Birding News and Features

What in the world is "Herring Gull (American)"?

Most species names in eBird are easily found with a glance at your field guide, but eBird also allows entry of a number of other birds (sometimes we call them 'taxa') whose names do not appear in any guides. These break down into three main groups: hybrids, spuhs, and subspecies groups. Hybrids all have the word "hybrid" in the name (e.g., Mallard x Gadwall (hybrid)) and all spuhs either have a "sp." (e.g., scoter sp.) or slash (e.g., Greater/Lesser Scaup) in the name. The subspecies groups, such as "Herring Gull (American)", are more complicated and explained here.

Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Visits Vermont!

Vermont eBirder Barbara Powers spotted a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher on Saturday in Arlington. The flycatcher was sitting on an telephone wire. The only other record for this species in Vermont was one on May 26, 1997 by C. B. Hoisington, B. L. Hoisington in Bethel.

Peter Manship captured some photographs on Sunday morning. As Peter wrote on his blog, "It was quite a sight flying with that long tail waving in the wind." Brendan Collins said it was last seen heading north out of sight.

Sparrow Visits Vermont

Norton and Marlene Latourelle saw a sparrow that looked an awful lot like a western species called a Golden-crowned Sparrow. Norton called his friend Ernie Franzgrote to tell him that they had a possible Golden-crowned Sparrow feeding beneath the feeder at their house.  From their description he concluded they were probably right.

The trouble with 'X' - Why you should always estimate numbers!

Over the years at eBird we have always been flexible about allowing users to report either numbers for each species, or to provide an 'X' to indicate presence. In our latest round of analysis, however, we found that checklists where users estimated numbers for ALL species encountered were of significantly higher conservation value when compared with those that contain 'Xs', or even a single 'X' mixed in with numbers. In this piece we'll talk about why recording numbers is important, as well as provide some guidance as to how to estimate numbers in difficult situations. Read more about why making your best estimate of numbers always trumps the dreaded 'X'!

New Tool: eBird Top 100

Introducing a new feature at Vermont eBird called the "eBird Top 100." Using this new tool found under the "View and Explore Data" tab, you can now see your position in relation to other eBird users in a variety of geographic regions including ABA area, country, state and county. We offer two different rankings: the total number of species reported, or the total number of complete checklists submitted. eBirders have asked for a tool like this so that they can see where they stand in relation to other birders in their region of interest. We hope this new tool will inspire healthy competition among eBirders, and increase the amount of checklists submitted by inspiring birders to get out and collect more new data, as well as promote the entry of historic records. Click on "View and Explore Data" to find out how you rank among the best eBirders in Vermont and beyond!

NBNC Recruiting for Youth Birding Team

For over a decade, North Branch Nature Center has sponsored youth birding teams at the World Series of Birding (WSB) in New Jersey and we are now recruiting team members. This year the WSB will take place on May 9th. Teams spend up to 24-hours looking and listening for every bird they can see and hear in this mix of a friendly competition and a conservation fundraiser.  Participants are promised an enriching and educational experience and the opportunity to promote bird conservation and support the The North Branch Nature Center.