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<body dir=3D"ltr"> Hi everyone, The question that is being wrestled with is one of first Nova Scotia spring arrivals versus first arrivals in a particular location in Nova Scotia. If the former then given the interpretation I'm seeing in this email exchange, the birds on the winter list should not be included in this effort. I don't expect that is the case. A value judgement was used and a threshold of winter observations was set to determine what species were included on the list. eBird data is not pure as the driven snow and it cannot be used for every application. What it doesn't include (yet) is local knowledge. There may have been many Common Grackles reported around Nova Scotia this winter but when the first flocks appear in SW Nova Scotia you can be sure the birders in SW Nova know they are spring arrivals. Local birders know what's around their area and what is new for spring. This does introduce subjectivity from observers and the committee (=a group of people chosen or appointed to perform a specified service or function) would have to spend a lot more effort determining the spring arrival validity of many sightings than if eBird reports were their only source. As a first effort this might not be what the committee is prepared to do. Keep in mind that there is always an element of doubt when it comes to first spring arrivals of individual birds. A hummingbird that someone kept alive through winter in their greenhouse might have gone unreported. It's been done before. Does a Tree Swallow that shows up in March constitute a first arrival or a doomed vagrant? I seem to be missing the first email that announced this effort so forgive me if this question has already been addressed. Will this effort eventually incorporate the historical records that have been published in NS Birds and other publications for many decades or is this only intended to be an annual effort starting this year and going forward? Enjoy the spring when it finally shows up! Lance Lance Laviolette Glen Robertson, Ontario
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