Jason — thanks for the note back. It makes sense now and I figured something like this was going on. The bottom mile of Orchard Gulch is riparian (at least the first 3/4 mile) then you start climbing up into the sage and bitterbrush hillsides. (BTW — I had a singing Willow Flycatcher there about 1/2 mile up the trail from the trailhead — surprised the heck out of me.) I have never gone beyond a mile in but I understand the trail connects with Five Mile and continues to the Ridge Road about 3 miles or so from the trailhead. By the time you get up that high you are back in the fir and pine zone. It sounds like the majority of your time, mileage, and list was on the trail after the first mile. I am going to have to go back up and spend a full day doing the whole trail like you did. That area is really a fun place to bird.

I vaguely have heard about and understand the eBird elevation filter issue. I know the intent is correct even if I always have to put in notes on various species like “not rare here”. Maybe when there are more lists and data and eBird refines their processes it will smooth out. But, in the big scheme of things its not a big deal. I spend the winters outside of Tucson, Pima County. The counties in Arizona are huge with even more varied terrain than Ada County. The eBird reviewers for the county worked with eBird and have the county broken up into 20 or 30 different sub areas. (I know I have heard the number, I just don’t remember it.) It was a pilot, first of a kind, project with eBird. Folk lore has it that after it was done eBird said – “we aren’t really ready to do this sort of thing”.

Thanks again for the reply. Hope to run into you out in the field.

Scott Tuthill