Monthly eBird averages and February 2016

Quick post before lunch:

Our February monthly average for species reported on eBird is 52 species.

As of February 28, 2016 we have reported 70 species, as seen in the following link:

February 2016 bar chart of spp reported

The highest combined number of species over all years as reported on eBird is 88 species.  We could have gotten any of those species.

So far, with only one and a half days left in the month (oh, we get an extra day, don't we! since it is a leap year) we could still add the following:

either swan species, NOPI, SPGR, DUGR, PBGR, NOHA, SWHA VIRA, SNOW, NHOW, Boreal Owl, ATTW, SAPH, BRTH, ATSP, WTSP, RUBL, HORE oh and PAWR.

(I use the four letter codes here because it is faster and to help you learn to read them - it is easier to write them than to read them but practice will make your data entry much easier - don't forget there are some that don't follow the rules: like TRSW and TRSW - Trumpeter Swan and Tree Swallow - and since I don't remember what the proper codes are, I usually just avoid those abbreviations)

New to the list, never been seen in February before, I think I have this correct, we added Western Bluebird and Cassin's Finch?

Since the average number of 52 is a numerical average - I can't really tell you statistically without creating a more involved excel file, which species we added that we don't normally get above that average (that is: ones we don't always get) but I would say the rarer ones, by looking at the bar chart are:

GHOW, PYNU

We had 42 contributors to eBird in the month of February. (If that number ever goes above 100 in this monthly average game - I won't be able to tell you because I am just looking at the Top 100 to get that number).

Thank you all!

Happy birding!


Post script:
Updates to these numbers over the next day and a half MAY show up as comments to this post.

The month of March average is 83 species. To see a complete list of what we can see here in March go to:

March Possibles - eBird barchart

Long-billed Curlew Migration from eBird

It almost looks as if there are two populations of Long-billed Curlew: Pacific- and Gulf- wintering birds.

Or maybe even three populations with two on the Pacific: the southern Pacific bunch spreading northward from there to as far as the Canadian prairies to breed, and the northern bunch spreading as far north as central British Columbia.  Only radio trackers can tell.

Their habitat is mostly yours, US, Mexico, and Central America! But we've got significant breeding habitat here in Canada even though they are only here for 3 or 4 months.

We love them. Please take care of them down there. They're all our birds.

PS a tracking blog: http://ibo.boisestate.edu/blog/what-happens-in-vegas/

     and the map: http://ibo.boisestate.edu/curlewtracking/locations/
 

Skookumchuck Prairie IBA

I'm studying up in preparation for being the new 'caretaker' for the Skookumchuck  Prairie Important Bird Area. (Not the Skokie chuck  that my auto correct keeps insisting on calling it. What is a Skokie chuck, anyway  - hope it's nothing rude).

Here it is on the IBA website (not I VA stupid auto-correct)

There are a few Long-billed there in the breeding season. And some Lewis' Woodpecker. Should be fun! Since the Breeding bird atlas ended, I have been a little directionless, so this will be good. Hopefully gas prices will go down.

Pics to follow in the spring! Cheers!

Monthly eBird Averages and January 2016

FYI to give focus to your (my) birding goals for the year, here are the average numbers of species by month recorded on eBird for the East Kootenay from 2010 to 2015.

Jan     51     Thank you team of 30 eBirds! We are above average at 68 sp! Woot!
Feb    52
Mar   83
Apr  118
May 173
Jun  155
Jul   150
Aug 137
Sep  112
Oct     91
Nov   68
Dec    56

To date, we have collectively recorded 56 species; the remarkable ones being higher than usual numbers of Pine Grosbeak and White-winged Crossbill. Numbers of Bohemian Waxing are lower than usual.

Of all the species that have ever been recorded, there are still a couple of dozen we could get in January.  Since our club is not doing a 'Winter Challenge' this year, perhaps you would like to focus on getting  these for the monthly list and adding them to eBird (for eBird beginners, I recommend starting with the 'Incidental' or 'Stationary' types of checklists - correct species, date, time, location, and duration are all you really need).

Here are the possible species we could add to the January list:

TRUS  NOPI  GWTE  RNDU  HOME  RBME  DUGR  PBGR  RNGR  TUVU  GOEA  NOHA  NOGO  AMCO  KILL  MODO  BDOW  NSWO  NHOW  ATTW  AMKE  HOLA  BOCH  PYNU  MOBL  BRTH  CEWA  WCSP  WTSP  BRBL  GCRF  CAFI  HORE  AMGO

Happy birding!