Yesterday afternoon, a friend and I encountered two ospreys at Eagle Bluffs Conservation Area, on the Missouri River floodplain. When I filed the report on eBird, I was advised by their computer that the count was "unusually high for the date and location." Comments were requested.
Though I was not offended (well, maybe just a bit), I provided the details and will await the judgement of local experts. After all, bird data is only valuable if it is accurate.
However, as an avid birder for more than 47 years, I have noted a recent shift in my own observations as our climate warms. Most notable has been the delayed waterfowl migration in the fall, reflecting the late "freeze-up" across northern latitudes. To encounter two ospreys in central Missouri in early November hardly seems exceptional; indeed, it was nearly 80 degrees F in Columbia yesterday. Past data may no longer apply.
