“Make eBird your New Year's Resolution for 2016!”,
they said, with a picture of a Steller's Sea Eagle that looked like it
meant business. So I did.
A month and a half into the year, it's become a habit to record and
submit lists during the day. It's given me a reason to get out of the
house for a while in the morning and evening, and to take occasional
breaks from work during the day, all of which has made me
fitter, happier, and more productive.
I have many complaints about the eBird interface. The "Submit
observations" page needs to be a couple of orders of magnitude faster.
The Android app shouldn't be so dependent on network connectivity. Both
need to be much smarter about interpreting abbreviations. I can think of
various features that would make reviewers' lives easier. But those are
just details (I hear the eBird team is receptive to suggestions), and
none of it takes away from the fact that eBird has helped me to start
birding regularly and seriously again.
As new year's resolutions go, I can't think of one that's worked out
better.