eBird's Most Wanted Counties
Map of counties with one or zero eBird checklists!
It's perhaps surprising that eBirders have entered checklists from so many counties. Indeed, all but 50 of the 3142 counties in the United States have had at least one eBird checklist submitted prior to June of 2009. And there is also a surprising geographic spread with 8 states represented in the Top 10 counties: California, Illinois, Massachusetts (2), Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Texas, and Wisconsin (2).
Why counties?
We realize that counties are artificial entities with little biological relevance--though many land use decisions are made at the county level. And we further realize that counties differ in size and population, so we are comparing apples with oranges. With those limitations in mind, counties still offer us some advantages. For example, it's easy to see county boundaries, birders have been playing county listing games for decades, and we have some tools in eBird that will demonstrate WHO has been submitting the most checklists in each county. But don't get too hung up on counties either. Our goal is to get people to explore new places, or even old places at new seasons.
What can you do?
Why not plan a weekend trip to an area where we don't have as much data? If you are feeling really enterprising, consider planning a longer trip. Chris Wood, Brian Sullivan, Marshall Iliff and Steve Kelling are planning just such a trip in September--heading to the less explored parts of Montana, the Dakotas, Wyoming and the Nebraska panhandle (expect more on this later).
Consider writing to people on various discussion lists encouraging them to use eBird. If you see people posting messages, send them an email and tell them what you like about eBird and ask them if they would consider becoming involved.
Where should you go?
Below is a list of counties with NO checklists at all in eBird. These would be great places to start. Of course, we also realize that it may not be all that easy for everyone to get to Zeibach County, South Dakota. At the bottom of this article, you will find an Excel spreadsheet that lists the total number of checklists and species for every county in the United States. Take a look at the attached spreadsheet and see what counties have little data, and start planning your next adventure. As Robert Frost learned, there are some great discoveries to be made on the roads less traveled. And for what we hope to do with eBird, it will make all the difference.
Click HERE for an interactive map of the most wanted counties, or download a Google Earth file HERE that shows all the counties by checklist submission.
Counties with ZERO eBird checklists
Alabama: Clay
Alabama: Fayette
Alabama: Lamar
Georgia: Bacon
Georgia: Ben Hill
Georgia: Calhoun
Georgia: Dodge
Georgia: Glascock
Georgia: Heard
Georgia: Irwin
Georgia: Jeff Davis
Georgia: Montgomery
Georgia: Schley
Georgia: Terrell
Georgia: Treutlen
Georgia: Warren
Georgia: Webster
Hawaii: Kalawao
Illinois: Greene
Illinois: Hardin
Iowa: Audubon
Kentucky: Breathitt
Kentucky: Clay
Kentucky: Crittenden
Kentucky: Hancock
Kentucky: Knott
Kentucky: Leslie
Kentucky: Martin
Kentucky: Morgan
Kentucky: Owsley
Kentucky: Todd
Mississippi: Benton
Mississippi: Monroe
Mississippi: Montgomery
Mississippi: Newton
Mississippi: Walthall
Mississippi: Wayne
South Dakota: Buffalo
South Dakota: Dewey
South Dakota: Haakon
South Dakota: Tripp
South Dakota: Turner
South Dakota: Ziebach
Tennessee: Hancock
Tennessee: Houston
Virginia: Covington
Virginia: Manassas Park
Virginia: Martinsville
West Virginia: Marshall (checklists submitted June 2009)
West Virginia: Wirt
