Date: 3/4/26 12:57 pm From: Sean S <therefromhere168...> Subject: Re: [Maine-birds] Re: Unclear on eBird rules re. Sensitive Species
Louis,
Thanks for providing a full clear rundown of this topic. While Gemini says
eBird moderators can see all data from hidden lists, I didn't think that
was the case.
Sean Smith
On Wed, Mar 4, 2026 at 3:01 PM Louis Bevier <lrbevier...> wrote:
> Sean,
>
> Birds designated Sensitive Species in eBird are hidden automatically. The
> exact location cannot be seen, except by you and reviewers, who are needed
> to verify the report. The species will not show up in any public eBird
> outputs. How these reports are handled is explained in the link below.
> Suggestions for how to treat reports of birds that might not be assigned as
> sensitive but still need protection from undue disturbance are also
> provided, along with a link to the list of species designated Sensitive:
>
>
> https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000803210-sensitive-species-in-ebird >
> It is appropriate to reach out to trusted contacts who might help gather
> data and relay it to wildlife managers and analysts who can help designate
> areas of importance to scarce species.
>
> Hiding a checklist is useful in cases where access to private property
> needs to be guarded or if the checklist is not appropriate for analysis of
> eBird data, e.g. list-building checklists. I think the wording one sees
> when attempting to “Hide” a checklist is there to make sure it is for
> appropriate reasons and is not there to discourage one from doing so. You
> can read an explanation here:
>
>
> https://support.ebird.org/en/support/solutions/articles/48000948757-ebird-faqs#anchorHiddenChecklist >
> Doug Hitchcox, who established and moderates this listserv, would be an
> appropriate contact at Maine Audubon. He is aware of the issues involved
> with sensitive birds and access to private property if it is a concern.
> Doug has an excellent video about the issue of how information about
> rarities gets reported and shared in the birding community. Use the link
> below to see this video, and please consider subscribing to his channel,
> which has other informative videos, including about eBird and the eBird
> review process.
>
> https://youtu.be/buJ6c-qDHd4?si=gzUFZ2zJ06YGVDYA >
> Feel free to contact me privately if you have any questions or want help
> with the issue here that concerns you.
>
> Louis Bevier
> Fairfield
>
> On Tuesday, March 3, 2026 at 3:19:25 PM UTC-5 Sean S wrote:
>
>> Basically, a query to eBird moderators but anyone with knowledge of the
>> workings of reporting sensitive species is welcome to respond. Do I, or do
>> I not, hide checklists with Sensitive Species from the public feed?
>> eBird's help section says yes, but when I go to do so, I receive prompts
>> discouraging me from doing so.
>>
>> Additionally, when a Sensitive Species is present in an area, should I be
>> reaching out to anyone about sharing the exact location so that others may
>> try to find it? What I don't want to do is draw excessive attention to the
>> bird's presence, but I also don't want this to be a missed opportunity for
>> data collection and study.
>>
>> Sean Smith
>>
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