This project centres on analyzing the accuracy of the popular citizen science program, eBird, where people can record their sightings of birds in terms of both time and place. Data that citizens collect show up on maps and graphs depicting the observed ranges and abundances of the birds, by species. This site puts a lot of trust and confidence in the abilities of its users to identify birds properly. We will be analyzing data from three different bird species, one duck, one passerine, and one raptor. Our data is downloadable from eBird, and the actual known ranges of the birds will be obtained from various government sources. (See Data page for more detail).

What is eBird?

eBird was launched in 2002 by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and National Audubon Society. It is a program that provides information about bird abundance and distribution on spatial and temporal scales. Its users can record the birds they see and contribute to the species’ distribution maps. It allows citizens to contribute the science of bird watching as well as helping in conservation of bird habitats, as organizations use the eBird maps to determine bird densities and populations.

eBird. About eBird. <http://ebird.org/content/ebird/about/>. Dec. 6th, 2017.

 

We will be performing a spatial analysis of this data to see if there is variation in proximity to city centres.

We hypothesize:

• Data from eBird will be more consistent with actual ranges in the summer months, because there are fewer impediments to birding in the summer, like rain and snow.
• Areas that are easily accessible and/or near high human populations will have more recorded data, and therefore more statistical certainty.
• Easily spotted birds (raptors, breeding ducks, etc.) will have more extensive and accurate data than smaller, cryptic species (Passerines)

Our main goals are to:

• Assess the accuracy of citizen collected data when it comes to comparing bird populations
• Identify bias (population, time, etc.) in citizen collected data
• Provide suggestions on how to address these biases

The three bird species whose ranges we will be studying:

• Cedar waxwing (passerine)
• Peregrine falcon (raptor)
• Wood duck (duck)
  

  Peregrine falcon (PD).