Unclear on eBird rules re. Sensitive Species

[Sean S]

Basically, a query to eBird moderators but anyone with knowledge of the workings of reporting sensitive species is welcome to respond.  Do I, or do I not, hide checklists with Sensitive Species from the public feed?  eBird's help section says yes, but when I go to do so, I receive prompts discouraging me from doing so.

Additionally, when a Sensitive Species is present in an area, should I be reaching out to anyone about sharing the exact location so that others may try to find it?  What I don't want to do is draw excessive attention to the bird's presence, but I also don't want this to be a missed opportunity for data collection and study.

Sean Smith

[Louis Bevier]

Sean,

Birds designated Sensitive Species in eBird are hidden automatically. The exact location cannot be seen, except by you and reviewers, who are needed to verify the report. The species will not show up in any public eBird outputs. How these reports are handled is explained in the link below. Suggestions for how to treat reports of birds that might not be assigned as sensitive but still need protection from undue disturbance are also provided, along with a link to the list of species designated Sensitive:

https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000803210-sensitive-species-in-ebird

It is appropriate to reach out to trusted contacts who might help gather data and relay it to wildlife managers and analysts who can help designate areas of importance to scarce species.

Hiding a checklist is useful in cases where access to private property needs to be guarded or if the checklist is not appropriate for analysis of eBird data, e.g. list-building checklists. I think the wording one sees when attempting to “Hide” a checklist is there to make sure it is for appropriate reasons and is not there to discourage one from doing so. You can read an explanation here:

https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000948757-ebird-faqs#anchorHiddenChecklist

Doug Hitchcox, who established and moderates this listserv, would be an appropriate contact at Maine Audubon. He is aware of the issues involved with sensitive birds and access to private property if it is a concern. Doug has an excellent video about the issue of how information about rarities gets reported and shared in the birding community. Use the link below to see this video, and please consider subscribing to his channel, which has other informative videos, including about eBird and the eBird review process.

https://youtu.be/buJ6c-qDHd4?si=gzUFZ2zJ06YGVDYA

Feel free to contact me privately if you have any questions or want help with the issue here that concerns you.

Louis Bevier
Fairfield

[Louis Bevier]

I should have added that hiding a checklist and its data means the information is NOT available for analysis and study. Hidden lists are basically a way to keep the input private (and there are good reasons for that at times). If there is a sensitive species involved, then it is better to report it and not hide the list so that the information is available for anyone seeking research data. Given sensitive species are hidden automatically, additionally setting a checklist to hidden is unnecessary. That might better answer your question directly.

Louis Bevier

Fairfield

[Sean S]

Louis,

Thanks for providing a full clear rundown of this topic.  While Gemini says eBird moderators can see all data from hidden lists, I didn't think that was the case.

Sean Smith

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