I send this email out every year, but I’m making a change this year. Rather than put half a dozen or more topics in one email, I’m going to break it up into just a few topics per email in order to make these important points more easily digested. In this email, I would like to highlight:
Reporting Birds that trigger a RARE BIRD ALERT and requests that the observer provide details
• Written Documentation
• Uploading Photos and Audio
• Using Merlin as documentation
*Written Documentation :* When you are prompted to provide documentation for a sighting of an unusual or rare bird, the *#1 comment to add* is *a description of the bird*. The bird’s behavior, where it was seen etc. can add depth to the record, but *a description* of what the bird looked/sounded like is the most important element. A *description* of the bird should contain field marks and defining physical or audible characteristics that helped you separate it from similar species. *Photos, audio or video are generally best for documenting a rare bird, but if quality of media does not clearly support the ID, please back up the observation with a detailed description*. Remember, the rarer the bird, the more important thorough documentation becomes. Here is an eBird help article about how to document your sightings.
*Photos and Audio* : eBird has made uploading photos and audio recordings easy. Media are a great way to document your sightings. However, when reporting a rare bird , checklist comments like, “ *Photos to be added”, “Photos taken” , or similar wording* is something we see all the time…….And sometimes we never get to see the photos or hear the audio. *Please don’t make these comments a permanent part of your record!!!* *Please upload your photos or audio as soon as it is convenient*. If photos or audio are poor quality, you can still upload them, but try to back them up *with a description. If you decide not to upload media, then a description is needed.* Try to *write your descriptions* with field marks/separating from similar species etc. as soon as you can *while the details are still fresh in your mind*. Don’t wait until a time too far in the future when details are fuzzy at best . *Back of Camera (BOC) photos should be replaced with the actual photos* as soon as convenient as well.
*Here are eBird help articles about uploading photos and audio.*
*Using Merlin as Documentation:* If you are using Merlin to identify a bird that gets flagged for more details, *please upload your audio recording to your checklist as soon as it is convenient*. Leaving a comment *“ID”d by Merlin” or “Sound ID” is not considered sufficient documentation* as Merlin can be accurate, but *Merlin can also be very wrong* and still needs the human element to review *suggested Identifications*. *It is always a best practice to try to see a vocalizing bird in order to get visual confirmation of the ID when possible.*
A few more notes about using Merlin to document a rare or unusual bird:
• If birding in a group please ask folks to stop talking and try to be still while recording the vocalizing bird. We need to hear the bird!
• Also, If you are uploading a long recording, please indicate at what minute/second the target bird is vocalizing.
• Please don’t add a screen shot of your audio to your checklist. We cannot listen to a screen shot. Some spectrograms may be Identifiable visually, but we really want to hear the audio.
*The following link takes you to more info such as how to prepare and upload your audio to your checklist*
*A Big Thank You to All,* for your using eBird, your continued media contributions, and documentation efforts to support rare bird sightings, You make San Mateo County eBird what it is!
*One Last Thing:* we are seeing a lot of new users on eBird. If you are new, or know someone who is new to eBird, here is a help article about Getting Started with eBird:
