eBirder of the Month: Holly Merker
Holly Merker, our May 2010 eBirder of the Month. Photograph by Dave Merker.
We are are proud to introduce Holly Merker of Downingtown, PA, as the May 2010 eBirder of the month. Congratulations, Holly!
Name: Holly Merker
Residence: Downingtown, PA
Years eBirding: 6
eBird Chester Co., PA Life List: 233
Number of complete eBird checklists: 345
From Holly:
What I love about eBird is how it provides every eBirder the opportunity to make a difference in what we know about birds. Whether it be birds we see and report far from home, or birds observed in our own backyards.
Admittedly, I’ve never been much of a list keeper. I’d find myself getting sidetracked, and forgetting to enter data into various software applications, or into my field journals. I could tell you what I’ve seen, and what I haven’t, but never found it easy to accurately keep track of species and number, that is, until I started using eBird.
For years, my birding focus has been greatly centered on capturing data that would be useful for conservation purposes. Projects such as CLO’s Birds in Forested Landscapes, Christmas Bird Counts, and the Pennsylvania Breeding Bird Atlas have allowed me to contribute my bird observations to projects that track and gather data that will help scientists better understand bird distributions in my county and state. Those projects are a wonderful reason to collect and contribute my bird observations, but aren’t always ongoing. This is where eBird has taken over, and provided me the opportunity to feel that all of my time spent in the field birding, or even from home, is a valuable contribution to avian conservation!
I have taken a particular interest in focusing my eBird contributions to my home county of Chester, Pennsylvania. As changes of land use in this region continue to impact suitable habitat for birds, I believe that eBird checklists from various locations in the county will help give an accurate picture of the current bird life, while also providing a clearer snapshot of the changes in population trends as time goes on.
Over the last few years, I have been particularly committed to gathering and entering eBird observations from areas that I feel could be compromised by future development and the impacts of suburban sprawl. One of these locations is currently under threat of development. Because of this, I have been focused on amassing avian data from all seasons, in hopes that at some point, my eBird checklists from this site may be useful to the property owners when considering the changes they will make to the land. The ability to pull my checklist of species and dates from my eBird data for a specific location is an invaluable tool that I am glad to be able to utilize.
Because of my devotion to county eBirding, my birding style has changed in recent years. Realizing that every checklist is meaningful, and that population counts are significant, I have taken a particular interest in counting each individual bird as accurately as possible. During waterfowl migration, I take a special interest in censusing the species that visit our Piedmont lakes along their journeys. It is because of my interest in counting each individual for my eBird checklists, that I located the county’s first record of a Tufted Duck. I had been making frequent stops at a local waste water sewage lagoon through the winter, as it was one of few locations that remained unfrozen and still hosted a variety of ducks. I had taken a particular interest in the number of Ring-necked Ducks which were congregating in growing numbers throughout February and March. I was counting with the clicker in my hand, on March 18, 2010 when my scope landed on a female which was quite different than the rest. Immediately, I was able to rule out all of the expected species due to the plumage characteristics, and when the bird lifted its head, she revealed a little tuft. Had I not been counting and carefully looking at each bird on the lagoon for my eBird checklists, I could have easily missed this rare bird. So, I credit eBird for helping to change my birding style, and giving me more incentive to look at each individual!
I feel lucky to have been able to play a role in helping eBird manage data here in Pennsylvania. When I was asked to help volunteer with the eBird submissions for Pennsylvania, eBird was a much smaller project than it is today, with many fewer eBirders and data contributions. It has been exciting to watch eBird grow into what it has become today, and view the increasing volume of data entered for each species in my state as more birders become eBirders. I feel proud to be a part of the eBird community, and am grateful to eBird for providing all of us the opportunity to make a difference in the world of birds!
Past winners of the eBirder of the Month are featured here:
http://ebird.org/content/ebird/about/past-ebirders-of-the-month
Our goal with the eBirder of the Month 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. We are particularly interested in featuring people who are participating in our eBird Site Survey or County Birding initiatives. If you know of a candidate for the next eBirder of the Month, please contact us. See all of our winners click here.
