Date: 5/4/25 12:29 am From: Paul Roisen via groups.io <roisenp1950...> Subject: [NEBirds] *** Calamus Reservoir*** eBird locations
Good morning Nebraska eBirders. This post is specifically regarding posting to eBird when in the Calamus Reservoir area. A posting listing Calamus Reservoir needs to be specific in nature. Calamus Reservoir covers a lot of territory, many miles of roads, trails, wetlands, forest, open fields, grassland, privately owned locations, campground, a dam, a large fish hatchery, and lots of open water and in some cases considerable human activity. Some areas refer to SRA (State Recreation area), Waterfowl Management Areas (WMA), and reservoir management areas. Additionally, some of it is in Garfield county while most of it is in Loup county.
Garfield County: 12 eBird Hotspots, FIVE of which are directly listed with Calamus in their names. Loup County: 20 eBird Hotspots, 12 of which have Calamus in their names.
eBird was designed to gather scientific data from the public (Citizen Science) to track bird species locations and numbers both during nesting and migration, as well as other metrics. You do not have to be a scientist to be helpful to the gathering of information regarding the avian species. More specifically it is vitally important to properly include a reasonably accurate location where you saw specific species.
That said, Calamus Reservoir is an example of an area where it is extremely important to be as accurate as possible when listing the location. Since there is quite a diversity of habitat in the Calamus Reservoir area there are some things to take into consideration when providing a "location" for your checklist:
1. Use Hotspots (HS) when you are selecting a location IF there is within reasonable proximity (I use the nearest one if it is within 2-3 miles of my location (if using your phone app you can scroll down and find the nearest HS and it will give you an approx distance so you can chose to use a HS or create your own location). I try to not exceed 4-6 miles on any one traveling checklist. **If you go down a road or trail and then cover that same road or trail, (cut your mileage down for any portion you covered twice).
2. If you are going to be traveling around a large lake or reservoir, do NOT use just onlyONE Hotspot for obvious reasons (as you travel, the habitat will and thus bird species will change, so you may wish to consider if you should end one checklist and begin another.
3. Specific to Calamus Reservoir: a. *Please do NOT use Calamus Outfitters (#1 Hotspot-currently 401 species)* which is totally misleading and useless a Hotspot since the property is private, the business is not closed and WORST of all, when they were providing birding tours around the reservoir and other nearby locations, the lists were ALL listed under Calamus Outfitters even if the birds may have been clear at the other end of reservoir and possibly even into Garfield county. b. Similarly, do not start a checklist, HS or your own location) and travel too far before closing that checklist out and beginning a new checklist. c. Keep tabs on your habitat, if the habitat changes too much, start a new checklist OR at least make note of in your "Checklist Comments".
The above reflects the kinds of errors I made often earlier in my eBird days. I was blessed with friends and helpful people who helped me sharpen my birding skills and also my recording of species etc. to eBird skills.
Hope this was helpful. Some of you may consider my suggestions as being "over the top" and this is OK (to each his own) as we say, but little things like this make the research, data gathered, etc. much more scientifically useful.
God Bless. Birding "rocks" and it is good for our souls. *Paul O. Roisen* *Woodbury County, IA* *Mobile 712-301-2817*
