Record date, place, and effort
See this course’s project requirements
A citizen-science practice kit with a bounded question, effort log, teaching-key identifications, count audit, cautious comparison, and submission-eligibility checklist.
Keep your working files in your own notebook or software. Save a private description, checklist, and work link in My Proof.
What to include
- Define a fixed-point question and record session effort.
- Apply the supplied teaching key without forcing uncertain IDs.
- Count distinct individuals using movement evidence.
- Compare sessions with duration, weather, and nondetection limits.
- Label all practice data fictional and complete the eligibility audit.
Review and revise
Use these criteria to check your work and choose what to improve.
- Dates, durations, protocol, and distance follow the supplied rules.
- Identification and count decisions match the evidence.
- Comparisons avoid population and absence overclaims.
- The submission checklist excludes invented and ineligible records.
Want more background?
The idea in everyday life
Fictional session S1: October 5, 2026; Bench A; 8:10–8:20 a.m.; birdwatching is the main activity; observer stays at the bench. S2: October 6, 2026; a deliberate birding walk 8:00–8:15 a.m.; travels 200 meters along a path and returns on the same path. Protocol bank: stationary=deliberate birdwatching from one point; traveling=deliberate birdwatching while moving; incidental=a noticed bird outside a deliberate birding session. Use eBird-style meanings for practice only; no submissions.
A count becomes interpretable when the record says when, where, and how it was made.
Record date, place, and effort: guided practice
A count becomes interpretable when the record says when, where, and how it was made.
Use paper or a free local text editor. This is an original fictional practice case; do not submit its records to a real service. Start this lesson with these facts, even if an earlier variation changed them. Fictional session S1: October 5, 2026; Bench A; 8:10–8:20 a.m.; birdwatching is the main activity; observer stays at the bench. S2: October 6, 2026; a deliberate birding walk 8:00–8:15 a.m.; travels 200 meters along a path and returns on the same path. Protocol bank: stationary=deliberate birdwatching from one point; traveling=deliberate birdwatching while moving; incidental=a noticed bird outside a deliberate birding session. Use eBird-style meanings for practice only; no submissions.
1. Calculate S1 duration
Subtract S1 start from end.
You should see: S1 duration: 10 minutes.
Start time and duration preserve the observation window.
2. Choose S1 protocol
Classify the fixed-location birding session.
You should see: S1: stationary.
The activity remained at one fixed observation point.
3. Choose S2 protocol
Classify the deliberate moving birding session.
You should see: S2: traveling, 15 minutes.
Its movement and known effort distinguish it from a stationary or incidental record.
4. Record unique distance
For this eBird-style exercise, count the nonrepeated path length.
You should see: S2 unique distance: 200 meters, not 400 meters.
The platform’s distance rule excludes retracing the same path; other projects may differ.
What to finish
Record date, place, and effort record with the worked decisions and changed-case check.
Watch for this
Merging multiple dates or omitting effort while treating counts as directly comparable.
How can I tell I understand it?
Choose an observation protocol and preserve its effort details. Explain the evidence behind the result and correct any mismatch.
Quick knowledge check
Answer all 3 questions. Get at least 2 right and the lesson completes automatically.
You’ll get an explanation for each answer. Signed in? Your results save to your account.
Pass the check. We’ll save the progress.
Answer all 3 questions above and get at least 2 right. You can review the explanations and try again.
Go to the knowledge checkOptional course overview video · same video as Lesson 1
Submit Your Sightings on eBird Mobile - eBird Essentials
From Cornell Lab of Ornithology. Watch here or open it on YouTube .
Optional course overview. Follow the written steps below at your own pace.Tools, templates, and lesson sources
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Sources and further reading
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Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Inspected stationary/traveling/incidental definitions, exact date and effort requirements, and unique-distance rule.
Access: Public page or PDF inspected without payment or institutional sign-in on September 12, 2026. Optional external accounts are unnecessary for this course.
Reuse: Link and original paraphrase only. Public access does not grant blanket reuse; no provider text, figures, or exercises are reproduced.
Source & access notes · checked 2026-09-12
Inspected complete checklists, counts, and prohibition on synthetic, other-person, and remote-camera records.
Access: Public page or PDF inspected without payment or institutional sign-in on September 12, 2026. Optional external accounts are unnecessary for this course.
Reuse: Link and original paraphrase only. Public access does not grant blanket reuse; no provider text, figures, or exercises are reproduced.
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