Birding News and Features
Top eBird Contributors for 2011
We'd like to thank the top eBird checklist contributors for 2011. The following list includes those Canadian individuals and organizations who have entered or uploaded more than 1200 eBird checklists in 2011. Toronto Ornithological Club--8965; Michael B. Lancaster--6129; Thomas Ouchterlony--5083; Wayne Weber--3358; Ted Hillary--2982; Christian Artuso--2796; Ian Cruickshank--2616; Tyler Hoar--1961; Vic Reimer--1695; Derrick Marven--1680; Jean-Sébastien Guénette--1647; Donald Sutherland--1621; Jan Roseneder--1617; Robert Laker--1460; John Reynolds--1407; Marc Boisvert--1407; Kevin Seymour--1397; Patrick Mooney--1351; Christopher Harris--1308. And thanks to all 1885 Canadian contributors who have entered eBird checklists in 2011!
Taxonomic update -- August 2011
We are pleased to announce that the August 2011 taxonomic update for eBird has now been fully implemented. World-traveling eBirders should have gained some new species on your life lists since dozens of splits in Asia, South America, and Africa are included in this update; please read on below for details. Please check your records carefully (especially "splits") and let us know if you notice anything that seems amiss. eBirders should use Avibase to help understand the different names and taxonomies used by eBird (and Clements), the IOC, Howard and Moore, and others. Just type a bird name into the search and Avibase shows all the names and populations that it could represent. Below we document all the significant changes for this taxonomic update.
eBird surpasses 3 million observations submitted in a single month!
With your help, eBird reached a new milestone this May, gathering 3,067,344 bird observations over the course of the month! And 215,853--almost a quarter million--of those sightings came from Canada. Achieving our highest monthly total isn't just a fun anecdote though, it also means more data for science and conservation, and more data to share with birders around the world. As more birders begin to use eBird, our ability to deliver real-time information to the birding community improves, and the tools that we've developed work better. As data volume increases, it helps shape the direction of future eBird development. Most importantly, continued growth improves our ability to protect birds and biodiversity by getting your data into the hands of conservationists and scientists around the world. Thanks to eBirders everywhere for making May 2011 our biggest month ever--and keep birding this summer!
Taxonomic update -- January 2011
We are pleased to announce that the January 2011 taxonomic update for eBird has now been fully implemented. Most eBirders should have gained some new species on your life lists and state lists, especially North American birders who have seen both the eastern and western forms of Winter Wren and Whip-poor-will. Dozens of other splits in Asia, South America, and elsewhere are also included in this update, so please read on below for details. Now that eBird is a worldwide project, taxonomy updates are a much more complicated process. Please check your records carefully and let us know if you notice anything that seems amiss. Below we document all the significant changes for this taxonomic update.
Printable eBird field checklists now available from Avibase
Many of our eBird contributors probably already know about Avibase, a website maintained (in his own spare time!) by Bird Studies Canada scientist Denis Lepage that offers a wealth of information about bird taxonomy, and checklists from around the world in a variety of formats. Avibase has recently launched a new feature that will prove useful to eBird participants--printable field checklists in eBird format. This tool provides a printable PDF version of any checklist available on Avibase, which can be used during your field excursions or your travels anywhere around the world. The checklists also provide space to record date and effort information for 10 locations, facilitating eBird data entry when you get back to the computer. Read more.
