This is a quick post to report that a pair of Troy Meadows eBird hotspots are merged into one: Troy Meadows Natural Area–So. Beverwyck Rd. and Troy Meadows Natural Area–Patriots Path.
Both former hotspots are the same habitat and in the same area causing unnecessary confusion and potential duplication of data. The new hotspot name is Troy Meadows Natural Area–So. Beverwyck Rd./Patriots Path but may take a day or two to reach all of the eBird interfaces. All data from the former hotspots are merged into the new one. This hotspot is in addition to the primary Troy Meadows hotspot labeled Troy Meadows Natural Area which encompasses most of the north and eastern sections of this valuable and historic area.
While on the subject of eBird, allow this reviewer to ask for cooperation from the many eBird users in Morris and Somerset Counties and everywhere in general.
Many observers are already thorough about using the details section of an eBird listing to describe what they saw or heard and making a solid case for the species they are listing. Of course, photos, and audio files take the place of many words, but these media are not always close at hand or practical.
When a species is listed as rare, whether using the eBird mobile app or a browser, saying that one simply “saw the bird”, or giving scant details is not sufficient for a valid record. This reviewer will most likely reject it as “Unconfirmed”, meaning that it will not be included in any public eBird output. Unfortunately, and a major flaw with eBird in this writer’s point of view, is that it will still show in the observer’s personal list and add to his/her tally in those ridiculous eBird scoreboards, known as the Top 100.
Please add details when a species is flagged as rare in whatever eBird interface you use.
– Mention all visible field marks, behaviors, vocalizations, etc. that are apparent.
– A very brief mention of habitat type is appreciated.
– Describe how other species were eliminated.
Enter details about an interesting species even if it isn’t flagged as rare. eBird is an incredible record of avian activity worldwide. Creating a record of bird sightings with the previous criteria helps everyone become better naturalists.
View local eBird checklists in the mocosocoBirds region via eBird’s Region Explorer. Use the following links:
The eBird Hotspot Primer is here and can also be accessed via the Hotspot menu item on the mocosocoBirds.com website.
The mocosocoBirds Facebook page is located here and also posts timely information not found on the mocosocoBirds web site.
@mocosocoBirds at Twitter is another communications stream. Instant field reports and links of interest are tweeted as they occur. The latest tweets appear on the sidebar of this page. One can follow mocosocoBirds at Twitter or link to @mocosocoBirds.
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