Birding log

A birding log records what was seen and heard on one outing, at one place, over a known stretch of time. Serious birders keep it in the shape eBird (the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's database) asks for, because the protocol is what makes a list useful as data: where you were, when you started, how long and how far you birded, whether you reported every species you identified, and a count for each one.

The other half of a good log is honesty about uncertainty. A bird you are not sure of is recorded at the level you are sure of ("gull sp.", "Empidonax sp.") with the field marks you actually saw, so you or a reviewer can judge it later.

When to use it