eBird

 

February 3rd

          Some of you may wonder how we know where to look for the birds and how we find them.  A birder develops some skills with practice.  These include looking for movement and learning the habits, size, shape and identifying field marks of various birds.

 Equally important is being keenly aware of the sounds around you.  When you hear a bird calling, you should follow the sound and try to locate the bird.  With a lot of practice which includes listening to recordings of bird vocalizations, a birder can eventually learn many of the songs and calls of birds.  A definitive ID can be made by sight and/or sound.

Sometimes you can find birds by just being out in an appropriate habitat and keeping your eyes and ears open.  This is really the most rewarding way to bird.  You get a great sense of satisfaction when you discover a special bird on your own.  However, we are more than willing to accept information about sightings made by other birders.  In our techy world this is done through a website and app called ebird. 

Ebird is an online database of bird observations that provide scientists and amateur birders with information about bird sightings.  It was developed by Cornell University Ornithological Lab and the National Audubon Society and is now used worldwide.  Ebird enlists amateurs to gather data on bird distribution and abundance that can be used in science.  The bird sightings are put into a vast network that can be freely accessed by everyone.  

 This is a great tool that we are using more and more.  Mike and I record our sightings on eBird and use it often to see what others have seen.  Ebird will show you a location on google maps (sometimes with GPS coordinates) and directions on how to get there.  You can also see the bird lists of all the birds seen by others at a specific location.  It is really very helpful.

We hope to get back out in the field soon but at the moment we are snowed in.  


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