In the ever-evolving world of birding, eBird has become an imperative tool for both finding and recording bird sightings. This free to use site allows birders to submit checklists of their observations that the site then categorizes and tallies into easy to view displays. The data is also used in many scientific studies to help people understand trends in the world of birds. While eBird has certainly changed the way birders keep track of data, not all checklists are created equal. Although any checklist can be useful to both the observer and anyone looking at it hoping to get information on a sighting, there are some ways to optimize them for future use. Here are 5 ways to make better eBird checklists.

Use Accurate Numbers

The first thing you can do to make better eBird checklists is by using exact numbers when possible. A bad habit that some eBird users have is to catalog species by just putting an x instead of a number. Other than noting a species is present, this does almost nothing in terms of usable data since so much of the questions around bird populations deal with their numbers. A general estimate of the individuals of a species you saw is certainly better than just ignoring the numbers and putting xs, but keeping a perfect record of the numbers is even better. Of course, this is not always possible since flocks of birds are sometimes enormous. For estimating large groups, a good technique to use is grouping. Count the approximate number of birds in one part of the flock and then count how many similar sized groups you see. For getting the exact total one of the easiest ways to do it is by using eBird mobile. With eBird mobile you can add ticks to your bird list in real time and simply save the list to add it to your records. Why is it important to be as accurate as possible? The data from eBird is used to identify trends in bird populations, so the more accurate the date, the better scientists can help species that are in trouble.

Be Specific on Hotspots

When selecting locations on eBird, there are two ways to select the location: Create a personal location or select an existing hotspot. Personal locations are for places like a personal residence or place where a hotspot doesn’t yet exist. Existing Hotspots can be very general and encompass an entire park or be associated with a specific area of the park or wildlife area. However, the problem with selecting general hotspots is that it does little to point other birders in the right direction in what can sometimes be hundreds of square miles of habitat. Furthermore, bird sightings often occur in very specific places such as a tree or bird feeder that the bird tends to frequent. Having a more specific and exact point can be incredibly useful for people looking to re-find the bird, however, eBird reviewers suggest using as specific of a hotspot as you can, and then putting specific details in the comments. Of course, if you’re trying to be intentionally vague then it makes sense not to add specific details in the general hotspot. A person may want to do this to avoid unnecessary stress on sensitive or nesting species, but if it’s a bird that you want others to be able to find, adding those details is more useful.

Add Media

One of the most useful things you can do in an eBird checklist is to add media. EBird accepts both photos and audio clips and oftentimes these things are expected when reporting a rare bird. There are a variety of reasons media is great to add to checklists, one big one is proof that the rare bird seen was correctly identified. What better proof is there than showing the actual images or recordings of the bird in question? Adding media for species that aren’t rare is also useful as each photo or video is added to the Macaulay library (a photo data base) and can be accessed by other birders or downloaded by the original poster. In this way, the photos serve as something of a scrap book of sightings for users that add them.

Add Additional Comments

With each species listed on an eBird checklist, there is a place to input additional comments. For rare birds this is a required field. A lot of times people try to sort of skip over this field by putting limited remarks such as “continuing” which is a personal pet peeve of mine. While yes, it is a little more work to add in comments, it’s actually an opportunity to input information about the sighting. Include a physical description of the bird, but then also where exactly the bird was seen, and what behaviors you’ve noticed about the bird. Additional useful pieces of information such as exact coordinates, if the bird was a flyover, or if the bird was heard only are also extremely useful to add. As I mentioned before, these comments are usually necessary when reporting rarities but adding them for common birds that people may be interested in seeing are also useful.

Add Extra Details

Making a robust description of the bird or birds seen is certainly useful, but adding specific details in the correct location can also be important. EBird comes with some places to enter information such as sex, breeding behavior, and even whether a bird is oiled or not. This information can be entered in just below the general comments and goes to further beef up sightings with useful information.

With eBird becoming an ever-growing part of the hobby, it benefits everyone to have the most accurate data as possible entered into the site. Both for one’s own record keeping, and anyone else who wants to use the information to locate birds or help their populations, making high quality eBird checklists is incredibly useful. Do you have any other tips for making better eBird checklists, let us know in the comments below and as always, thanks for watching, we’ll see you next time, on Badgerland Birding