Reporting Results

eBird

All Big Sit! checklists and information must be submitted and “shared” using eBird. The New Haven Bird Club is an all-volunteer organization and we are unable to process paper checklists or checklists that are emailed to us. Many birders already use eBird. Using this reporting method should be relatively painless.

The Big Sit! circle coordinators or captains will submit one checklist to eBird with the Big Sit! sightings through their own eBird accounts. They also must “share” (not email) that checklist with TheBigSitNHBC@gmail.com. Coordinators/captains are also encouraged to “share” the eBird checklist with other participants in their circle.

eBird Help

If you are new to eBird, or need to refresh your eBird skills, please follow the links below:

To create an eBird account: https://ebird.org/home

Help using eBird: https://support.ebird.org/support/home

To share an eBird checklist: https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000625567-editing-and-sharing-checklists

Information on eBird best Practices: https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000795623-ebird-rules-and-best-practices

Document Circle Location

To best document the geographic location of the circle, we suggest that the circle coordinator/captain use the eBird app on a smartphone to start a “draft” checklist from within their circle. When the location of the circle is verified on the “draft” checklist, the checklist can be submitted to eBird and reopened later for editing. Or you may use the map feature available on the website version of eBird when you return home.

Keep Paper Records

For the duration of your The Big Sit!, keep paper records of the number and species of birds, and of the participants’ names and time effort. Otherwise, having an eBird checklist open for hours on your smartphone could cause problems, such as accidentally deleting the checklist or running down the phone’s power.  On the paper record, tally the total number of birds and species seen, the total time the circle was active, the names of all participants and the number of hours each person participated, and some details on the weather. Then transfer all information from the paper record to your existing eBird checklist.

Printable Effort Sheet PDF

THE DEADLINE TO SUBMIT AND SHARE YOUR EBIRD CHECKLIST IS SUNDAY, OCTOBER 22, 2023.

The New Haven Bird Club will retrieve the checklists from eBird and post the results as soon as possible here on The Big Sit! website, on The Big Sit! NHBC Facebook page and through email, to everyone who signed up on the MailChimp list. 

Basic Steps

Preparation

• • Choose a Big Sit! circle location.
  • Promote your event through your organization and on social media and local media.
  • Create a paper checklist of birds in your state or region: Go to https://ebird.org/explore. In the “Explore Region” window, enter your state, province, or county. In the overview tab is a button for a “Printable Checklist.” Click, and a checklist will appear in a new webpage that you can easily print. This, or a similar printed checklist, should be used to keep track of your sightings instead of keeping your eBird app open for an extended period of time.

Day of the Event

• • On the day of the event, arrive with drinking water, snacks, chairs, optics, and start looking and listening.
  • Be able to identify the precise location of your circle, either on a map or by GPS position.
  • One way to do so is to start an eBird checklist on the smartphone app while at your circle.
  • Have one person (usually the circle captain) create an eBird checklist on their smartphone.
    • Turn off the “Record Track” feature
    • Click “Start Checklist”
    • Record a few birds as place holders if you wish. You must edit the bird list when you complete The Big Sit! day
    • Click “Review” to stop the checklist
    • Click “Choose a location . . .” and confirm the circle location as either an address, hotspot, or GPS coordinates
    • Choose the Observation Type “Stationary”
    • Answer “Yes” to the question “Is this a complete checklist . . .”
    • Add placeholder numbers for “Observers” and “” YOU MUST EDIT THESE NUMBERS LATER, after you complete the Big Sit! day
    • Click the “Submit” button
  • Alternatively, when prompted by the website version of eBird, identify your circle location on a map; be sure to zoom in as much as possible.
  • Using a paper Effort Sheet (a sample is provided above), record the name of the circle, circle location, circle sponsoring organization (if applicable), weather conditions, participants, and hours of participation for each team member.
  • Take photos during the event and post to The Big Sit NHBC Facebook page. Please also add your bird photos to your eBird checklist.

At the End of the Event

• • At the end of the event, either open the eBird checklist that you initially created on your smartphone or start a new checklist on the eBird website.
  • Edit the checklist to include the species and numbers of birds.
  • Edit the checklist to update the total time.
  • Edit the checklist to include the total number of participants.
  • Using information from your paper Effort Sheet, record in the eBird checklist “Comments” section the following: 1. name of the circle, 2. circle sponsoring organization (if applicable), 3. weather conditions, 4. names of participants, and 5. total hours of participation for each participant.
  • Also add to the eBird “Comments” section the name of the Federal, state, or local wildlife refuge, land trust, park, forest, or other named area, if any, where your circle is located. This information will help with publicity for The Big Sit!
  • “Share“ in eBird (not email) the checklist with the following eBird username: TheBigSitNHBC@gmail.com
  • Optionally, also share the checklist with each of your participants.

Refer to the eBird help links, above, for more detailed information. Contact TheBigSitNHBC@gmail.com if you have questions.

If you would like a Printable version of the Basic Steps instructions, click The Big Sit Basic Steps