[cobirds] Re: Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! And a suggestion/request!
Hi John! That's interesting to hear...I'm subscribed to the Larimer RBA through ebird, and as long as people report a checklist before a certain time each day, it will appear in the next alert. Subscribing to the hourly alert is the "safer" way to go, if you don't want to miss any reports throughout the day. I don't know if sightings go into a "hopper" at all...what ends up happening is that a rare bird report will show up on the RBA email, but then it will be shown as an unconfirmed sighting. If a rare bird report is confirmed, then the email will show that it is in all caps like this: "CONFIRMED." I've never encountered the problem of rare birds *not *making it onto the RBA, but who knows--the ebird computers may still have a few bugs. *The birds are happy, and so am I* *~Caleb Alons, Larimer County* -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Colorado Birds" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to cobirds+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/cobirds/a123c6be-3b38-4ccd-85f9-5e59eae6423f%40googlegroups.com.
Re: [cobirds] Re: Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! And a suggestion/request!
Good points, John. eBird was not intended as an RBA, due to the reviews for quality control, etc. These can happen at once or after days or even weeks. you point out some of the flaws in the process, but without quality review, we'll find reports of Yellow-billed Magpie from Araphaoe County. The way to get the word out about a rarity to the Colorado birding public is to post on eBird AND COBIRDS, mentioning what you observed, field marks, location, all the details. Then birders can make up their minds about the ID. I trust your ID's, John, but review is necessary and reviewers are swamped at times and are only human. Joe Roller, Denver On Tue, Jun 2, 2020 at 5:14 PM John Rawinski wrote: > Hi Norm: > > I am trying to learn eBird. It seems to me that on rare species, there is > a delay until someone doing quality control, gives it approval. It happened > to me on a number of rarities here in the San Luis Valley...like the > Scarlet Tanager we also had here. So if someones sighting goes into a > "hopper" then even if those birders posted it to eBird, it may not be on > the next alert. I have heard there was quite a backlog of rare sightings > needing approval. It makes me question how good eBird will be as a RBA kind > of tool. > > John Rawinski > Monte Vista, CO > > On Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 11:37:44 AM UTC-6, birdernorm wrote: >> >> I, too, would like to thank the originators and compilers of the RBA from >> over the years. I have checked it virtually every day that I have been in >> town for years. Thanks again for all your efforts. I will miss it. >> >> Now for the suggestion: since the RBA is kaput, and there are lots of >> folks who do not care to manipulate their way through eBird (which is not >> that tough, by the way), it would be nice if those observing a rarity in >> the field, particularly one that is within easy reach of other birders, to >> post it from the location. I have eBird alerts running for numerous >> counties, but I don't get those reports until the next day. My only >> immediate access to interesting sightings is Cobirds. There have been >> several instances recently when an unusual species appeared but no one >> informed the birding community at large. For example, a scarlet tanager >> was recently seen at Harriman Lake, just a few minutes from my house. >> There were fifteen eBird reports filed, which means there were no doubt >> twice that many observers, yet no one took a moment to post the bird to >> Cobirds. I found out about the bird the next day, and it was a one-day >> wonder. Either I missed any reports, or I don't have many friends. >> Perhaps both. But at any rate, it would have been nice to have had a >> chance to pop over there for a look. >> >> Just my two cents. As they say about the pandemic, we're all in this >> together, and I have always found that one of the great joys of birding is >> the sharing of birds with others who like them just as much as I do. >> >> Norm Lewis >> Lakewood >> >> >> -Original Message- >> From: 'Andrews Robert' via Colorado Birds >> To: Colorado Birds ; Joe Roller < >> jrol...@gmail.com> >> Sent: Fri, May 29, 2020 4:09 am >> Subject: Re: [cobirds] Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! >> >> Hello all, >> I would like to join others in showing appreciation for the compilers of >> the RBA we see on Cobirds. Since I spend most of the year thousands of >> miles away from Colorado in West Africa, I don’t get any direct use of the >> RBA for birding. But I did enjoy seeing a compilation of the most >> interesting or unusual bird sightings from Colorado as a way to keep up >> with what is happening in Colorado. Many thanks to Joyce and then Joe and >> his team of volunteers and all of the other compilers who have provided >> this service. >> Bob Andrews >> Yekepa, Nimba Co., Liberia, West Africa >> >> >> On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 09:26:03 AM MDT, Joe Roller >> wrote: >> >> >> Daily updates on rare and interesting birds in Colorado have been shared >> via Cobirds for over 14 years as the "Colorado Rare Bird Alert" (or >> Report). For 13 years, Joyce Takamine tirelessly compiled this list of >> rarities from all over the state, posting it with dates and places >> on the Cobirds listserv and into your email inboxes. >> After Joyce retired at the end of 2018, a few of us continued to compile >> the report. But our team of volunteers is no longer large enough to >> continue this informational service, which has been sponsored for years by >> the Denver Field Ornithologists. In the past we invited volunteers to join >> the RBA team of compilers, but we are no longer seeking those, as the RBA >> is over now. >> By way of history, the RBA continued the early notification work of >> dedicated birders like Dave Martin, Norm Erthal and Dick Schottler, who >> phoned in daily field updates to a DFO voice recorder. Local and visiting >> birders could dial in to hear these daily messages and keep abreast of the >> changing parade
[cobirds] Re: Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! And a suggestion/request!
Hi Norm: I am trying to learn eBird. It seems to me that on rare species, there is a delay until someone doing quality control, gives it approval. It happened to me on a number of rarities here in the San Luis Valley...like the Scarlet Tanager we also had here. So if someones sighting goes into a "hopper" then even if those birders posted it to eBird, it may not be on the next alert. I have heard there was quite a backlog of rare sightings needing approval. It makes me question how good eBird will be as a RBA kind of tool. John Rawinski Monte Vista, CO On Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 11:37:44 AM UTC-6, birdernorm wrote: > > I, too, would like to thank the originators and compilers of the RBA from > over the years. I have checked it virtually every day that I have been in > town for years. Thanks again for all your efforts. I will miss it. > > Now for the suggestion: since the RBA is kaput, and there are lots of > folks who do not care to manipulate their way through eBird (which is not > that tough, by the way), it would be nice if those observing a rarity in > the field, particularly one that is within easy reach of other birders, to > post it from the location. I have eBird alerts running for numerous > counties, but I don't get those reports until the next day. My only > immediate access to interesting sightings is Cobirds. There have been > several instances recently when an unusual species appeared but no one > informed the birding community at large. For example, a scarlet tanager > was recently seen at Harriman Lake, just a few minutes from my house. > There were fifteen eBird reports filed, which means there were no doubt > twice that many observers, yet no one took a moment to post the bird to > Cobirds. I found out about the bird the next day, and it was a one-day > wonder. Either I missed any reports, or I don't have many friends. > Perhaps both. But at any rate, it would have been nice to have had a > chance to pop over there for a look. > > Just my two cents. As they say about the pandemic, we're all in this > together, and I have always found that one of the great joys of birding is > the sharing of birds with others who like them just as much as I do. > > Norm Lewis > Lakewood > > > -Original Message- > From: 'Andrews Robert' via Colorado Birds > > To: Colorado Birds >; Joe Roller < > jrol...@gmail.com > > Sent: Fri, May 29, 2020 4:09 am > Subject: Re: [cobirds] Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! > > Hello all, > I would like to join others in showing appreciation for the compilers of > the RBA we see on Cobirds. Since I spend most of the year thousands of > miles away from Colorado in West Africa, I don’t get any direct use of the > RBA for birding. But I did enjoy seeing a compilation of the most > interesting or unusual bird sightings from Colorado as a way to keep up > with what is happening in Colorado. Many thanks to Joyce and then Joe and > his team of volunteers and all of the other compilers who have provided > this service. > Bob Andrews > Yekepa, Nimba Co., Liberia, West Africa > > > On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 09:26:03 AM MDT, Joe Roller > wrote: > > > Daily updates on rare and interesting birds in Colorado have been shared > via Cobirds for over 14 years as the "Colorado Rare Bird Alert" (or > Report). For 13 years, Joyce Takamine tirelessly compiled this list of > rarities from all over the state, posting it with dates and places > on the Cobirds listserv and into your email inboxes. > After Joyce retired at the end of 2018, a few of us continued to compile > the report. But our team of volunteers is no longer large enough to > continue this informational service, which has been sponsored for years by > the Denver Field Ornithologists. In the past we invited volunteers to join > the RBA team of compilers, but we are no longer seeking those, as the RBA > is over now. > By way of history, the RBA continued the early notification work of > dedicated birders like Dave Martin, Norm Erthal and Dick Schottler, who > phoned in daily field updates to a DFO voice recorder. Local and visiting > birders could dial in to hear these daily messages and keep abreast of the > changing parade of rarities moving through Colorado. > Even before that, DFO sponsored a "telephone tree" notification list in > the 1960s and '70s. Each birder in the tree would get a a call from an > excited birder up the list: "Hey! Bruce Webb found a Little Gull at Union > Reservoir today. First state record! Call the next two birders on the list > to let them know!" > Before that? Perhaps birders used two tin cans and a string -- I don't > know. > In any event, the joy of sharing goes back a long time and will continue > beyond the RBA. As many of you already know, eBird provides free updates of > Colorado rare bird sightings as frequently as hourly. (Sign up at > www.ebird.org/alerts) > The CFO website has a section where bird
[cobirds] Re: Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! And a suggestion/request!
Hello Norm, I just posted on Cobirds about a Scarlet Tanager at a well known eBird hotspot at Deer Creek Canyon Rd and W. Buckhorn. However, my cell phone service was not working there, so I had to pull over a little ways down the canyon to post it, giving the cross streets rather than the GPS info. And you're right - after posting it to eBird it is not yet showing up in the alerts. I will always defer to Cobirds! Rosanne J. Centennial,CO On Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 11:37:44 AM UTC-6, birdernorm wrote: > > I, too, would like to thank the originators and compilers of the RBA from > over the years. I have checked it virtually every day that I have been in > town for years. Thanks again for all your efforts. I will miss it. > > Now for the suggestion: since the RBA is kaput, and there are lots of > folks who do not care to manipulate their way through eBird (which is not > that tough, by the way), it would be nice if those observing a rarity in > the field, particularly one that is within easy reach of other birders, to > post it from the location. I have eBird alerts running for numerous > counties, but I don't get those reports until the next day. My only > immediate access to interesting sightings is Cobirds. There have been > several instances recently when an unusual species appeared but no one > informed the birding community at large. For example, a scarlet tanager > was recently seen at Harriman Lake, just a few minutes from my house. > There were fifteen eBird reports filed, which means there were no doubt > twice that many observers, yet no one took a moment to post the bird to > Cobirds. I found out about the bird the next day, and it was a one-day > wonder. Either I missed any reports, or I don't have many friends. > Perhaps both. But at any rate, it would have been nice to have had a > chance to pop over there for a look. > > Just my two cents. As they say about the pandemic, we're all in this > together, and I have always found that one of the great joys of birding is > the sharing of birds with others who like them just as much as I do. > > Norm Lewis > Lakewood > > > -Original Message- > From: 'Andrews Robert' via Colorado Birds > > To: Colorado Birds >; Joe Roller < > jrol...@gmail.com > > Sent: Fri, May 29, 2020 4:09 am > Subject: Re: [cobirds] Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! > > Hello all, > I would like to join others in showing appreciation for the compilers of > the RBA we see on Cobirds. Since I spend most of the year thousands of > miles away from Colorado in West Africa, I don’t get any direct use of the > RBA for birding. But I did enjoy seeing a compilation of the most > interesting or unusual bird sightings from Colorado as a way to keep up > with what is happening in Colorado. Many thanks to Joyce and then Joe and > his team of volunteers and all of the other compilers who have provided > this service. > Bob Andrews > Yekepa, Nimba Co., Liberia, West Africa > > > On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 09:26:03 AM MDT, Joe Roller > wrote: > > > Daily updates on rare and interesting birds in Colorado have been shared > via Cobirds for over 14 years as the "Colorado Rare Bird Alert" (or > Report). For 13 years, Joyce Takamine tirelessly compiled this list of > rarities from all over the state, posting it with dates and places > on the Cobirds listserv and into your email inboxes. > After Joyce retired at the end of 2018, a few of us continued to compile > the report. But our team of volunteers is no longer large enough to > continue this informational service, which has been sponsored for years by > the Denver Field Ornithologists. In the past we invited volunteers to join > the RBA team of compilers, but we are no longer seeking those, as the RBA > is over now. > By way of history, the RBA continued the early notification work of > dedicated birders like Dave Martin, Norm Erthal and Dick Schottler, who > phoned in daily field updates to a DFO voice recorder. Local and visiting > birders could dial in to hear these daily messages and keep abreast of the > changing parade of rarities moving through Colorado. > Even before that, DFO sponsored a "telephone tree" notification list in > the 1960s and '70s. Each birder in the tree would get a a call from an > excited birder up the list: "Hey! Bruce Webb found a Little Gull at Union > Reservoir today. First state record! Call the next two birders on the list > to let them know!" > Before that? Perhaps birders used two tin cans and a string -- I don't > know. > In any event, the joy of sharing goes back a long time and will continue > beyond the RBA. As many of you already know, eBird provides free updates of > Colorado rare bird sightings as frequently as hourly. (Sign up at > www.ebird.org/alerts) > The CFO website has a section where bird reports appear the moment a > checklist is sent to eBird. (cfobirds.org) > On behalf of the current team of RBA compilers,
[cobirds] Re: Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! And a suggestion/request!
Well said, Norm! Posting rare/uncommon birds to this forum has slowed considerably the last few years ( I blame the blasted eBird Top 100 obsession), but is still the quickest way to get the word out to the masses. I appreciate the birders who still make an effort to post a timely note to this forum about interesting species. Many of you probably know about this site, but Kurt Radamaker (Arizona birder, I believe) has a slick site that compiles all eBird rare/uncommon sightings and puts it in a map format. You can search any state and define how many “days back” you wish to go. Very easy to navigate. Data is updated very quickly and may be another option for those not wanting hourly/daily e-mail alerts. http://birdingthecloud.com/ebirdApi/ebirdUnitedStatesWithDropdown.html Adam Vesely Thornton, CO On Saturday, May 30, 2020 at 11:37:44 AM UTC-6, birdernorm wrote: > > I, too, would like to thank the originators and compilers of the RBA from > over the years. I have checked it virtually every day that I have been in > town for years. Thanks again for all your efforts. I will miss it. > > Now for the suggestion: since the RBA is kaput, and there are lots of > folks who do not care to manipulate their way through eBird (which is not > that tough, by the way), it would be nice if those observing a rarity in > the field, particularly one that is within easy reach of other birders, to > post it from the location. I have eBird alerts running for numerous > counties, but I don't get those reports until the next day. My only > immediate access to interesting sightings is Cobirds. There have been > several instances recently when an unusual species appeared but no one > informed the birding community at large. For example, a scarlet tanager > was recently seen at Harriman Lake, just a few minutes from my house. > There were fifteen eBird reports filed, which means there were no doubt > twice that many observers, yet no one took a moment to post the bird to > Cobirds. I found out about the bird the next day, and it was a one-day > wonder. Either I missed any reports, or I don't have many friends. > Perhaps both. But at any rate, it would have been nice to have had a > chance to pop over there for a look. > > Just my two cents. As they say about the pandemic, we're all in this > together, and I have always found that one of the great joys of birding is > the sharing of birds with others who like them just as much as I do. > > Norm Lewis > Lakewood > > > -Original Message- > From: 'Andrews Robert' via Colorado Birds > > To: Colorado Birds >; Joe Roller < > jrol...@gmail.com > > Sent: Fri, May 29, 2020 4:09 am > Subject: Re: [cobirds] Rest in Peace, COLORADO RARE BIRD ALERT! > > Hello all, > I would like to join others in showing appreciation for the compilers of > the RBA we see on Cobirds. Since I spend most of the year thousands of > miles away from Colorado in West Africa, I don’t get any direct use of the > RBA for birding. But I did enjoy seeing a compilation of the most > interesting or unusual bird sightings from Colorado as a way to keep up > with what is happening in Colorado. Many thanks to Joyce and then Joe and > his team of volunteers and all of the other compilers who have provided > this service. > Bob Andrews > Yekepa, Nimba Co., Liberia, West Africa > > > On Tuesday, May 26, 2020, 09:26:03 AM MDT, Joe Roller > wrote: > > > Daily updates on rare and interesting birds in Colorado have been shared > via Cobirds for over 14 years as the "Colorado Rare Bird Alert" (or > Report). For 13 years, Joyce Takamine tirelessly compiled this list of > rarities from all over the state, posting it with dates and places > on the Cobirds listserv and into your email inboxes. > After Joyce retired at the end of 2018, a few of us continued to compile > the report. But our team of volunteers is no longer large enough to > continue this informational service, which has been sponsored for years by > the Denver Field Ornithologists. In the past we invited volunteers to join > the RBA team of compilers, but we are no longer seeking those, as the RBA > is over now. > By way of history, the RBA continued the early notification work of > dedicated birders like Dave Martin, Norm Erthal and Dick Schottler, who > phoned in daily field updates to a DFO voice recorder. Local and visiting > birders could dial in to hear these daily messages and keep abreast of the > changing parade of rarities moving through Colorado. > Even before that, DFO sponsored a "telephone tree" notification list in > the 1960s and '70s. Each birder in the tree would get a a call from an > excited birder up the list: "Hey! Bruce Webb found a Little Gull at Union > Reservoir today. First state record! Call the next two birders on the list > to let them know!" > Before that? Perhaps birders used two tin cans and a string -- I don't > know. > In any event, the joy of
