Check list (1 Viewer)

[rolandb]

Hi guys,
Not sure if this is in the right ‘forum’, but if not,, oopps sorry.
I’ve recently started bird watching again after a very long break and have just had a day at Minsmere. Great day it was too.

After getting home and checking my field guide to confirm the ones I’d seen, I then wondered if I should have marked them on a list or something.

So the question is,, do you keep a check list, do you carry it with you, which one do you use and fill in ???.

It’s something I hadn’t thought about until now 🤔

Roland.

 

[scissortail666]

Hi Roland,

It's totally up to you when/whether or not you want to keep a list! There's nothing wrong with just getting out and enjoying the birds without keeping track of each sighting. That being said, listing can be a nice way to document and remember the experience, and can help you notice trends over time. Every so often I will go out with the intention to list, by myself or with other birders. When I see birds while out for a walk with my dog or a friend, I usually just take a moment to appreciate them without feeling the need to list every single one.

www.ebird.org is a very popular website that birders use to submit lists. The data is used by scientists to track bird populations and ranges, and you can set your lists to be public or private. eBird also has maps of birding 'hotspots', and it can be really useful to check out what birds have been spotted at a location recently before heading out there yourself. They have an app which is supposed to be good, so you can tick off birds as you walk and it keeps track of your route. You can also use eBird from a PC.

You could also use a journal to keep track of your lists. Many regions publish lists of which birds are locally common, uncommon, rare etc in each season, which can be helpful as a guide when you are getting started.

Hope this helps! Happy birding.

 

[delia todd]

I agree with Scissortail.... you do it the way you want to/if you want to. I keep mostly holiday lists, garden and patch lists on spreadsheets and also send to Birdtrack, run by the BTO for British birds.

Local recorders can collect the information from there (if you want them to) and the records are also shared with ebird I believe.