Date: 3/3/26 6:39 pm From: Harry LeGrand (via carolinabirds Mailing List) <carolinabirds...> Subject: Re: Comments on "Rules for eBird acceptance of a rare species"
As a follow-up to my previous eBird posting, in regard to a report of a
Western Grebe along the NC coast a few days ago, where there is no
description, nor photos, posted yet --
that on March 15, 2003, I was birding with Ricky Davis and Derb Carter at
the former site of the Cape Hatteras lighthouse at Buxton. Ricky spotted a
large grebe in the inshore ocean that he felt was a *Clark's Grebe*, and
Derb and I immediately got onto the bird. Indeed, it had an orange-yellow
bill and the white on the face came above the eye. We all agreed on
Clark's, a first and still the only report for the state. Derb got some
video, but ultimately the NC Bird Records Committee did accept our detailed
description (putting the species on the Provisional List) but felt that the
video was not quite clear enough to separate Clark's from the similar
Western (such that it did not go on the Official List). There were a good
handful of Western Grebe records for NC at the time, and now there are
about 20 Coastal records -- still a very rare bird. We wrote a General
Field Note for *The Chat*, published in Chat 72:102-103. If you go to the
species page on the Birds of North Carolina website, you can click on the
active link and read the report.
The point is -- was Clark's Grebe ruled out of the 2026 report? Without
the information on the eBird report, we don't know. It takes less than a
minute for someone to enter a description of a rare bird in Comments, and I
encourage the reporter of the grebe to go back into the report and add a
description so that Clark's can be ruled out. Any of us can go back into
one of our eBird reports and add more description, add a photo or two,
etc., to further provide the necessary documentation for acceptance.
Harry LeGrand
On Tue, Mar 3, 2026 at 9:04 PM Harry LeGrand <hlegrandjr...> wrote:
> Folks,
>
> Several times a day many of us look at the Carolina Bird Club Sightings
> page to see what rarities have been reported in NC and in SC. I was a bit
> surprised over the past few days to see one or several rare bird sightings
> that have been accepted by a reviewer with no documentation, or some still
> with much documentation, not yet accepted by a reviewer. Here is what I
> found when I Googled "Rules for eBird acceptance of a rare species" (the
> blue is in Google, not mine):
>
> eBird requires rigorous documentation for rare species to be accepted
> into its public database, usually involving detailed written descriptions,
> photos, or audio recordings. A volunteer regional reviewer evaluates this
> evidence to rule out similar species and confirm identification, or the
> record remains unconfirmed and private
>
> Key rules for submitting rare species include:
>
> - *Documentation:* Provide detailed notes on field marks, behavior,
> and vocalizations, rather than just stating "seen well" or "seen with
> expert".
> - *Media:* Upload photos or audio recordings, even if not high
> quality, as they are essential for verification.
> - *Rule out similar species:* Specifically explain how you ruled out
> more common, similar-looking species.
> - *Age and Sex:* Note the age and sex if possible, as this aids in
> identification.
> - *Location and Date:* Ensure accurate location plotting; for
> sensitive species, consider delaying reports.
>
> ----------------
>
> So, this is a reminder for reporters of eBird list "write-ins" -- make
> sure that you provide the necessary information in Comments for a reviewer
> to be able to accept your report. And a reminder for eBird reviewers --
> make sure that you have the necessary information in Comments to be able to
> evaluate a report, acceptance or not.
>
> NOTE: I tried to post this same material about 30 minutes ago to the
> GroupMe NC Rare Bird Alert page, but the moderator deleted this important
> reminder. We all want to abide by eBird rules about reporting and then
> accepting records into the eBird database.
>
> As the CBC Briefs for the Files editor, I go through the eBird
> database four times a year and collect the most significant reports that
> have been accepted, going species by species for a given season. Thus, it
> is very important that these sightings be documented in the eBird database
> before they appear in print in *The Chat.*
>
> Thanks for your attention.
>
> Harry LeGrand
> Raleigh
>
>
>
