I would second the characterization of ebird as 'extraordinary' and also to
acknowledge the significant and valuable work of those who monitor and help
keep it clean.

I have a procedural question regarding playing owl sounds in the strict
context of the amateur owler: Damaging or public service for documentation?
Even more basically, does playback even induce a response? How often?

Please note that I'm not after a discussion of playback in general but just
this specific context!

Thanks,

Nigel Ball
Bainbridge
On Mar 17, 2012 11:20 AM, "J. Acker" <owler at sounddsl.com> wrote:

> The last (and only) eBird entry for Juanita Park Western Screech-Owls
> (WESO)
> this year was of 1 on 2/11/2012. (Thank you Grace Oliver for entering the
> observation). To date, there are no Barred Owl (BDOW) entries for Juanita
> Park, but I am wondering if those of you that bird the park have documented
> Barred Owl there. eBird data for WESO at Juanita goes back to 12/23/2004
> (thank you Ryan Merrill), and would appear to indicate that WESO bred there
> in the past. WESO should be vocal now, as they are expected on eggs the
> first week in April. Barred Owls in the Puget Sound area are now on eggs.
>
> As a point, this is THE ONLY eBird entry for WESO in the Seattle area this
> year, while there are several BDOW entries. To me, this is a bit alarming,
> but congruent with my owling observations on Bainbridge Island for the past
> 15 years.
>
> I am close to having an article published documenting the decline (to the
> point of extirpation) of WESO on Bainbridge Island, and the concurrent
> population boom of BDOW on Bainbridge. Owl data is difficult to obtain, by
> the very nature of the nocturnal hours required to obtain much of it.
> Beyond
> my own research, another Washington State resource that I used was data
> from
> Christmas Bird Counts, with all the inherent flaws of data that is not
> corrected for observer effort with regard to owling. The last resource I
> used was Matt Bartel's County Checklist, which since the initiation in the
> mid-90's, revealed some concerning statewide trends in WESO/BDOW abundance.
>
> eBird was launched by Cornell in 2002, and is a powerful tool for multiple
> applications and users. From data analysis such as "Trends in WESO
> occurrence in Washington State" to "Where is the closest recent observation
> of a Snowy Owl so that I can take my significant other to see one?", eBird
> is extraordinary in its possibilities. However, it is highly dependent
> upon
> the submission of observations by ordinary and extraordinary birdwatchers
> like those in the Tweeters community. Please consider submitting data. It
> really does go somewhere and mean something to somebody.
>
> You don't know what you have until it is gone. The Western Screech-Owl may
> be on a similar path as the Northern Spotted Owl here in Washington.
>
> -J. Acker
> owler at sounddsl.com
> Bainbridge Island, WA
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu
> [mailto:tweeters-bounces at mailman1.u.washington.edu] On Behalf Of Blair
> Bernson
> Sent: Saturday, March 17, 2012 5:53 AM
> To: tweeters at u.washington.edu
> Subject: [Tweeters] Western Screech Owl?
>
> At this time last year a Western Screech Owl was seen often at Juanita Bay
> Park. Has anyone seen a Screech there this year? Any other fairly
> reliable
> Seattle area spots?
>
> Blair Bernson
> Seattle, WA
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Tweeters mailing list
> Tweeters at u.washington.edu
> http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/mailman/listinfo/tweeters
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://mailman1.u.washington.edu/pipermail/tweeters/attachments/20120317/0fbb5e24/attachment.htm