Tony:
Wow. I had no idea so much time and effort goes into the filtering process for Colorado ebird entries. Volunteers who put in as much time and effort (and above
all, quality time and quality effort) as you do deserve a big award, or even better, a big reward!
Ebird team:
Regarding filters in place on the number of individuals reported for a species, I’ve noticed some filters recently that need adjusting. Examples for Larimer
County (Colorado) would include Double-crested Cormorant and California Gull. I think the filters are currently 1000 and 400, respectively. However, it is not unusual at certain hotspots to surpass these filters. The problem is that these large congregations
are site specific, and it would be too labor intensive to have filters established by human beings (even superhumans like Tony) at scales below county level. So, here is a thought (in case you all had not already thought of it). For hotspots or broader geographic
areas (e.g. counties) with a certain threshold number of checklists, have ebird automatically generate filters. This is already in place for birds not on the default list for the location, because adding a species requires the user to confirm the addition.
But for the number of individuals for the species already on the default list, an automatic variable filter could be programmed for all species that would be equal to each species’ previous high count for the location (and period). In this way, ebird would
ask for confirmation for any reported datum only when a new high count is established for that species at that location and period. In this way, these site-specific filters would automatically increase over time as new high counts are established at a fine
geographic scale. For most (common) species that don’t really merit the effort to continuously manage filters even at broad geographic scales, this system could mitigate input errors that would erroneously establish new high counts reported to ebird for that
location and period. For rare species that merit human review, a lower fixed threshold still makes sense. If this system were put in place, and gulls start piling up this winter at Horseshoe Lake in Loveland, CO, then every time I report more than 400 Cal
Gulls, I would not be required to comment (a bird log feature); however, if at any point I report a new high count for Horseshoe Lake, I would be cross-checked by ebird to ensure the input number was not an error.
If this idea has already been considered, I apologize for taking up your valuable time, and keep up all the good work.
Nick Komar
Fort Collins CO