Date: 11/2/26 5:07 pm From: Scott R via Tweeters <tweeters...> Subject: Re: [Tweeters] Tweeting Rare Birds.......or NOT
Dennis and all,
Thank you, Dennis. That means a great deal coming from you. (For anyone who
doesn't know, I built Chase Report. It runs on eBird data but isn't
connected with eBird, the Cornell Lab or the WBRC.)
I agree with you. Chase Report isn't a forum and was never meant to replace
one. It does one narrow job: it watches eBird for rare birds in the state
and tries to say whether each one is still there. What Tweeters does,
people asking questions, telling the story of a bird, and talking about
common birds as much as rare ones, is something no app does. And you're
right that the best way to keep the rarities part of that conversation is
for the people who found them to tell the story here.
For anyone who'd simply like to hear about the real rarities without wading
through a long list, Chase Report has a free Washington alert channel on
Telegram that posts only birds on the WBRC Review List. It's quiet, three
birds since early October:
On Mon, Nov 2, 2026 at 4:03 PM Dennis Paulson <dennispaulson...>
wrote:
> Scott, much appreciation for developing this program; I know many people
> love it.
>
> What I’ve been writing about is that it’s a shame that tweeters can’t
> still function as it always has, a forum for people to exchange questions
> and answers and general thoughts about our feathered friends as well as
> sightings of both the common and the rare. All the rare-bird apps don’t
> accomplish that, and I think many birders still like to have something like
> that available.
>
> I didn’t realize the “plain text” problem was so great, as Carol Riddell
> pointed out, and it would be terrific if tweeters would allow photos and
> recordings, but even given those limitations, it is fulfilling a need in
> many of us in the birding community, and the comments of Bob and me and
> others are directed entirely toward the possibility of holding on to
> something we had before, but letting a little more of that rare-bird
> reporting infuse this very general listserv focused on regional birds.
>
> Of course, what Teri wrote is true, but a lot of birders aren’t focused on
> rarities that they can chase, and yet they would still like to hear about
> them. Tweeters could still play a role in that, although I don’t know
> exactly how, except perhaps by some individuals who have seen a rare bird
> telling the story there!
>
> OR, can someone come up with an alternative to tweeters that will furnish
> all that some of us are asking for? I know there are Facebook groups that
> could do that, but I know some people prefer not to use that means of
> communication. Are there alternatives?
>
> Dennis Paulson
> Seattle
>
>
> On Nov 2, 2026, at 12:40 PM, Scott R via Tweeters <
> <tweeters...> wrote:
>
> Bob, Dennis, Dan, and Tweeters,
>
> This discussion gets at exactly the problem I’ve been working to address
> with Chase Report:
>
> https://chasereport.com >
> Chase Report was developed to make recent rare-bird reports easier to
> follow without having to sift through long lists of eBird sightings and
> rare bird alerts. It’s free, requires no account or login, and has
> already found a substantial following among Washington birders, with over
> 2500 birders having used it and about 50 users every day even in November. Select
> Washington from the state menu.
>
> For example, the Common Ringed Plover was prominently featured throughout
> its stay in August. The Snohomish County Vermilion Flycatcher is also
> listed, although its “likely present” assessment has become less certain
> with no new eBird reports in about four days. That doesn’t necessarily mean
> it has left—just that recent confirmation is lacking.
>
> Chase Report brings together recent eBird reports, highlights higher-level
> rarities, and groups sightings to help you follow a continuing bird. You
> can see when it was last reported and an estimate of whether it is likely
> still present, along with links to the underlying reports. Filters help
> narrow the display to the birds and areas that interest you.
>
> The app updates automatically every 15 minutes on weekends and every hour
> during the week. It also offers rarity alerts through Telegram, so you can
> receive notifications without having to remember to check the website.
>
> The goal is to make it easier to spot a significant rarity among all the
> locally unusual sightings—and hear about it while there’s still an
> opportunity to go.
>
> I share the appreciation for timely reports here on Tweeters. Please keep
> those coming! Chase Report provides another way to keep up when a sighting
> makes it into eBird but never reaches this list.
>
> Scott Ray
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>
>
