Good morning!
eBird users - if you noticed a lot more "rare" flags this weekend, it's
because we have entered the time of year of the Great Backyard Bird Count
(GBBC), which invites new and inexperienced birdwatchers across the country
to submit daily lists of their backyard birds. Scott Somershoe usually
posts a reminder about that here - I thought I'd save him the trouble this
year.
Though the users may not realize it, GBBC records go into eBird. It's a
time when eBird reviewers get reports of such oddities as loons perched and
singing on rooftops, or Marsh Wrens at suet feeders. For that reason,
filters are ratcheted way down for the middle part of February. We know
that there are still hundreds of Horned Grebes on the lakes, for example,
but we need to catch the ones reported in backyards.
If it seems an inconvenience to have to type in something which isn't rare,
or shouldn't be a high count - please understand that eBird reviewers feel
your pain, and then some. It's also a time when reviewers check their
review queues and find 5 pages of lists to check at 7AM :-)
So please be patient and if your eBird list flags a rarity or high count,
leave us a reasonable note and don't sweat it too much. Also please
understand that it may take a little time for things to show as
"confirmed." If you are a regular eBirder, your reviewer will know your
name as an experienced observer (or not). If you are traveling somewhere
where you may not be a known name to the local reviewers, it may be wise to
add a little more than you normally would. And lastly, if you are one of
the enlightened few who already write things like "add to filter", "not
rare", or with an emoji when you hit a flag... those records get dumped
year round without comment, so it's a good time to practice a little more
courtesy and consider whether you want your data to actually be counted or
not.
Thanks! Carry on and good birding!
Graham Gerdeman
Nashville
