Ebird does allow for photo specific comments about the bird and/or behaviour
and/or feature of the bird depicted in the photo to be added by the observer
when submitting a checklist, which is associated with the media and kept
separate to the species comments. Similarity, there are fields to select age
and sex of the bird in the image where known from a pre-defined list for
consistency. There are a separate set of fields for audio including song type
associated with each specific piece of audio.
Similarity, images can be submitted for a particular race of a species. The
race is not selected with the image, it is selected with the species. Eg. You
would report a magpie as Australian magpie (White-backed) it Australian magpie
(Black-backed) and upload the image into the relevant entry. Not all races are
shown by default and you may need to use the add species button to find a race
when entering. I highly recommend turning on scientific names in your settings
as common names for races aren't always so helpful.
I am not sure how much of this is searchable, the races certainly are and if
the other bits aren't yet searchable I would expect they will be made
searchable in the near future.
Ryu
--- Philip Veerman <> wrote:
Fair point and true in the majority of cases but maybe it should clarify: does
everyone agree that: the core purpose of the photograph is to show the
distinctive features of the bird, as in the identification points, rather than
perhaps interesting behaviour. A good photo of cranial kinesis (the ability
to bend the beak upwards) in a Godwit is as valid in a Hudsonian Godwit
(identifiable or not as to its underwings) as any other godwit or wader. The
one posted to cog list recently showing the toes of a cuckoo was especially
useful for that purpose (to show a cuckoo’s toes, a view we rarely get)
although the particular species involved would make little difference to that
aspect. Then again how far does the idea extend, to being clear about within
species features, difference in age, sex, race, etc, may not be shown, although
no doubt as to species. A good photo can be useful if it is of an unusual
specimen, as in one in which the distinctive
features are odd, (provided it is labelled as such).
Philip
From: Martin Butterfield
Sent: Thursday, 6 April, 2017 6:22 AM
To: Julie Clark
Cc: COG Chatline
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Re: Ebird - Rating Photos
I had read the guidelines (and rated a few of the images) a few weeks back when
it was first announced. The issue I have with the guidelines is that they
don't explicitly cover what I see as the core purpose of the photograph -
showing the distinctive features of the bird.
For example the 5 star rating is applied to a photograph with "...a bird that
fills the frame, is sharp and well-lit, has a clean background, and is posed
well. " All of those attributes are about the artistic value of the
photograph, and are necessary to get a 5 rating but if they don't include the
key marks of the bird are not sufficient.
By way of example I'd suggest that
a crystal clear photograph of a Godwit standing alone on a sandbank which meets
all of those criteria could only be rated 5 (as an example of Hudsonian Godwit)
if it had its wings raised to reveal the black armpits; but
an image of the bird which is slightly fuzzy and has a jumbled background of
several other Godwits (satisfying "Fairly sharp, decently lit (e.g., dappled
lighting, partially backlit), a busy background (e.g., branches), is partially
obscured, and doesn’t fill very much of the frame" thus rating 3) but which
shows the black armpits should be rated at least 4 or perhaps 5.
Martin
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