[Maine-birds] Re: seeking advice on hotspot use and locations, Mousam River

On Mon, Mar 13, 2023 at 11:23 AM Bill Grabin <grabin@roadrunner.com> wrote:

Hi Louis.  First, yes, it is the Bridle Path, not Bridal.  And, yes, the abandoned rail line ran from the Kennebunk Depot (still located, appropriately enough, on Depot St) to a depot in Lower Village, Kennebunk (now the Pilot House restaurant).   So it could  be all one hotspot.  Alternatively, it could be divided into above and below Route 9.  If so, I'd still call them both Abandoned Rail Line, and just add Above or Below Route 9.

The Sea Rd hotspot is not really a hotspot.  It looks like it's mainly been used for our Biddeford/Kennebunkport CBC.  I guess I'd be inclined to leave it there, but if it makes  more sense to "delist" it, go for it. 

I've added Ken Janes to this thread, as he's probably birded there more than anyone.   Bill

On Mon, Mar 13, 2023 at 10:42 AM Louis Bevier <lrbevier@colby.edu> wrote:

I am writing to you all in hopes of clarifying eBird hotspot names, locations, and actual use for three hotspots on the lower Mousam River from Route 9 upstream about one mile.

These are the hotspots:
Abandoned rail line, Kennebunk (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L735128)
Bridal Path (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L11553116)
Sea Road (https://ebird.org/hotspot/L5147859)

The main question is whether the "Bridal Path" hotspot is on the same rail trail plotted for the "Abandoned rail line" and simply an end point of birding either up or downstream along the trail. Also, the name "Bridal Path" seems like it should be "Bridle" instead, right? Any advice on local names here would be appreciated. Also, the "Bridal Path" hotspot is plotted in the marsh along the Mousam River and not directly on the apparent path nearby. I can move the hotspot if we retain it. The "Abandoned rail line" spot is used most and seems like the best one to keep if we were to merge the "Bridal Path" spot to anything. I also don't want to move/merge spots if anyone has atlas lists specifically plotted so they pertain to a block. Everything here is in the Wells_NE block and unlikely to be affected if moved even a moderate distance. So this is probably not an issue.

Lastly, there is an infrequently used hotspot labeled "Sea Road" plotted at a point near to the "Bridal Path" hotspot. Is the Sea Road spot really used for a specific area of habitat near to the plotted point or meant for general birding up and down Sea Road an unspecified distance. This is not the sort of hotspot I think we need. I can revert all lists to personal locations. So nothing would change really, except a potentially (you tell me!) hotspot is removed.

So, can I consolidate "Bridal Path" and "Abandoned rail line"? Is there a better spot for the plot point and a better name?

I have recently joined as an editor the website "Birding Hotspots" (https://birdinghotspots.org/), which aims to fill a gap in eBird by describing hotspot birding locations.

Thanks,

Louis

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