Changes to sightings

2015 was a year of changes for me. I previously stated a few changes that I decided to make to my online presence. I have decided to make another that I had not yet mentioned, my handling of bird checklists.


Before I go further, let me provide some background. When I first started keeping track of my sightings, I would write down the species seen during each of my walks and where it was seen. This information would then be added to a spreadsheet. This spreadsheet can be found at: https://onedrive.live.com/redir?resid=2E6EFB80915ED5BD%213432

The Great Backyard Bird Count changed my approach. They started using eBird for input, so I created an account for that website. I started writing counts instead of locations. I kept the spreadsheet going as a way to sort through everything before making my submissions.

And now we're back to 2015. I moved to a home in a more out-of-the-way location and decided that I would need my first cell phone eBird device in case of emergencies. Prior to the purchase, eBird released a new app. This app has replaced my old notebook for my bird counts.

Since I can submit checklists from the app, the spreadsheet would add an extra step that I don't think I need anymore. For this reason, I will no longer be maintaining the spreadsheet.

One drawback to eBird's website is that you can't look through a list of a member's checklists (other than your own). This was an advantage to maintaining the spreadsheet. I could have a list of all of my sightings easily available for anyone who wanted it.

This brings me to another recent change of mine. For My Idea Outlet, I started a Tumblr account. I have been emailing myself checklists and posting copies on my personal Tumblr blog. If you want to look through my checklists, you can find them there. Better yet, you can go by the eBird tag.