[texbirds] Re: eBird: Subspecies and Filters
- From: Eric Carpenter <ecarpe@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: tengalloncat@xxxxxxxxx
- Date: Sat, 6 Apr 2013 16:19:26 -0500
Elliott,
In a general sense, when filters were first set up, they focused on
species-level entries. As more time has passed and more users are
entering data into eBird, the subspecies entries do get worked on and
improved; a lot of that is driven by the number of valid subspecies
entries made in the submissions in a particular area.
In the Austin area (okay, the Travis County filter is what you are
asking about I'm assuming), both Audubon's Warblers and Harlan's Hawks
are regular wintering birds. Their filters are set quite low to
account for their small numbers but I don't consider either to be that
unusual. As an example, I think I could probably point you to at
least 5 different dark-morph Harlan's in the county this past winter.
I know that Harlan's can be hard to ID for some but I don't get very
many mis-ID's of it though I suspect a few of the easterly
Zone-taileds that have been reported on the east side of the county
where perhaps Harlan's.
Outside of some visually distinctive subspecies (like the two above
and a few others), the average eBirder might struggle describing the
details behind his/her sub-specific identification. When I've asked
in the past for details on some sub-specific identifications, I will
get something akin to "this is the default in the area" with no
compelling reason why the particular bird being seen was the default.
In a species like Red-tailed Hawk where there are many intergrades and
it seems like every individual looks a little different, I would
prefer to require a bit of effort for someone to enter a subspecies
identification. I have found that if someone is keen to identify and
enter subspecies, they don't need a list of choices to help them
decide.
-- Eric
Travis County reviewer and filter-setting person
Eric Carpenter
Austin
On Sat, Apr 6, 2013 at 3:23 PM, Elliott Gordon <tengalloncat@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> For my eBird submissions, I have checked the "show subspecies" box. This is
> especially convenient for Yellow-rumped Warblers this time of year. But it
> has led to some questions:
> Why not set the Audubon's filter at 0 to encourage details, as they are
> less expected in central (and east) Texas?
> Why does Harlan's Red-tail show up automatically, but the Eastern filter is
> set at 0?
>
> Those are just a few that bug me every time. It seems that, either the
> expected subspecies should have non-zero filters or all subspecies should
> be set at 0, rather than a select few. I realize the effort that goes into
> maintaining filters, so some homogeneity necessary, but how much?
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