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wilsonbrucea 
Posts:47
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| 12/21/2009 10:26 PM |
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Hows does BD handle things such as Black Duck/Mallard Hybrids? Using ABA 2008 and BD 3.6.49
Thanks
Bruce Wilson
Barrie, Ontario |
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SteveO
Posts:509
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| 12/22/2009 8:00 AM |
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The question is really "How do your tax lists handle hybrids?", because Birder's Diary just follows the tax lists.
In this case, since the ABA does not recognize hybrids, BD does not allow them to be entered or reported.
If you want to record hybrids, it is possible - if you have an Advanced License.
Go into Advanced features, Tax View, and add a new tax list - like "ABA with Hybrids". Then edit this tax list, and add whatever Taxa (things) you want. The easiest way to start would be to copy the existing ABA list.
When you want to enter or report on hybrids - or even all the time, you can specify the new "hybrid" list.
However, if you are doing something like reporting annual counts to the ABA, be sure to use the real ABA tax list to avoid miscounting the hybrids. |
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Regards,
Steve |
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wilsonbrucea
Posts:47
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| 12/22/2009 10:54 AM |
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Thanks for the reply. I have the advance license so I can change things if I want to. The question came up at our recent CBC but if I am reading correctly we would have either Black Ducks or Mallards. Without getting to the DNA level what do I do with the 10 Black/Mallard hybrids? One-half to each? I would be interested in how others are handling this.
Thanks
Bruce Wilson
Barrie, Ontario |
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SteveO
Posts:509
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| 12/22/2009 11:13 AM |
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I think that as far as the ABA is concerned, you did not see anything.
I am not sure how Audubon and the CBC tallyers count them - I have never found any on our CBC counts.
There is a bird band code for it - MBDH (Mallard-Black Duck Hybrid), if that helps. |
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Regards,
Steve |
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wilsonbrucea
Posts:47
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| 12/22/2009 12:38 PM |
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Posted By SteveO on 12/22/2009 11:13 AM
I think that as far as the ABA is concerned, you did not see anything.
I am not sure how Audubon and the CBC tallyers count them - I have never found any on our CBC counts.
There is a bird band code for it - MBDH (Mallard-Black Duck Hybrid), if that helps.
The ducks were somewhat saddened when I told them they did not exist.
The hybrids are fairly regular here
The ducks were somewhat happier when I told them if we caught them and put a band on them they would exist again.
All fun aside, the question of hybrids is an interesting one. Thanks for you replies
Bruce Wilson
Barrie, Ontario
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cowboyinbrla
Posts:270
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| 12/23/2009 7:50 AM |
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Bruce,
Kidding aside, the difference is in what is considered "countable" by (a) the group to whom the report is being made according to (b) the taxonomy involved.
CBC's allow you to report just about anything, but insofar as species counts go, it only counts those recognized by the AOU (I'm pretty sure, at least, it's their taxonomy used), with a few exceptions--most relevantly, a "thing" (for lack of a better term) can be reported at a generic level if none of the constituent or included species has also been reported for that circle. Thus a Mallard-Black Duck hybrid would not count as a species on the CBC unless that count circle reported no Mallards and no Black Ducks. (The individual birds, of course, would count in the total individuals seen). The same is true for, say, an inland count which only recorded "Accipiter sp." but no identifiable Cooper's or Sharp-Shinned Hawks (or Goshawks, in their range)--you can count the individual birds as birds seen, but if the circle sees a definite Cooper's or definite Sharpshinned, then the "Accipiter sp." individuals do not increase the species count.
As far as the ABA listing - I think what Steve means is for the annual reports of how many species you've seen in each state or province, if you submit those numbers, you'd only be able to submit species, not hybrids (though for a few species in which there are frequent hybrids, one may not always be certain if you're seeing a "purebred" or not). The ABA made this clear in an exposition on the rules of what is reportable a few years back - hybrids are specifically non-countable for Big Days, ABA Lists, and the like. |
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jjones
Posts:5100
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| 01/01/2010 9:20 PM |
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Hi,
To answer the original question about how to handle a hybrid in BD, here are the particulars:
- As SteveO previously said, better off creating a duplicate of the tax list you want to add a hybrid to so as not to create invalid reports for individual authorities. Just use the dup tax list when you want to report on the hybrids.
- You can use the Tax Copy function on the Tax View window to copy an existing tax list to one you just created - also using the Tax View window.
- Then, you would first create a hybrid thing using the Thing Editor (e.g. "MallardXBlack Duck")
- Then you would use the Tax Editor to add that new thing to the tax list; and check the Hybrid box. That currently does nothing in BD and was intended for future use.
Now you have a hybrid in your new tax list that you can add sightings against.
fyi
Jeff |
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Birder's Diary Technical Support |
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