This month’s eBirder of the Month challenge, sponsored by Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, encourages precise eBirding through eBird Mobile. On iOS and Android, the free eBird Mobile app allows you to ‘track’ your checklists using GPS—providing unprecedented detail in your eBird checklists on where exactly you went birding. You can just focus on birding, and let the app do the work! The eBirder of the Month will be drawn from eBirders who submit 15 or more eligible checklists with eBird Mobile ‘tracks’ in December. Checklists must be for observations during this month; not historical checklists entered during November. Winners will be notified by the 10th of the following month.
If you haven’t tried eBird Mobile before, there’s no better time than now. Unique My eBird stats, easy Quick Entry shortcuts that make entering data faster than pen & paper, and new ‘tracks’ that make eBirding even easier. More than 60% of all eBird data are entered through mobile now, and that number grows with each passing month. Learn how to get started with eBird Mobile here.
eBird Mobile ‘tracks’ will lead the way to a host of exciting future eBird tools. Imagine going to a hotspot, and being able to see an overlay of where eBirders have been in the past—a way to understand how to bird the location as well as what’s present. Or not even having to choose a location when you’re eBirding, and instead just letting the app suggest where you were and allowing you to just confirm. These tools, as well as numerous research impacts, will all be possible as more eBirders use eBird Mobile.
Each month we will feature a new eBird challenge and set of selection criteria. The monthly winners will each receive a new ZEISS Conquest HD 8×42 binocular. In addition, don’t forget about the 2017 Checklist-a-day Challenge—can you submit 365 eligible checklists this year?
Carl Zeiss Sports Optics is a proven leader in sports optics and is the official optics sponsor for eBird. “Carl Zeiss feels strongly that by partnering with the Cornell Lab we can provide meaningful support for their ability to carry out their research, conservation, and education work around the world,” says Mike Jensen, President of Carl Zeiss Sports Optics, North America. “The Cornell Lab is making a difference for birds, and from the highest levels of our company we’re committed to promoting birding and the Lab’s work, so there’s a great collaboration. eBird is a truly unique and synergistic portal between the Lab and birders, and we welcome the opportunity to support them both.”
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