Effort-based Observations -- An eBird Thank You!

Many birders choose "Casual Observation" as their default methodology when entering data into eBird.  While these data are useful for mapping and analyzing the most basic information about birds, they are of limited use when conducting more rigorous analyses.  Scientists at Cornell and elsewhere are excited about the data-rich resources at eBird, and as project leaders we're trying to convey the importance of increasing the value of your data through conducting effort-based observations.  Effort-based observations fit nicely into the day-to-day birding regimes of many birders, and with just small modifications you can begin to collect more scientifically rigorous data.  By simply telling us how long you were birding, how far you traveled, or how large an area you covered, you can add immense value to your daily checklists. eBird has three types of standardized effort-based protocols: Traveling Count, Stationary Count, and Area Count.  By choosing one of these three options for data entry, you've immediately increased the utility of your data.  For more about these options read the eBird news item called "Make Your Checklists More Meaningful."

In June we called on you to conduct more effort-based observations and fewer "Casual Observations."  We recently reviewed the data to see if there was a response, and we were overwhelmed at the drastic decline in the use of "Casual Observations"! In the graph below we've plotted the proportion of methodology choices over time since the launch of eBird in November 2002. "Casual Observations" are in blue, and a combination of the three "Effort-based Observations" are in red.  Two precipitous declines can be seen, one beginning in April of 2006 when we last made a plea to eBirders about this very issue, and the new decline beginning in June 2008.  The latest numbers show "Casual Observations" dropping to roughly 25%!  We're very excited about this, and as the proportion of "Casual Observations" continues to decline the eBird database becomes even more powerful.

This is great news for eBird, and we'd like to thank all of you who made the decision to make your checklists more meaningful.  We couldn't be happier about this, as the total number of checklists continue to rise we hope to see a further decline in the use of Casual Observations.  Thanks again from Team eBird, and keep up the good work!