eBird Checklists

This script automates the process of opening eBird checklists for a specified region and date. It is useful for eBird reviewers and enthusiasts who want to easily access and review checklists in their area.

Why this repo?
Prerequisites
Usage
- Examples
Install
Troubleshooting
Contributing
License

Why this repo?

I consistently wanted to see what eBird checklists are happening in my area, easily. I didn't want to have to keep looking for them manually on the website, which only shows a few recent checklists, and I wanted to be able to see them for specific dates. As well, eBird flags certain records, but not all - so in my work as a reviewer, it makes sense to take a look at new checklists coming in to see if there are any easily-spottable errors I can contact users about. This tool provides that functionality, by opening a list of checklists for a given date from a given region.

Prerequisites

Before using this script, ensure you have the following:

eBird API Token
curl and Bash v3 installed on your system

Usage

$ ./openEbirdChecklists.sh <region> <date in mm/dd/yyyy format|today|yesterday>

This script will accept the names of Vermont counties, or the eBird region codes, like 'US-NC' from 'https://ebird.org/region/US-NC'.

If no date is provided, it will only show the ten most recent checklists, or however many eBird provides for recent checklists.

Examples

$ ./openEbirdChecklists.sh Addison 09/16/2023
$ ./openEbirdChecklists.sh Washington yesterday
$ ./openEbirdChecklists.sh US-VT-001 09/16/2023
$ ./openEbirdChecklists.sh Orange

Install

Replace the API token in line three with your own token. You can obtain one by registering at eBird API Keygen.

Alternatively, you can set an environment variable for $EBIRD_API_TOKEN, eith in your PATH somewhere or temporarily like this:

$ export EBIRD_API_TOKEN='your_api_token_here'

Make it executable. Change directory in your terminal to where the script was downloaded, and run:
```
$ chmod a+x ebirdChecklists.sh
```

Run it using the above examples.

$ EBIRD_API_TOKEN='example' ./openEbirdChecklists.sh <region> <date>

Troubleshooting

If you encounter any issues while running the script, consider the following:

Invalid API Token: Double-check that you have replaced the API token with a valid one from eBird API Keygen.
Missing Dependencies: Ensure that you have installed curl and set it up correctly.
Permission Denied: If you get a "Permission denied" error when running the script, make sure you have executed chmod a+x openEbirdChecklists.sh as mentioned in the installation instructions.

Contributing

Contributions to this project are welcome! If you'd like to contribute, please follow these guidelines:

Bug Reports: If you encounter a bug or unexpected behavior, open an issue on the GitHub repository.
Feature Requests: Feel free to suggest new features or improvements by creating an issue.
Pull Requests: If you have code changes or enhancements to offer, submit a pull request. Please make sure your code follows the project's coding standards.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for more details.

RichardLitt / open-ebird-checklists