Date: 2/14/26 12:33 pm From: Edward Vine via groups.io <elvine...> Subject: Re: [CALBIRDS] Using eBird to plan a trip
Kurt Radamaker sent this out recently and this may help you:
# eBird Hotspot Species Comparison Tool
## How It Works
**eBird Hotspot Species Comparison** is an interactive mapping tool that
helps birders discover what species they might find at different locations
and identify target birds to look for.
### Getting Started
When you load the page, you'll see:
- A map displaying bird observation hotspots as **green points**
- County centers as **black points** (when enabled)
- A control panel on the top-left with filtering options
### Map Controls
**State Selector**
- Choose any US state, Mexico, or view all US states at once
- The map automatically updates to show hotspots in your selected region
**Hotspot Activity (days)**
- Filter hotspots by recent birding activity (3-30 days)
- Shows only locations that have been visited recently
**Min Hotspot Species Count**
- Filter hotspots by total species diversity
- Choose from 0 (all hotspots) up to 500+ species
- Helps you find the most productive birding locations
**Show Counties Checkbox**
- Toggle county center points on/off
- ⚠️ Note: Loading counties is slow due to the large number of API requests
### Comparing Locations
**The main feature: Click any two points to compare species lists**
1. **Click your first location** (either a green hotspot or black county)
- A red marker appears
2. **Click your second location**
- A blue marker appears
- A popup automatically displays showing:
- Species in Location 1 NOT in Location 2
- Species in Location 2 NOT in Location 1
3. **Understanding the Results**
- Each species name is clickable and links to eBird species pages
- Exotic/introduced species are automatically filtered out
- Results help you plan which location to visit for target birds
### Map Features
**Hover to Preview**
- Hover over any point to see its name and details
- No need to click unless you want to compare
**Home Button**
- Returns you to the main maps page (bottom-right)
**Reset Button**
- Clears all selection markers and reloads the map (bottom-right)
**Basemap Selector**
- Change the map style (streets, satellite, terrain, etc.)
- Bottom-right corner
### Use Cases
- **Trip Planning**: Compare two nearby hotspots to decide where to bird
- **Target Species**: Find which location has birds you need for your
county/state list
- **County vs Hotspot**: Compare an entire county's species list against a
specific hotspot
- **State Comparisons**: See what species are in one state but not another
### Technical Notes
- Data is live from eBird's API
- Hotspot data updates based on recent activity
- County loading uses parallel requests for faster performance (but still
takes time)
- All exotic/introduced species are excluded from comparisons for cleaner
results
**Happy Birding!** 🐦
---
*Copyright - Kurt Radamaker*
On Fri, Feb 13, 2026 at 2:07 PM chuck schussman via groups.io <cschussman=
<icloud.com...> wrote:
> Hi, I am planning a trip to Omaha, Nebraska. Can eBird be used to identify
> the best places in or around Omaha to find a particular species? I am
> hoping there is another way to do this other than just clicking on all the
> flags on the range map... I am imagining that what I want is some way to
> display a list of all of the sightings of a particular species in a
> particular county, sorted by location and then by date. Is something like
> that possible? How do you all use eBird to plan a birding trip?
>
> Thanks!
> Chuck Schussman
> Tustin, California
>
>
>
>
>
--
Edward Vine
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Building 90R2002
Berkeley, CA 94720-8136
