Distant Goldeneye From A Scenic Cemetery

I took a ride down to Essex this weekend in hopes of finding Common Goldeneye on the Connecticut River. It was a sunny December morning and I could hear several White-breasted Nuthatches calling to each other from the hardwood trees which border the property. 

The vista alone from  Riverview Cemetery  made the trip worthwhile. Way out in the distance I could see small specks moving around and making ripples on the river.

The thing about diving ducks is that they dive a lot which is fun to watch but frustrating when you're trying to snap a picture from a distance. I finally managed an id shot after uttering a few words to myself that shouldn't be spoken from behind a church. Thanks to the eBird alert feature and the eBird user who reported the goldeneye I was able to find what I was looking for. 

That makes species #167 seen in Middlesex County for the year. This doesn't mean anything but it was fun seeing all those birds along the way. The real joy this morning was sitting on a cemetery bench taking in the view and soaking in the sunshine. 

I Prefer Photos Over Scientific Bird Jargon

For me the enjoyable part of birding is all about the places you go, the birds you see, and the circumstances under which see them. Another aspect I have come to enjoy is being able to log in some of my sightings online and letting eBird organize them for me. One thing I didn't like about eBird is that I found their system of  uploading photos to be inconvenient so I didn't bother.

That can be a problem when you are reporting a rare bird like a Fork-tailed Flycatcher (1st photo) or Black-backed Woodpecker (2nd photo). When you report a rare bird like that you are expected provide details describing the bird using terms like tertial feathers, supercilliums, and blah blah blah. I always feel silly using these kinds of terms. I don't like pretending to be a forensic ornithologist. It's like being forced to wear a suit when you're a t-shirt and jeans guy or learning a couple of French phrases to use on vacation when you don't really speak the language. It just feels phony like I'm copying it right out of a field guide.

 I am thankful that eBird has set up an easy drag-and drop photo system making things much easier for the user. As they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

Surprise! I'm A Lister On eBird Top 100 !

 If you were expecting to see bird photos in a post about eBird then you'll have an idea about the surprised reaction I had when I first found out that I was unknowingly on eBird.

Here are a few photos from our town fireworks display this weekend. They were taken from a cemetery atop of a hill from a couple of miles away.

Now let me tell you how I learned that I was a lister on the eBird Top 100. It was during a Christmas count that I was having a conversation about listing with a fellow birder who also enjoys listing ( keeping track of number of bird species seen on a list and actively trying to increase that number). I mentioned that I wasn't a lister other than keeping track of birds I see in January to help pass time in the winter. Then he told me: "But I've seen your name on the eBird Top 100 for Middlesex County"! 

I recently took at the fine print in eBird and found out that you are automatically enrolled in eBird top 100 (in explore data tab on right side of page) if you submit your sightings publicly but you can opt out at any time. I prefer a laid back approach to birding and I fear that if I pay too much attention to the eBird top 100 then I might become overly obsessed about it. I've already been scrolling through my personal list wondering how I've missed recording some of the most easy to find species. I also realized that I need to submit more complete lists instead of entering partial lists. 

I do like the option of keeping track of species that I see in my own county. It encourages me to focus on local sightings instead of driving all around the state.

Not Everyone Is On Board With eBird

 Almost everyone who is into birdwatching knows has heard of eBird. It's a great way to keep track of your bird sightings online in a way that you're able to share the information with others. Sounds like a great idea doesn't it? That is why I was surprised when I learned that not everyone in on board with eBird. The word on the street is that there are quite a few eBird haters out there! 

  I've seen evidence of this on some birding-related websites, blogs, daily bird reports, and birders I've talked to while I've been out and about. Some of the objections come from old school birders who started out sharing rare bird sightings by direct phone contact with other birders. It was a sort of grass roots effort that was very exciting and relied on a network of local birders to verify the reports. 

With eBird, rare bird sightings can quietly be entered into the data bank without a lot of fanfare which can be disturbing to those who rely on the daily list-serve to find rare bird reports. eBird also keeps statistics about the top eBirders in different areas. Those who are competitive listers may be concerned that their competition using eBird may not be completely on the level about their bird sightings (stringers). Still others don't always like it when their sightings may be scrutinized. 

 You can't please everyone but I think eBird is a great resource to have available for birders.