eBird and biking: does one really need to split a checklist into tiny segments? (1 Viewer)

[THE_FERN]

Regarding how to keep track of how many TVs you see: change the view in the app to show species already observed. When you tap on the left of the name it adds one more to your total.

Niels

Which is ok as far as it goes...

2 improvements I'd make are:

Have a "lock" button on the app. I often leave my screen unlocked when ebirding as my pass code is longish. But then rubbing of the phone in my pockets or some such means ebird entries can get corrupted. I want a lock/unlock button on the app to prevent this.

When you're old like me adding the 98 carrion crows you've just counted to the 43 you already have, and then deciding that 3 were probably resightings does my brain in. I want + <enter number> and minus <enter number> sections so I don't have to get the maths wrong.

Of course, if they'd open the app up I could make these changes myself...

 

[njlarsen]

The plus-enter number exists. Wait a few minutes and subtract the three from the next group you see?

as my pass code is longish

I use my fingerprint to unlock my phone most of the time so not my problem. actually locking the screen saves battery on my phone.
Niels

 

[THE_FERN]

The plus-enter number exists. Wait a few minutes and subtract the three from the next group you see?

I use my fingerprint to unlock my phone most of the time so not my problem. actually locking the screen saves battery on my phone.
Niels

Well I'm slightly more paranoid than most: fingerprints less secure than my way I believe. Locking involves pressing physical button on mine (=wear it out)

Where can you add more than one? You can go into the species screen and manually adjust the total, add breeding codes etc. but that's not what I mean

 

[raymie]

Umm error yeah. And as per another recent thread, I wish the submission process wasn't so super tedious...

(I also wish they'd open up their app code [which would help] but one can dream...)

Use the app. Works super well.

 

[Vyomkesh]

I do submit them as incomplete lists (there's no way I can be complete in submitting e.g. how many shorebirds I am seeing...).
But the fact is that when I bike 5 Km and back (for instance) on the shores of the Bay Area, that corresponds to many known eBird locations. Yet when biking, it is really rather inconvenient to start/stop checklists all the time, rather than simply keep birding -- especially because the app could very well, while recording the track, also annotate observations with gps coordinates.
For the moment, I am submitting such longer tracks, but I submit them not added to any known location, so at least they do not confuse that data. I hope that's

When you are stopping after a km or 2 to drink water or something try starting a new list. Rather keep 1 first 5km as one list and coming back another

 

[Vyomkesh]

How would you ever know if someone makes a "complete" observation list i.e. listing each and every bird (or other creature) they see/hear? Some will list each down to every sparrow or starling, an other might just list whatever he/her finds notable. On the observation sites that don't work with lists but, as you seem to call it, random sightings, all these sightings are grouped and linked to geographical areas, overall still giving conclusions about populations etc no matter that some list every single bird and other just a notable few. Sure, it would better if everybody would list everything, but can hardly enforce that wish.

That should be incidental or (Travelling/Stationary/ etc.) incomplete list.

 

[Ries]

Well the dream for me is something which records exactly what I see where (precisely) I see it. If I then want to tag a string of observations as a "trip" so be it. Perhaps obsmap does (some) of this..?

It doesn't make a route like eBird does, would be nice though. But personally I know my route, as I make it before I jump on the bike The continuous GPS locking of observations, and assigning them to geographical areas, to me at least, compensates that eBird route feature. I really missed that modality there, the list-thing is too tedious to me. Sadly, as it is the most used platform worldwide.

 

[Vyomkesh]

It doesn't make a route like eBird does, would be nice though. But personally I know my route, as I make it before I jump on the bike The continuous GPS locking of observations, and assigning them to geographical areas, to me at least, compensates that eBird route feature. I really missed that modality there, the list-thing is too tedious to me. Sadly, as it is the most used platform worldwide.

One disadvantage of continuous GPS locking of data in eBird is birds may be more prone to disturbance.
Eg - You see Namaqua Dove in Rajasthan while birding while on a trail of 3km. Many birders will go to see them to get a look at the species disturbing it (although unintentionally) if they know the exact spot.

 

[Ries]

Oh yes, crowding by twitchers, sometimes disturbing the bird, is seen often. There is a feature in Obsmapp to hide the location of a bird, or hide it completely alfpr a chosen length of time, and it's ever more often used to protect the bird, especially when breeding or vulnerable.

 

[Hauksen]

How would you ever know if someone makes a "complete" observation list i.e. listing each and every bird (or other creature) they see/hear? Some will list each down to every sparrow or starling, an other might just list whatever he/her finds notable. On the observation sites that don't work with lists but, as you seem to call it, random sightings, all these sightings are grouped and linked to geographical areas, overall still giving conclusions about populations etc no matter that some list every single bird and other just a notable few. Sure, it would better if everybody would list everything, but can hardly enforce that wish.

Hi Ries,

"Complete" and "random sightings" are the platforms' terms, not mine. The concept behind "complete" lists is that potentially present but unobserved birds can be accounted for by statistical methods, making the lists more useful than "random sightings" (a better description might be "arbitrarily selected sightings") despite the problem of "complete" lists normally being practically incomplete.

However, I actually asked ornitho.de "keeper" Christopher König for a description of best practices in preparing "complete lists" in order to be able to contribute efficiently and accurate, and he basically said, "Oh, never mind, just start using the feature as you see fit", which to me was a big disappointment. Still, I'll admit that realistically, in a "citizen science" environment, you would have to expect that most people do just what König said, regardless of whether guidance is available or not.

orntho.de also accepts observation lists with species noted as present, but not counted, as that still will provide information with regard to the distribution and frequency of these species, so it's not actually necessary to figure out the number of individuals present in the observation area over the observation period, which due to resightings can be difficult.

So lists do add some value over arbitrarily selected sightings, and the platforms seem to place considerable emphasis on that extra value. Personally, I'd count myself to the skeptics and don't use the listing feature much.

Regards,

Henning

 

[jurek]

A "complete" list is understood in the sense of "all birds that have seen or heard to the best of your knowledge ..." two different orbservers will not have the same complete list.

Funny, I believe this was the major cause of error in a recent publication based on Ebird, which sought to calculate populations of birds worldwide.

It produced a result that birds living in gardens in North America and England are the most common species in the world. It was because users know them very well, and count them even in brief views. But the same birders notice or identify worse birds typical for different habitats or continents. Selective counting based on familiarity with the species.

 

[Vyomkesh]

I can't say much rather than supporting eBird.

Funny, I believe this was the major cause of error in a recent publication based on Ebird, which sought to calculate populations of birds worldwide.

It produced a result that birds living in gardens in North America and England are the most common species in the world. It was because users know them very well, and count them even in brief views. But the same birders notice or identify worse birds typical for different habitats or continents. Selective counting based on familiarity with the species.

Those were Barn Swallows, European Starlings, House Sparrows and the 4th can't remember. From what I know they have a global populations. Yes there is indeed some bias in lists in terms of Area with most of lists from The Americas, Asia and Europe but that should be solved with time as new lists come by.

recent publication based on Ebird, which sought to calculate populations of birds worldwide.

Can you elaborate?

Vyomkesh

 

[Vyomkesh]

As you are stopping while birding after some distance, you should submit different lists (if they are not combined).

But if there is a combined hotpsot (eg - a group of lakes) then go through all the lakes as a single hotspot.

 

[Ries]

It's just not user friendly for people on the move, having to make a new list every few kilometers. Seems to be focused on one kind of (stationary) birder. Sorry, Vyomkesh, as you seem associated. It's just one opinion, I'm probably the minority. I wanted to make the step to the internationally most used birder's platform last year but still thought obs more user friendly and effective, in many respects./

 

[Vyomkesh]

It's just not user friendly for people on the move, having to make a new list every few kilometers. Seems to be focused on one kind of (stationary) birder. Sorry, Vyomkesh, as you seem associated. It's just one opinion, I'm probably the minority. I wanted to make the step to the internationally most used birder's platform last year but still thought obs more user friendly and effective, in many respects./

Then what can be done is make a single incidental list for the whole biking tour and list all the birds at one separate location

 

[Vyomkesh]

Seems to be focused on one kind of (stationary) birder.

If you are on a trail and birding with focus continously trying to detect all species even then you can submit.

 

[Vyomkesh]

Then what can be done is make a single incidental list for the whole biking tour and list all the birds at one separate location

Again given that same route is used back and forth.Link given should help

eBird

<i>For questions and assistance about <b>eBird</b></i>

support.ebird.org

 

[Ries]

Sorry, the quite manual checklist thing is still a nuisance to me, stays when reading up on it. Might use it when travelling abroad (in my dreams) to help eBirders knowledge, but still find obs as useful for scientific purposes and more user friendly.

 

[Vyomkesh]

Sorry, the quite manual checklist thing is still a nuisance to me, stays when reading up on it. Might use it when travelling abroad (in my dreams) to help eBirders knowledge, but still find obs as useful for scientific purposes and more user friendly.

I am perfectly fine with that, each to their own

 

[Ries]

Would be a dream if big platforms like these would share their database and knowledge; offering an option to upload observations to both to create one worldwide knowledge database. To ex/import the data between them is not very easy. Now it's a bit divided US/EU again.

Well, one can dream. I understand it's not easily feasible.