[BCNnet] Re: "eBird" Online Data Entry Site

[Judy Pollock]

Hi all,

I want to echo Jed's enthusiasm about ebird -
<http://www.ebird.org/>http://www.ebird.org/, and encourage people who are not
BCN Census monitors to consider using it to enter checklist data.  It is an
easy way to keep track of your own personal records, and at the same time
contribute your knowledge and observations to a national database.  You can
use
eBird to make a variety of graphs and charts, so that you can see lists and
trends in your own data, and also in the wider database.  I think you will be
impressed at how powerful this feature is!  The more data people enter, the
more useful and complete the analysis will be. This site will be a fantastic
resource for birders and planners around the country. 

And if that's not enough, here in the Chicago Region we have another reason to
use eBird.  We have arranged with BirdSource that all local data that is
entered into eBird will be regularly sent to land managers around the region
along with the BCN Census database, so that the people who own the land you
bird on and are making management decisions about it will receive your
sightings.  

The BCN Census is in many ways the prototype for eBird. All the struggles of
the BCN Census committee  (Lee Ramsey in particular), Cornell's staff, and all
the bird monitors out there who patiently worked with us to enter their
data as
we worked the bugs out of our website have paid off in creating a tool that is
useful and easy and can produce results for conservation.  Chicago area
birders
will continue to set the standard for how internet bird data collection can be
used for good conservation.  If you're curious about the BCN Census and would
like to take a look, you can check it out at
<http://www.fmnh.org/birdcensus>www.fmnh.org/birdcensus

Information for current BCN monitors: The BCN Census group will spend the
winter working with Cornell to make a special eBird interface that is accessed
through our own BCN Census page, so that you can enter checklist data with
greater ease - until then, Cornell encourages us to advise BCN monitors to
keep
using the current BCN Census site so that the continuity of your site data is
not lost.  Also this winter, we will load the '99-'00 data from the Field
Museum database into the new site, so you will have access to that data once
again. 

Citizen Science Rocks!

:-)

Judy Pollock
Evanston (Cook)
bobolnk@ix.netcom.com

Hi folks
My first experience with "ebird"
(<http://www.ebird.org/>http://www.ebird.org/)
the National Audubon 
Society/Cornell Labs online data entry website was impressive. The 
layout/design is more comprehensive than my Thayer's software (although
Thayer 
and Cornell have join forces for the revised edition - with "voice activated 
data entry - due out in March 2003). The format reminds me of the CBC, but is 
more streamline.
First they require the normal personal sign-up data, including your own 
password for security/identification.
You then select your own local(or distant)birding site on their map and name 
it.
When your ready to enter your data they're particular about the seriousness
of 
your effort(from casual to comprehensive)requiring time spent in the field, 
mileage, acreage covered, etc, including a checkbox for inclement weather 
conditions if necessary.
You then choose the type of checklist (alphabetical or taxonomic) and it 
displays the typical common species seen at your site/per time of year.
Interesting, when I entered my data today I had two late species not
initially 
listed on their chechlist: Eastern Phoebe and Gray Catbird. It allowed me to 
expand the checklist to add these two species, but then required an
additional 
notation (3rd) to confirm my "unusual" sightings. 
All-in-all I was impressed with the streamline format and yet the
thoroughness 
of the information required - I suspect their CBC experience greatly enhanced 
this effort.
You might want to take a look.
PS: I'm not sure how the BCN data entry website fits into this scheme.


===== 
Take Care.
Jed Hertz 
Kankakee County 
Kankakee, IL 
Email: jhh_60910@yahoo.com