Has eBird made people selfish with sightings?

[Martin Butterfield <>]

Geoffrey said 

"When the painted-snipe were reported at Lake Road I met one snapper who had driven a considerable distance, and had to be dissuaded from climbing the fence, something that would certainly have caused anxiety to the birds.  "

Not to mention seriously annoying the landholder!   This is a HUGE problem in the UK.  Read p111-2  of Mark Cocker's book "Birders : Tales of a tribe - especially for the odoriferous consequences.

Martin Butterfield

http://franmart.blogspot.com.au/

On Fri, 6 Sep 2019 at 11:09, Ryu Callaway <> wrote:

As a semi-competitive ebird user, I personally find sharing a rare sighting one of the most rewarding aspects, especially when others successfully find the bird and thank you for it.

There are many reasons though why a record may not make it up promptly. I don't use mobile data and often may go birding before work other activities, and do not get the opportunity to post until much later in the day when I get home or connect to wifi. 

I think the other problem is that ebirders tend to have a different perception on what is considered rare and worth reporting. There are probably many species which many chatline subscribers would appreciate hearing about, which ebirders may dismiss as unnoteworthy. 

There will be exceptions, but overall I think you still get a lot more sharing of sightings from those who post to ebird than those who don't. 

Ryu