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Thanks for helping us get our acts together, Ian. Barbara B. -----Original Message----- From: Vermont Birds [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ian A. Worley Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2013 5:45 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: [VTBIRD] Vermont eBird --- hotspot news and updates Hello fellow birders, Spring is just around the corner and we have completed the total updating of Vermont's hotspots, including the adding of many new hotspots throughout the state. If you use eBird you know that when submitting a checklist you can select either a "personal" location (one of your own making) or a "hotspot" location (created by eBird). Only you can add additional checklists to your personal locations. However, anyone can add a checklist to a hotspot location. Hence each hotspot gathers bird information from many different birders. This is the reason eBird wants states like Vermont and countries around the world to add more hotspots. No longer just a location for seeing rare or extraordinarily abundant birds, hotspots also now invite birders to less visited locales, ecosystems, and landscapes. When you use hotspots to report your birding observations you greatly facilitate the value of your observation at that location. This is because anyone can utilize all the different checklists in the hotspot in creating maps, bar graphs, species lists, graphs, reports, and other analyses. New and out-of-state visitors can use the hotspots to find out what birds to expect, for example. Or you can follow the patterns of certain species through time at that place. So when you go to submit a checklist, we encourage you to select your location via the "Find it on a Map" function. Look to see if there is a hotspot that serves the area of your birding. If you are a long-time eBirder, you can also use the "Find it on a Map" function to discover the many new hotspots that we've created. There are now 813 hotspots statewide! ======================= New hotspots have been added around the state at nearly all Vermont State Parks and Wildlife Management Areas (WMAs), at large tracts of land such as the Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, in areas with very little birding (to encourage more birding) such as the thousands of acres of National Forest in southern Vermont, and from the recommendations of numerous birders. Nearly all lakes and ponds over 10 areas in size have hotspots. Likewise, we have competed assessment and editing of all pre-existing hotspots in Vermont. This includes renaming many for consistency and clarity, adjusting the map location as necessary for accuracy, and consolidating redundant hotspots. Soon to come - Look for additional information on hotspots and new places to bird in Vermont on the Vermont eBird website "Birding News and Features." Thanks for using eBird - and the hotspots! If you have any questions please contact us: Ron Payne [log in to unmask] Ian Worley [log in to unmask] Kent McFarland [log in to unmask]