Nowadays we need to be careful what we mean when we say "Rare Bird Alert". There really are two different versions and I think the discussion is referring to the daily automated listings generated from eBird checklists for species considered scarce to rare to an area by the filtering software.
These eBird Rare Bird Alerts (maybe we should call them eRBAs) are a mix of vetted items (marked "Confirmed" by local reviewers) and unreviewed items (marked "Unconfirmed" or not marked depending on how you are viewing the alert). This is different from traditional RBAs that you listen to on the phone or are transcribed to listserves, where all of the contents are vetted and often researched by the compiler. There are many potential sources of error that can creep into eBird checklists, which is why there is a global network of volunteer reviewers working behind the scenes. Errors can be everything from true mistaken IDs or misunderstandings about the species that occur regularly at the location to simple entry mistakes (e.g. thick finger syndrome). Entries that are reviewed but not validated by the local reviewer remain in the database but do not appear on the eBird alert or other public outputs. The beauty of the eRBAs is that they are fast and regular (hourly? daily?). But again they are created by smart software, so as Rich Guthrie has already stated, "when in doubt check for "Confirmed"". Better still, look at the checklist yourself to see what supporting information is provided. Are there photos? Is there a convincing description of the bird that supports the identification? If there are no comments at all or something vague or general, this to me suggests a mistake but if the observer clearly knows that they are reporting something unusual and has taken a few extra seconds to say why or to upload a photo, then I'm inclined to take the sighting a lot more seriously. The ability to look at the checklists (the raw data so to speak) and decide for oneself whether the claim is plausible, or not, is one of the most exciting features of these new tools and a great way to hone your distributional knowledge and identification skills. Adding useful comments to your checklists, such as a description of the bird or by providing specific details on where it was so that others may look for it, will make everyone's life easier. Cheers, Angus Wilson New York City On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 3:27 PM, Richard Guthrie <[email protected]> wrote: > Great Backyard Bird Count. This sort of thing happens every year. Reports > will go through but extreme reports will be vetted by eBird reviewers. When > in doubt, check for "Confirmed". > > Rich Guthrie > New Baltimore > The Greene County > New York > > > On Thu, Feb 18, 2016 at 1:53 PM, Larry Trachtenberg < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> The other day on the NJ rare bird alert there's was posted 2 swainson's >> Hawks and 4 Bachman's sparrows and a few other not likely to be credible >> species. I don't know who posted but the Bachman's were ridiculous. >> >> L Trachtenberg >> Ossining >> >> Sent from my iPhone >> >> On Feb 18, 2016, at 9:35 AM, Andrew Baksh <[email protected]> wrote: >> >> FYI...please take note of the comment below from Phil Jeffery. >> >> 風 Swift as the wind >> 林 Quiet as the forest >> 火 Conquer like the fire >> 山 Steady as the mountain >> Sun Tzu <http://refspace.com/quotes/Sun_Tzu> *The Art of War* >> <http://refspace.com/quotes/The_Art_of_War> >> >> (\__/) >> (= '.'=) >> >> (") _ (") >> >> Sent from somewhere in the field using my mobile device! >> >> >> Andrew Baksh >> www.birdingdude.blogspot.com >> >> Begin forwarded message: >> >> *From:* "Phil Jeffrey [email protected] [ebirdsnyc]" < >> [email protected]> >> *Date:* February 18, 2016 at 12:16:16 PM EST >> *To:* ebirds NYC <[email protected]> >> *Subject:* *Re: [ebirdsnyc] Fwd: [JERSEYBI] Smew, Warren County* >> *Reply-To:* Phil Jeffrey <[email protected]> >> >> >> >> If considering chasing this bird, please be aware that: >> >> 1. the photographer has not indicated exactly where it was seen - >> despite requests - and the Delaware Water Gap is long with the road not >> tracking the river bank in many places >> 2. at this time I'm more than a little cynical about the actual report, >> since merely finding a Smew is remarkable, much less getting fairly close >> for a shot of one on a river that is not all that narrow. The lack of >> further information is *odd*. >> >> I will post an update if it gets reported. >> >> If you're not a subscriber, the NJ and PA lists can be tracked via the >> ABA aggregation site at: >> http://birding.aba.org/maillist/NJ01 >> http://birding.aba.org/maillist/PA01 >> >> Alex Lamoreaux has made a map of potential river viewing spots: >> https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=zA4xEWj_1RE0.kxPGOGyekmIc >> >> Phil >> >> __._,_.___ >> ------------------------------ >> Posted by: Phil Jeffrey <[email protected]> >> ------------------------------ >> Reply via web post >> <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ebirdsnyc/conversations/messages/15837;_ylc=X3oDMTJyZzN0OHIxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEzMzM2MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2NTc4NwRtc2dJZAMxNTgzNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNycGx5BHN0aW1lAzE0NTU4MTU3OTY-?act=reply&messageNum=15837> >> • Reply to sender >> <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bebirdsnyc%5D%20Fwd%3A%20%5BJERSEYBI%5D%20Smew%2C%20Warren%20County> >> • Reply to group >> <[email protected]?subject=Re%3A%20%5Bebirdsnyc%5D%20Fwd%3A%20%5BJERSEYBI%5D%20Smew%2C%20Warren%20County> >> • Start a New Topic >> <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ebirdsnyc/conversations/newtopic;_ylc=X3oDMTJmNmExamQxBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEzMzM2MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2NTc4NwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNudHBjBHN0aW1lAzE0NTU4MTU3OTY-> >> • Messages in this topic >> <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ebirdsnyc/conversations/topics/15836;_ylc=X3oDMTM3dWJzcmozBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEzMzM2MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2NTc4NwRtc2dJZAMxNTgzNwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawN2dHBjBHN0aW1lAzE0NTU4MTU3OTYEdHBjSWQDMTU4MzY-> >> (2) >> ebirdsnyc: bird sightings from the NYC area >> Visit Your Group >> <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/ebirdsnyc/info;_ylc=X3oDMTJmdmkzZXJmBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzEzMzM2MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2NTc4NwRzZWMDdnRsBHNsawN2Z2hwBHN0aW1lAzE0NTU4MTU3OTY-> >> >> >> [image: Yahoo! Groups] >> <https://groups.yahoo.com/neo;_ylc=X3oDMTJlaGZhYnAwBF9TAzk3NDc2NTkwBGdycElkAzEzMzM2MzUwBGdycHNwSWQDMTcwNTA2NTc4NwRzZWMDZnRyBHNsawNnZnAEc3RpbWUDMTQ1NTgxNTc5Nw--> >> • Privacy <https://info.yahoo.com/privacy/us/yahoo/groups/details.html> >> • Unsubscribe <[email protected]?subject=Unsubscribe> >> • Terms of Use <https://info.yahoo.com/legal/us/yahoo/utos/terms/> >> >> . >> >> __,_._,___ >> >> -- >> *NYSbirds-L List Info:* >> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> >> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> >> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> >> *Archives:* >> The Mail Archive >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> >> Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> >> BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> >> *Please submit your observations to **eBird* >> <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* >> -- >> >> -- >> *NYSbirds-L List Info:* >> Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> >> Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> >> Subscribe, Configuration and Leave >> <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> >> *Archives:* >> The Mail Archive >> <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> >> Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> >> BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> >> *Please submit your observations to **eBird* >> <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* >> -- >> > > > > -- > Richard Guthrie > > -- > *NYSbirds-L List Info:* > Welcome and Basics <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME> > Rules and Information <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES> > Subscribe, Configuration and Leave > <http://www.northeastbirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm> > *Archives:* > The Mail Archive > <http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html> > Surfbirds <http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L> > BirdingOnThe.Net <http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html> > *Please submit your observations to **eBird* > <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/>*!* > -- > -- Angus Wilson New York City & The Springs, NY, USA http://birdingtotheend.blogspot.com/ -- NYSbirds-L List Info: http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsWELCOME http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsRULES http://www.NortheastBirding.com/NYSbirdsSubscribeConfigurationLeave.htm ARCHIVES: 1) http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/maillist.html 2) http://www.surfbirds.com/birdingmail/Group/NYSBirds-L 3) http://birdingonthe.net/mailinglists/NYSB.html Please submit your observations to eBird: http://ebird.org/content/ebird/ --
