Birding/Birdwatching Discussion Topic

I’m hoping to see some new duck species this winter.

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I used to use eBird but didn’t find that I learned much from using it (also, a few of the “master birders” who curate the site can be… well… for lack of a better word… snotty). iNat on the other hand is a constant learning experience, and I’ve only had positive interactions with other users and curators.

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I mostly use Ebird for submitting my checklist. And other websites that Cornell lab of ornithology has for learning.

What birds are arriving in your area for the winter?


Love these guys! :smiling_face_with_three_hearts:

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Yeah the White-Throated Sparrow is definitely one of my favorites!

Great photo!

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I use the Cornell Lab’s Birdcast to see what birds are expected to be migrating through my area on any given night:
https://birdcast.info/migration-tools/migration-dashboard/

This is what it shows from last night for my county in Maryland. I expect you would see similar, in West Virginia.

None of these are species that I’ve ever seen in my yard except Juncos, which I haven’t seen yet. My suburban yard is just not the right habitat for a stop-over for most of them.
But I do like the thought of so many bird passing silently overhead while I sleep!

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Here is what it shows for my county in West Virginia: https://dashboard.birdcast.info/region/US-WV-091.

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I’ve also seen some Dark-eyed Juncos but no ducks.

What is your favorite binoculars for woodland birding?

Hey Nils. As an eBird reviewer, I’m sorry you had that experience. I don’t know the situation with your local reviewers. Most of the time I just use the template email that eBird review generates which is direct and business-like. I feel like a lot of people take it negatively as if the reviewer is personally questioning their sighting. I assure you that 99% of the time it is just that they don’t know the observer and their skill level so if the sighting is light on details to conclusively ID the bird they will ask for more information per eBird’s policies.

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As an Ebird reviewer are you very busy reviewing?

There’s three of us for our county so the workload isn’t too crazy. Migration periods can get busy and the Great Backyard Bird Count is a bit of a nightmare because so many inexperienced observers take part but it is nice to be able to help folks get to the correct ID.

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I bet migration period is very busy. Thanks for all you do on Ebird! I think Ebird is a great thing. Here is my Ebird profile if you want to check it out: https://ebird.org/profile/NTMzMzA1Ng.

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Oh man. Those were the days. Sub 200 life list so every trip out is new birds. I have to chase pretty good rarities or take longer trips to get new lifers these days. Here’s my eBird profile. https://ebird.org/profile/MTgxNjE/US-CA

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When did you start getting into birding?
I saw you joined Ebird in 2002. Which is very cool!

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I’ve been birding since I was 14 when I found a Vermilion Flycatcher in my yard. I think it is still the only Placer County record. Ever since then I’d been very into birds. I didn’t know other birders existed until I was about 18 and discovered the local Audubon group. I started going on birding trips with them and a year or two later I was leading trips myself.

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Wow, that’s a lot more different than I would have expected! So many more waterfowl on your side of the mountains!

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Two of my favorite woodpeckers visited my suet feeder yesterday:

Red-bellied woodpecker

and Pileated woodpecker

Pileateds in particular always give me a thrill. They are so prehistoric looking, like their dinosaur ancestors!

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