eBird Wrap-Up: Final Counts

From October 23 to November 16, I spent over 16 hours birding for eBird. I created 26 separate checklists (one for each time and separate location), observed 36 different species, and recorded a total of 2,380 individuals. Participating in eBird has been such an exciting and rewarding experience. It's like being on a scavenger hunt, only I don't know exactly what I'm looking for until I find it. It's such a thrill to add a new species to my database and I can't wait to add more.

Although it's only been a few weeks, I've grown to appreciate birds in a way I never did before. When I first started it was nearly impossible for me to identify any birds other than American robins, cardinals, and blue jays. I realized just how far I had come on Nov. 15 when I identified a black-capped chickadee that flew across the street. This is a species that was unknown to me before Oct. 24, but there I was able to identify it on the fly and in a moment's time. I've also come a long way with vocal identification. I can now identify species like cardinals, blue jays, and American goldfinches based on their calls alone.

It's not just improvements in my ability to identify birds that has made this experience so rewarding. I've also come to learn that each species has unique behaviors or personalities, if you will. For instance, I've learned that dark-eyed juncos are very skittish and untrusting compared to most other species in my area. Unlike other birds that will eventually resume foraging if you remain quiet and still, juncos will retreat to the pines and stay there until you leave the area. They also retreat from a much farther distance than any other species; a finch might fly away if you get within 15 feet, but juncos take off at more than twice that distance. I've learned that American crows and blue jays can be bullies. I've watched them chase after everything from red-bellied woodpeckers to red-tailed hawks. They're also some of the loudest and most vocal birds I've observed. I've learned that mourning doves get along with just about every other species around here; I've seen them perched next to everything from European starlings to eastern bluebirds. I could go on and on, but the point here is that I've really enjoyed my time participating in eBird and learning about birds. Now that I've started, I can't imagine stopping. I plan to continue birding and adding to eBird indefinitely.