in the eBird alerts or even on eBird checklists. It is easier to tell the story of the birding experience via CObirds, or enjoy stories from others, and I like that part. And easier to pose thoughts and delve into interesting questions. So both are good outlets.The current membership of CObirds is 1,409 people, so it is hard to see that as an insider thing. I think many birders seek out regional lists as a basic sort of info and can fidn CObirds that way, and anyone discovering CFO or DFO could also readily learn about CObirds.David SuddjianLittleton, CO--On Fri, Oct 30, 2015 at 8:05 PM, Steve Stachowiak <waxwing2@q.com> wrote:--Cobirders,A "Thank You" to the parties that posted the Great-crested Flycatcher sighting to eBird and documenting the record for further discussion.I am not following the logic to Mark's original post because even if the bird had been posted to CObirds the minute it was seen it would have been simply noted as a Great-crested Flycatcher; a good sighting but not extraordinary nor would it have included a picture. The posting to eBird documented the sighting with pictures and possibly established the second state record of a rarer species than originally thought when posted.It should be noted the CObirds and eBird are two entirely different things. Instead of the idea of one displacing the other it should be viewed as one augmenting the other. Now birders have a wider array of information to learn about birds and their distribution from two sources.Thirty years ago that information was only available in a monthly newsletter from the Denver Field Ornithologists (DFO) that arrived a month after the sightings. Then DFO sponsored a recorded (on tape) bird sighting report that was available 24-7 assuming the administrator had updated the tape (which at times would be updated as many as eight or more times a day during the spring). What progress! How quaint! How dated! CObirds is an open forum that is used by everyone from beginners to experts and very accessible. I can now be anywhere in the world and in thirty seconds or so on my phone view everything posted to both CObirds and eBirds allowing me to know more about the current status of birds in the State than was ever possible.I do not have a problem saying that today's birders are spoiled by an embarrassment of riches. Embrace them. Use them. Share the knowledge. Enrich the birding experience for everyone. Show your passion! Besides, in about five years all this will be obsolete anyways, and I cannot wait for what comes next!Good Birding,Steve StachowiakHighlands Ranch, CO
On Friday, October 30, 2015 at 12:53:16 PM UTC-6, Mark wrote:Recently, I have noticed a trend of good to great chaseable birds not being reported to CObirds but instead just added to the eBird checklist. The reason for the email is that yesterday, a Great-crested Flycatcher was reported from the Denver Botanical Gardens at Chatfield around 8:40 a.m. After looking at the photos attached to the checklist, I'm struggling to rule out a Brown-crested Flycatcher. The problem with this kind of reporting is that you're not hearing about the bird until the next day. A few weeks ago, a Tri-colored Heron was reported to CObirds and many people were able to see the bird before it disappeared the following day. I'm not trying to criticize a person's decision of reporting, because it is ultimately their choice. I'm trying to get a better understanding of why this trend is increasing so rapidly?
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/2cfb5dec-0deb-4986-9b8d-70a1598ae5cd%40googlegroups.com.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAGj6RoofqBuqO_--%2Br5rsXOZTumObdX%2BtWBHf1vDAgqE5xj18w%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.
To post to this group, send email to cobirds@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/CAJmtx%2BU99TEr%3DPChmchDYUkLGg7e3yGD8J03oVTWZStiZZJ3xg%40mail.gmail.com.
For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
No comments:
Post a Comment