My bird song audio to eBird workflow

Here is my workflow for getting audio recordings of bird songs onto my eBird checklists.

Software / apps used:
RODE Rec - on my iPhone, to record songs in the field
Dropbox - to transfer files to desktop for preparation
Audacity - to prep sound file

• RODE app on iPhone
• Record with RODE
• Adjust mic volume
  
• Rename
• Settings on "record" screen
• Send to Dropbox
• Box-arrow icon
• Choose appropriate Dropbox folder

• Dropbox - transfer to Desktop
• Open Dropbox on desktop
• Cut, paste sound file to appropriate desktop folder

• Audacity - prep sound file
• Double check viewing settings if necessary (spectrogram view, etc)
• Open file:  "make a copy of the files before editing"
• Brings in a copy - doesn't actually save a copy - until you do so
• Effects < High pass filter - to get rid of lower noise
• Determine what is the lowest frequency you want to keep by listening and watching as you play
• Try different lowest frequencies using "Preview"
• Effects < Normalize
• At -3.0 dB recommended by eBird
• Export as .wav 32 bit float, I guess

• On eBird
• Submit checklist and save
• Click "add/manage media" near top right
• Drag and drop to the correct species
• Save and wait

Raptor spuhs and slashes

Guide to eBird spuhs and slashes

          for birds of prey in the East Kootenay

Those pesky spuhs (sp.) and slashes (/) eBird offers for when you are not sure which species of hawk or raptor or bird of prey ... are pesky.

But, they're handy for creating a placeholder for you to try to identify them later.  And they are required if you see a bird you can't identify (and who hasn't had that!) but still want to check the box:  are you reporting all ....  Checking the box lets your numbers be included in frequency and other calculations; which helps with population estimates.

Here is a quick guide you may study and refer to.

It's confusing!  The main thing is to try to get the identification as close to a species as possible.  Perhaps you can only get to a genera such as Buteo, Accipter, or Falco, or other by process of elimination.

Look at the colour of the box outline in the pic below:
If what you think it might be is in the  RED box .... then it's a Buteo/eagle sp.

• red box - Buteo/eagle sp.
• blue box - hawk sp. OR Golden/Bald Eagle
• yellow box - diurnal raptor sp.
• outer black box - bird sp.

Notes:

The main groups are Accipter, falcon, Buteo, and eagle.

Accipiter and Buteo get capitalized because they are names of a genus.

We could use the capitalized name Falco instead of falcon.

Our two eagle species are in different genera.

• Accipiter sp. is for the rounder-winged forest hawks in the genus Accipiter 
• Northern Goshawk
• Cooper's Hawk
• Sharp-shinned Hawk

• A large accipiter could be Cooper's Hawk/Northern Goshawk
•  A small accipiter could be Sharp-shinned/Cooper's Hawk 

•  falcon sp is for the pointy-winged fast flyers
• small falcon sp.
• American Kestrel
• Merlin
• large falcon sp.
• Peregrine Falcon
• Prairie Falcon

• Buteo sp. is for hawks in the genus Buteo
• Broad-winged Hawk  
• Swainson's Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• Ferruginous Hawk

• most of these are larger than accipiters and falcons
• the most common confusion is Red-tailed vs Rough-legged Hawk
• that happens more often in winter, so if it's summer, it's probably a Red-tailed

• hawk sp. ... you know it's not an eagle but it could be
• a hawk that is not a Buteo such as
• Northern Harrier
• Osprey
• a Buteo or maybe a Goshawk or large Cooper's Hawk
• this does not include falcons 

 

• Buteo/eagle sp.
• maybe it's an eagle or one of the Buteos
• but for sure it's not a harrier, Osprey, falcon, accipiter, or vulture

• Golden/Bald Eagle not eagle sp. 
• Golden or Bald Eagle?  Not sure which.
• but since those are the only two species around here the slash is better than the spuh 

• Your guess does not include vulture ... then it's a diurnal raptor sp.
• any of the species in the chart except Turkey Vulture, so:
• eagles
• hawks of the genus Buteo
• Red-tailed
• Rough-legged
• other
• hawks of genus Accipter
• Northern Goshawk
• Cooper's Hawk
• Sharp-shinned Hawk
• falcons of the genus Falco
• Northern Harrier
• Osprey
• hawks of other genera

Just not sure but your guess does includes vulture? ... then it's a bird sp.

Note:  some authorities put Turkey Vulture in Order Accipitriformes but eBird, which uses the Clements checklist, puts them in Order Cathartiformes.  Since "diurnal raptor sp." is only for Orders Accipitriformes and Falconiformes, Turkey Vulture is not included; therefore, "bird sp." is the eBird spuh if it could be a vulture but you are not sure.

October Global Big Day 2018

Yesterday was the eBird event called October Global Big Day. Data is still coming in. The following stats were relevant at 9:00 pm MST Sunday October 7.

Colombia had the most species, of course, getting 53% of there all-time species count on one day! Congratulations Colombia! 

Canada did pretty well, too, getting 47% of our all-time species! What is especially cool is that the East Kootenay contributed first records for a couple of species in Canada. From what I can tell, based only on the names of contributors I recognize, the East Kootenay contributed the first Barrow's Goldeneye and American Avocet and...

And last but not lesser, the only record so far of Lesser Goldfinch!  This is my personal motivation for checking out these stats and writing this post, because, of course, I and birding buddy Joe, are the ones who found it! Haha.  This is a first for the East Kootenay and a lifer for me!  I haven't found a new bird for my region since the Tufted Duck back in 2013.  I was so excited when I saw it my heart was pounding and I almost fell over.

We would have missed it if we hadn't turned right instead of left or called it quits. It was a beautiful autumn day so why not check out just one more spot.  I have been waiting for one of these to be recorded in the region for some time, since the rest of the southern part of BC seems to have them quite regularly now.  (I am also waiting for Crested Caracara, long shot but you never know).

Anyway, just a happy little Big Day story.

View the Canada list here on eBird.

Shorebird Identification Aid

East Kootenay Shorebird ID Guide by shape and size

Threw this together today for the field trip I am leading tomorrow.  It is the Rocky Mountain Naturalists annual "Shorebird" field trip.  We always do it the second week of August, hoping to get a good mix.  However, the shorebirds seemed to have started trickling in a bit earlier this year.  We never get many and love to spend hours studying them.

These are the species most common to the East Kootenay in August.  Feel free to download.  Perhaps you find a better quality photo on Flickr at https://flic.kr/p/MSaNo1

It is still a draft, really.  My intention is to go through O'Brien and tabulate id tips.  The sizes are relative and done mostly by eyeball but the ruler over the Greater Yellowlegs is to show that I am somewhat acurate in my photoshopping.

Thanks!  Enjoy!