Condor Watch Talk

Color ambiguities are interfering with correct ID of Condors

  • mboschmd by mboschmd

    I've had many condors with clearly visible numbers, but the colors are so bleached out that it's hard to tell if it's orange or red, or distinguish between blue and purple. As a result, the Bio is labeled "Unknown". Time is wasted, and good data is lost.
    You should create an option to Re-assess individual birds when color choice is ambiguous...a Re-do button. One condor I kept seeing had a bluish tag and a very clear number....I marked blue, and the bird is unknown. Next time, I tried purple, and Voila! The bird is in the database. You will get much more good data if you create this option...it is terribly frustrating to clearly read the #16 on a yellow tag, and the bird is unknown!

    Posted

  • stonepenny by stonepenny

    had a few of these myself - clear tag, no and colour, yet unknown in the database. Include red here.... frustrating.

    Posted

  • wreness by wreness moderator

    If you have the number but not the tag color, just put in the number and skip the tag color. "All" the data doesn't have to be given for the bird in order for it to be usable or "good". Ditto if you only see one number but know there are two - just put an X in place of the number you cant see. Ditto if you cant see the numbers but know the color of the tag - just mark the tag color. You might have marked a bird "11 purple" only to find it's unknown.

    The data we enter is looked at by the Wizards Behind the Curtain and since they are much smarter than us, they are able to look at partial info, wrong info or even what we think is a "mistake" on our part and figure out who the bird is anyway due to having tons more info in their Super Secret Scientist files. But the scientists who get your data know there is no 11 purple. They do know there is an 11 Blue and can assume that was the correct information. Depending on what other birds were hanging around in that photo or data from the photos taken around that same time stamp (and evaluated by others), much of what we think is "bad" data is not! Just do the best you can and have fun! No stressing allowed!

    16 Yellow does have a Bio (at least now it does). I have had tags that I know have bios say there is none; then later on if that same tag pops up it will bring up the bio. Computers are insane and do this stuff, all you can do is shake your head.

    Many of the bugs have been corrected and the database updated as we've reported the issues, so feel free to keep reporting them! . If you do find a clear tag # and color that still doesn't have a bio, please report if on this discussion board (check the existing list to see if it is already listed).

    All and any info you are marking is helpful and appreciated! Don't worry about perfection or you will go screaming out into the street with your hands over your head. 😃

    Posted