eBird Protocol Type - Which to use
May 3, 2024 20:07:31 GMT -8
oldfulica, Randy, and 1 more like this
Post by Gord on May 3, 2024 20:07:31 GMT -8
Last year, I did a presentation for the Manning Bird Blitz on various topics. Some eBird discussion was had and it was a good chance to explore its use with the engaged audience.
One that I really think is worth going over is what kind of protocol type to use. Stationary is a straight forward protocol to use, and one that collects good data especially if someone decides to do random stationary counts in an area and doesn't pick spots based on it just looking birdy.
The Traveling protocol has a few considerations however:
From a vehicle. Even if driving slowly and looking for birds, these should be Incidental protocol. I've done some tests of birding by foot then doing by car over the same area. Even done while driving slowly and even some quick stops, I missed a fair bit both species and number of birds that I had seen on foot. What happens is the data submitted from the vehicle suggests there's less birds there than there really is. It shouldn't be a surprise this is the case. Some attention is being put on keeping the vehicle on the road during that bit of birding effort.
Some examples of vehicle birding is for sites that are a bit larger and don't have trails. Hope Airport is really tempting to drive the 4km slowly and then consider it a Traveling checklist. Maybe a few stops and a get out happens but again if vehicle birding is also done, it will skew results. I have been known to keep an incidental list from driving and then do separate lists for when I do a Stationary or get out for a walk. Sumas Prairie is also a good example of easy to do Traveling but really has negative consequences.
Incidental Protocol is perfectly acceptable to use. Of course Traveling and Stationary are used for data analysis, but if one wants to do more of a casual outing (from an eBirding standpoint) go ahead and do an Incidental list. It still gets one's sightings on the map which is fun to see in the future. But it doesn't impact the data. A win-win.
Another good point is to keep the distance relatively short and not go from one habitat to another on the same checklist. I think Hope Airport and Hope Sewage hotspots are excellent examples. It's easy to see a checklist that a user did Hope Sewage then combined a visit to Hope Airport. Diving ducks are not really expected on a runway! For sure, two separate lists for each site should be done. If observing birds on the short drive between the two sites, do a quick Incidental if so inclined.
Don't count the trip in and back! We are supposed to only indicate the unique distance we birded. If we walked 1km of trail and then came back on the same trail, that's not 2km. It's still just 1km. I've recently started to approach my hikes a bit differently. Flatiron hike is a solid hike and about 4.5km (not 9km!) and takes a few hours to get to the end before heading back. I used to try and count on the way down as well but always thinking is this the same flock of chickadees etc from the hike up. Remember, we don't want to double count which is why we don't 'double count' the distance traveled. To solve this, I start a new 4.5km checklist for the trip down. Even if I count the same birds on the way down that I did on the way up, no matter. Each checklist is stand alone. If I was super keen, I could break that 4.5 into two and do two shorter lists. Totally acceptable. Remember if using the eBird app (not field notebook like old-school me still) to edit your track to get a close approximation of the area you covered.
Finally, Christmas Bird Count data. For sure not a Traveling protocol for the results gathered. CBC and eBird's data collection protocols are oil and water. It's still fun to put them on eBird but should be Incidental if choosing to do this. I've kept lists separate from the CBC data sheet when walking parts of my route. I add that legitimate eBird Traveling Protocol to the CBC data sheet and then record it to eBird as a Traveling.
Ok, for finally final, I'll encourage everyone to avoid putting X on a species when it seems daunting trying to count a pond full of mallards. However, not great for eBird's data. Even a rough estimate is far far better to put down. I think everyone would estimate fairly close to what was actually there so go ahead. If it's 200 but the estimate is 250 or 150, that's not too bad. If one thinks there's a thousand somethings, estimating 900 or 1100 still tells a story better than X.
I hope I don't sound harsh. If so, I'm being as such to myself as I've also applied myself inaccurately in the past. I'm still adjusting these old checklists as I find them!
This was a quick typing. Anything doesn't make sense or there's questions, ask away!
One that I really think is worth going over is what kind of protocol type to use. Stationary is a straight forward protocol to use, and one that collects good data especially if someone decides to do random stationary counts in an area and doesn't pick spots based on it just looking birdy.
The Traveling protocol has a few considerations however:
From a vehicle. Even if driving slowly and looking for birds, these should be Incidental protocol. I've done some tests of birding by foot then doing by car over the same area. Even done while driving slowly and even some quick stops, I missed a fair bit both species and number of birds that I had seen on foot. What happens is the data submitted from the vehicle suggests there's less birds there than there really is. It shouldn't be a surprise this is the case. Some attention is being put on keeping the vehicle on the road during that bit of birding effort.
Some examples of vehicle birding is for sites that are a bit larger and don't have trails. Hope Airport is really tempting to drive the 4km slowly and then consider it a Traveling checklist. Maybe a few stops and a get out happens but again if vehicle birding is also done, it will skew results. I have been known to keep an incidental list from driving and then do separate lists for when I do a Stationary or get out for a walk. Sumas Prairie is also a good example of easy to do Traveling but really has negative consequences.
Incidental Protocol is perfectly acceptable to use. Of course Traveling and Stationary are used for data analysis, but if one wants to do more of a casual outing (from an eBirding standpoint) go ahead and do an Incidental list. It still gets one's sightings on the map which is fun to see in the future. But it doesn't impact the data. A win-win.
Another good point is to keep the distance relatively short and not go from one habitat to another on the same checklist. I think Hope Airport and Hope Sewage hotspots are excellent examples. It's easy to see a checklist that a user did Hope Sewage then combined a visit to Hope Airport. Diving ducks are not really expected on a runway! For sure, two separate lists for each site should be done. If observing birds on the short drive between the two sites, do a quick Incidental if so inclined.
Don't count the trip in and back! We are supposed to only indicate the unique distance we birded. If we walked 1km of trail and then came back on the same trail, that's not 2km. It's still just 1km. I've recently started to approach my hikes a bit differently. Flatiron hike is a solid hike and about 4.5km (not 9km!) and takes a few hours to get to the end before heading back. I used to try and count on the way down as well but always thinking is this the same flock of chickadees etc from the hike up. Remember, we don't want to double count which is why we don't 'double count' the distance traveled. To solve this, I start a new 4.5km checklist for the trip down. Even if I count the same birds on the way down that I did on the way up, no matter. Each checklist is stand alone. If I was super keen, I could break that 4.5 into two and do two shorter lists. Totally acceptable. Remember if using the eBird app (not field notebook like old-school me still) to edit your track to get a close approximation of the area you covered.
Finally, Christmas Bird Count data. For sure not a Traveling protocol for the results gathered. CBC and eBird's data collection protocols are oil and water. It's still fun to put them on eBird but should be Incidental if choosing to do this. I've kept lists separate from the CBC data sheet when walking parts of my route. I add that legitimate eBird Traveling Protocol to the CBC data sheet and then record it to eBird as a Traveling.
Ok, for finally final, I'll encourage everyone to avoid putting X on a species when it seems daunting trying to count a pond full of mallards. However, not great for eBird's data. Even a rough estimate is far far better to put down. I think everyone would estimate fairly close to what was actually there so go ahead. If it's 200 but the estimate is 250 or 150, that's not too bad. If one thinks there's a thousand somethings, estimating 900 or 1100 still tells a story better than X.
I hope I don't sound harsh. If so, I'm being as such to myself as I've also applied myself inaccurately in the past. I'm still adjusting these old checklists as I find them!
This was a quick typing. Anything doesn't make sense or there's questions, ask away!
