# App Wanted for Birdwatcher Log



## Zorrosuncle (Nov 11, 2008)

Hi --

Have put my 5 birdfeeders up for the winter, and want to share my sightings with the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology.  However, I can't find a useful app anywhere -- let alone l work on the Kindle Fire.

Help!

ZU


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## Ann in Arlington (Oct 27, 2008)

Betsy is not just a Quilter, she's a Birder, too.  I dare say she'll have some suggestions for you.

The only 'bird' app I have is basically just to help you figure out what the heck kind of critter it is you're looking at.


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

I mostly log my birds with my iPod Touch, but it seems to me I found a pretty good Android one, too, let me look through my apps collection....

Betsy


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

ZU--

Basically you have three options:

  

My thoughts and experiences with these three apps.



*My Birding Observations*

_Pros & Cons: Not free, but cheap; works with all Fires; ability to upload to eBird built in; a bit of a learning curve. _

This one is $2.99. I like this one but... It's pretty powerful but has a bit of a learning curve. Some tips below to get you started if you try it.

You start by creating a sighting list. It will automatically set the date and time to the current date and time; you can add the State and County. To save the sighting list, you have to invoke the menu at the bottom and select "Save."

When adding a sighting to the list (tap on "Add sighting" in the upper left hand corner, you can search by first and last name, last name only, scientific code, or BBL code. The trick is you have to enter the whole thing of the option you choose, so I use "last name only." For example "Cardinal" (caps don't matter). You then get a list of all birds with that as a last name. Tap on Northern Cardinal on the list to select that. You'll have the option to add notes. Then tap on "Save" in the lower left hand corner. You may have to tap on the "back" arrow to get rid of the keyboard.

Once a particular species has been added, you can tap "+" on the sighting to add an additional bird, if you are doing counts.

Once you have sightings, from the sighting list page, tap on the menu button. You can Upload to ebird.

You can't import local checklists that I have found yet but you can build a template that is only your area so that when you do a search for Cardinal, for example, you don't get all the world's cardinals. You can also remove birds from the current template. There may be a template that you can download somewhere, I haven't checked.

*Happy Birding Journal*



(There are three versions of this; a free one, one for the Fire HD and a standard one. The free one is linked above)

_Pros and cons: free and cheap versions available; fairly easy to use; lets you import checklists; no built-in export to eBird._

This app is pretty easy to use, and I would give it a strong recommendation except that it doesn't have a built-in export to eBird. You can, however, export to a comma-deliminated file which you could then edit to meet eBird's format. Info on eBird's requirements: http://help.ebird.org/customer/portal/articles/973915

I like that you can type partial names in and it starts giving you a list of birds that meet that. You can set the location for a sighting, but it doesn't seem to save it. You have to set it again for the next listing. This is something I'd have to check with the developer to see if I'm missing something, because you should be able to do that.

*Birdseye Log North America*


Last but not least by any means.

_Pros and Cons: expensive ($9.99); this is the gold standard used by most hard-core birders. Con is that it doesn't work with the original Fire or my Fire HD8.9 but does with the Fire 2, according to the list on the product page _

This app is built around being able to upload sightings to eBird. The first thing you have to do is put in your eBird logging information. It's very easy to use. It does require GPS locations being turned on.

You can set a location, in fact you do that right away. You then get a checklist and a search box. You can have the checklist show all birds for your area, likely birds. Type a partial name in the search box to get your options then pick the bird. A sighting will be created with an X in the box. Tap on the X to change it to a number if you are doing counts.

When you're done, click on the green checklist to submit your sightings.

***

Hope this helps.

Betsy


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## Stagewalker (May 19, 2011)

We use iBird Pro on our Android devices and find that it is quite good at logging sightings as well as helping with identification. Thayer has one for the PC that combines identification with logging. You might also see if eBird is available for the Fire. When we purchased iBird, eBird was only available for Apple devices and that may have changed, but we are used to iBird and like it. Happy bird watching! Bob


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Stagewalker,

Good suggestion.  I'll have to take a look at iBird again.  I have to admit I always thought it was kind of awkward to track my bird listings with, so I didn't really consider it.  But it could be because I was used to other pieces of software.  Can you report to eBird with iBird?

eBird did not come up when I did my search for birding apps on the Fire in September, by the way.  I'll check again.

EDIT:  There's an eBird app?  Most of the birders I know use BirdsEye Log, which eBird recommends on their site?

Betsy


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## Stagewalker (May 19, 2011)

Betsy, We have never done more than track our own sightings on iBird, so I don't know if it links to eBird. The only posting we do is if we see something special we post it to the birdbrain list serve. Birdbrain is run by the University of South Florida (Tampa) and is strictly for Florida sightings. Bob


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## Betsy the Quilter (Oct 27, 2008)

Hi, thanks!

Zorrosuncle was specifically looking for apps to help make reports to Cornell. I took that to mean eBird reports--though he hasn't been back to confirm.  Looking at iBird now...thanks for the reminder that you can do logging with it.  EDIT:  I can't find any way to export to eBird.  But thanks for the reminder about logging with it, and reminding me to load it on my new HDX.

I bird in San Diego and Virginia, mostly.  When we used to go to Florida, I wasn't a birder.  

Betsy


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