http://ebird.org/content/canada daily 1 2008-03-13T17:30:02Z http://ebird.org/content/canada/news/top-ebird-contributors-for-2008 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! No publisher dickcannings 2012-01-04T17:36:10Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/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. No publisher dickcannings 2011-09-03T19:45:29Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/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! No publisher dickcannings 2011-06-06T18:19:08Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/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. No publisher dickcannings 2011-01-29T21:45:55Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/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. No publisher dickcannings 2011-01-20T21:57:59Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/new-canadian-species-at-risk-assessments The Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) met in Ottawa in November to consider a number of new candidates for at-risk status, as well as re-assessing some of the species already listed on the federal Species at Risk Act. The birds discussed at this meeting were Barn Owl, White-headed Woodpecker, Sage Thrasher and Cerulean Warbler, and all were being reassessed. For more details, click the headline link. No publisher dickcannings 2010-12-02T21:19:05Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/news/featured-ebirder-russell-cannings Our latest featured eBirder is Russell Cannings of Penticton, BC. Russell has led the Canadian eBird charts all year as he traveled British Columbia in his efforts to break the record for most species seen in that province in one year. He's reached that mark and more--read on for more exciting news! No publisher dickcannings 2010-11-27T22:07:36Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/ron-pittaways-winter-finch-forecast-2010-2011 Team eBird is pleased to once again host Ron Pittaway's Winter Finch Forecast. While the focus of this piece is on Ontario, we believe it has interest to a wider audience. From Ron: This winter's theme is that some finch species will irrupt into southern Canada and the northern United States, while other species will remain in the north. As an example, Common and Hoary Redpolls will move south whereas Pine Grosbeaks will stay in the north. See individual finch forecasts below for details. Three irruptive non-finch passerines are also discussed. No publisher dickcannings 2010-10-14T19:00:38Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/featured-ebirder-andre-desrochers Our newest featured eBirder is André Desrochers. As you can see from the totals in the Top Contributors feature, he is one of our most active participants. An ornithologist studying Canada's forest birds, André is also a keen birder and has taken full advantage of eBird's recent move to global coverage. For his side of the story, click on the headline link. No publisher dickcannings 2010-08-01T00:07:31Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/ebird-global-now-beta-testing We're happy to announce that eBird is now officially available for data entry worldwide! In early June we quietly enabled global data entry, and so far we've gathered data on nearly 8000 species from 176 countries! Pull out your notes from past trips abroad and help us beta-test the new data entry functionality. We've also developed a new mapping tool that we call 'eBird Range Maps'. These maps show species' ranges worldwide, and we welcome your feedback on those. We're currently working with new partners to develop better checklists and data quality filters for countries around the world. Send us general feedback on how things are working (email us at ebird@cornell.edu). Are your lists correct? Was the checklist usable? Your comments will help us make things better as we move forward with this monumental task. No publisher dickcannings 2010-07-21T01:19:02Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/home/ebird-canada-now-has-county-and-district-lists After a couple of years of technical difficulties and other unforeseen delays, we are happy to announce that eBird Canada now has county and district layers in all parts of its operations. This will make mapping a new location easier and will allow data analysis and listing at the county/district level. For more information, click the headline link or photo! No publisher dickcannings 2010-06-02T05:05:58Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/news/dendroica-a-new-bird-identification-training-program There is a new educational tool to help us all increase our bird identification skills--both sight and sound. Dendroica is a web-based program that allows you to browse bird images, songs and calls, then test your knowledge through quizzes. For more information, click on the headline link. No publisher dickcannings 2010-06-01T18:03:53Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/news/andrew-slater-featured-ebirder Our latest featured eBirder is Andrew Slater of Calgary. Andrew is the eBird regional editor for Alberta and has been a keen contributor since eBird Canada began. He also enjoys birding while travelling and has submitted many checklists from Mexico and Central America. No publisher dickcannings 2010-05-10T18:35:36Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/news/ted-hillary-ebirder-of-the-month We are instituting a new feature on eBird Canada—the eBirder of the month. The goal is to highlight how an individual is using eBird to inspire others to follow in their footsteps. One does not need to be a well-traveled or expert birder to be featured. Anyone who uses eBird is eligible, provided she or he understands the overarching goals of eBird and is committed to using the program regularly and properly. The first eBirder to be featured is Ted Hillary of Salmon Arm, BC. Click the headline link to read more about Ted and his dedication to eBird. No publisher dickcannings 2010-05-10T18:04:47Z Feature http://ebird.org/content/canada/news/be-an-ebird-rep-give-an-ebird-talk-to-your-birding-friends As eBird Project Leaders, we would like nothing more than to be able to visit each corner of the Western Hemisphere to provide a 'hands-on' eBird experience for local groups (and to do some birding!). We've found that one-on-one contact with potential users, as well as through giving eBird presentations to target audiences, can really help eBird become established locally. But the reality is that there are many more local birding organizations than we could ever hope to visit in person. To remedy this we've made an eBird PowerPoint presentation available to our users so that they can help spread the eBird word at the local level. The presentation is available here. No publisher dickcannings 2009-11-02T17:53:10Z Feature