Great app

Best app ever!

Great app so far, but I need more detailed instructions getting my eBird text file from Box.net to eBird.
Please advise.

great app so far. Wish there was a way to enter my life list data, like when I saw it, where I was, etc.

Also wish there was some form of push notification that told me when I added a new bird to a trip list!

I downloaded My Bird Observations and have used it in the field for the past 2 days. I like it very much! It really helps me to record the birds I see/hear. No more clipboard for me. Everything I need is on the iPod.

In a future release, would it be possible to add the capability to 'copy' old bird lists and zero out the bird counts? That way, I would not have to re-enter the usual birds I encounter on subsequent visits to the same area.

As a workaround, I can pre-load a list with the birds I know I will encounter on a future trip and clear the counts to 0. From there, it's easy to increment the counts. But copying old lists to make a new one would eliminate the need for this workaround.

Also, would it be possible to provide more discreet filtering? For example, instead of North America, how about providing regional lists (e.g., East vs. West and North vs. South).

Just received the update. Using the taxonomic list, it includes just too many species that are not relevant to Illinois, or even the US, despite my filtering for North America. Many Caribbean and Latin American species are included. The alpha list would be my preferred means of data entry, but would it be possible to have a search box that displays matching entries? For example, type "jay" and immediately display list of jay species within my filtered area, or "blue" and get every bird with blue in its name, which would quickly be narrowed by typing a space and "j" to produce Blue Jay. Sibley application (and I am sure others) use such an intuitive search feature. Also, how do I move the file to eBird after I upload it to my Box.net account? I just uploaded a record, see it in Box.net, but do not see it in eBird. Am I missing a step? I have confidence that you are on a track of continuous improvement, and will stick with you. Thanks for listening to users.

I like this app however after the first update it has not worked for me. I have made several updates since but it still doesn't work.

Great App! Congratulations. I started using it a couple of versions ago, and the changes have all been very positive, especially the filtering and the ability to select alphabetical vs taxonomic list order! I guess I don't understand box.net and wouldn't use it because it is not free. However, I would love to see a more direct connection to ebird. Also is there any way to incorporate GPS in the future? Again, great App. I give it 4 stars!!

Hey

Like the app. Nice use of logic alphabetical groups. Like the use of the filters and the ability to create sub lists. Obviously a GPS location alongside the spotting would be useful; perhaps a photo space too? But what would be most useful of all is the ability to inport an existing list. Certainly being able to import a list that's the same as the upload/export list would be a great saver and the logical approach.

Anyway... some first impressions and requests. Great work.

Please use a real email address when you leave a comment. Otherwise, I can't respond. Gina

I share the same problem as Jeff Gerlach - nice app but it hasn't worked for me since the first upgrade despite several new tries....any ideas?

Looks very useful, but in addition to the recommendations of others here I would appreciate an option to display scientific names along with common names. Also a choice of fonts would be nice!

Gina,

Thank you for your fantastic bird counting App! The update with the search is great! I've been using it for about two months and finally posted a review on the iTunes App store. Here's a synopsis of what I said there (with some extra info for you)

I love this App, it really provides one of the fullest set of tools for field listing, other than paper, that I have found!

I tried using it last month for the Audubon Christmas Bird Count, and while it is a bit cumbersome for that freezing cold, "running and gunning," group tally day, it has worked nicely for less hurried counting, or adding older trip lists…The slowness for the Audubon CBC day is because we have about 50+ species that we are tallying, and I am scrolling with cold fingers on an iPhone :(>

Only a few minor quibbles I could find "wrong" with it while adding 60+ count lists and 300+ species in the last two months:
1) It would be nice to show scientific names in the LifeList details.
2) It would be great if it added the total bird count (all species) for each list under the list's details or Info tab.
3) Appears to have a memory leak if adding or tweaking a lot of data while in the LifeList…(Ok, only 3 freezes/crashes in 60 days and 65 lists, but no lost data, and I haven't been able to rule out other apps taking memory in multitasking.)

Overall, the best birding Life List tool I have…(this has almost replaced my Excel world list of birds!)

Please add Pacific wren. The split gave me a new lifer.

I just downloaded the 3-17-2011 update and I love the species count totals added to the lists. That, along with the quick add features from the previous update makes it easy to use now for days like the Audubon Christmas Bird Counts. The quick search feature makes it almost unnecessary to create a template for my usual birding areas - neat!

Also, fantastic job on the addition of species names to the Life Lists, good to know that that Kiwi was the 'Apteryx australis' without having to resort to the database.
I really like the way you handled the species updates/name changes/ etc. I only had 6 to deal with, but the bright pink header and options to change my lists to match the Clements (etc) updates was really straightforward. Memory and stability of the App are good too - no crashes.

I love this App, it really provides one of the fullest set of tools for field listing, other than paper, that I have found!

Backing up the database file is fairly easy and straightforward through iTunes/Apps, and/or emails of lists.
Overall, the best birding Life List tool I have, outside of my not-so-portable Excel spreadsheet!

btw - One of my birding friends even told me after seeing My Bird Observations and iBird on my iPhone that they might go buy an iPhone or iPod Touch just for these two apps!

I'm really starting to like this app. A few things I recommend:
1 - A User Guide on your website I can look at or ability to download a PDF file. The online help is difficult to read on an iPhone.

2 - When saving a new sighting and I'm in a family so the species are showing, I would like an option to just toggle on the specie to indicate I have seen it. I usually don't want to add a note and the Speed Save option takes me all the way back to the species I've seen for this list. I want to save, not enter a note and stay within the family.

3 - When I have selected a family and the list of species is on the screen I would like to see a 'Next Family' button on the left side of the gray bar at the bottom where set filters and turn filters off buttons are. I usually just want to go to the next family when I'm done with the one I'm on.

4 - I usually bird in Michigan. Every time I create a new list I need to scroll through all the states to get to Michigan and then scroll through all the counties to get to my home county. These should either default from the last list I created or I should have the ability to create preferences or defaults.

Thanks,
Tom

I have been using Birdstack since it started, which is how I learned about your iphone application. Have downloaded the paid version, but cannot import anything yet, despite an icon listing eBird and Birdstack as places to import lists from. Hope this is coming soon? Have yet to try Boxnet.
Also, the default for country location is USA, and I have to scroll for what seems like long minutes just to get to A for Australia for a new location. Can't the scroll-device go backward? not all birdos live in the US or UK.
Any plans for mapping/GPS?
That said, it is pretty nifty. Will give it a proper workout this weekend. It will give BirdsightAU a run for its money I suspect. Good luck.

Hi Gina -

I like (and have been recommending) your app, particularly for its ease and rapidity of use. I have used it particularly on my annual trips to Malaysia, so its world-list function is much appreciated. However, I do have a few comments:

1. BADLY NEEDED is the ability to record species by category if they cannot be identified. This is most noticeable in Malaysia with the swiftlets. Most of these birds today are hybrids resulting from farming operations and cannot be specifically identified. I am reduced to calling them all "Edible-nest Swiftlets" just to be able to record them, but I would much prefer an option allowing me to record them as "swiftlet sp." (perhaps this could be placed on the page that allows you to record details of sightings.

2. There are, as I am sure you are aware, errors in the distribution listings, a particular problem with missing entries. I can get around these by turning off filters, but it would be nice to have the option to add such species to the distribution list I am using so I would not have to do this every time. You might also want to consider a feedback feature that would automatically record all such changes and email them to you for checking and, if you agree, addition to future versions.

3. In a few cases the wrong species is recorded (eg Western rather than Eastern Great Egret) for New Zealand. An ability to correct this or modify the species recorded on the fly (also useful in case of a split) would be helpful.

4. You might want to take a leaf from Birdwatcher's Diary and allow the option of counting birds by sex, age etc.

5. I appreciate the upload options to ebird and birdstack. Hoewver, Malaysian birders use a different system, bird iwitness, developed by Birdlife International and used in a number of countries (http://www.worldbirds.org/v3/malaysia.php and http://www.worldbirds.org/mapportal/worldmap.php). I am sure that you would have many active Malaysian birders who would definitely use your app if they could upload directly to iwitness (in fact I talked about your app at a recent Malaysian Nature Society meeting and this precise point was raised). I hope you will consider this.

Regards,

Ron Orenstein

Further to the above - one more thing! It would be nice to be able to save/export/display trip lists (for example, an ability to filter the life list by a date range or a locality/country, so I could see which birds I saw in West Malaysia in April-May 2011 (say) and export that as a trip or locality list.

Thanks - Ron

Hi Gina,
Love the App. Read your evolution page as well and like your humour!
There are some new birds out there from IOC, How do we get these into the database (Western Grasswren)etc? I can supply you with a list if you like?
Also, Barbary Dove - Streptopelia risoria is not in any list other than Australia.. How do we get this in?
Other than that - great! oh and it takes for ever to get from US to Australia for the country field on the wheel. Can we set a user specified default option??
I like the Eremaea option as well.
Cheers
Steve

I have successfully used the old version for over a year. I have an I touch and love the ability to record my sightings using this app. I have been able to make my own templates which really helps. When noting counts for the CBC (Christmas Bird Count) and the count in the spring, I was able to create a template from previous year's observations. In the field I could add additional species that happened to show up that day. I then uploaded my lists to the Cornell site, Ebird. It has been great. I was even able to use it in my first trip abroad in France this summer.

Recently I uploaded the new 3.6 version and am not able to import my old lists or upload any new lists. The new search feature is great but I would gladly turn it in for the old version due to the inability to import old data and upload my new lists.

Very useful app. Thanks! A couple of suggestions:

(1) I use the Android version and want to upload my lists to eBird. I don't find emailing the list somewhere very useful. Instead I browse to the eBird import tool and upload my list there. However, to export my list to the sd card, I have to first choose "Upload" in the menu, then tap "send email", then choose my email client, then hit the back-button several times to get back to MBO. That seems to be the only way to write out the list to the SD card. A very cumbersome way IMHO. Shouldn't there be an Export item in the menu that performs this task directly?

(2) The application does not make good use of the "Back" button available on most Android phones, which makes the application very clunky to use. It appears that the app was simply ported from the iPhone but not well-adapted to the Android environment. Navigating between pages is very different than in most other Android apps which makes the app difficult to use. Often, instead of using the back button, I have to find a button that says "Cancel", or even worse, go into the menu to find menu item like "Done" or "Cancel". I think you need to play with and Android phone and get a feel for how other apps operate. I can send specific examples if you want.

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I too am trying to use this app on an Android platform and fully endorse the comments above. The inconsistent use of the Android back button is particularly irritating, as also is the inability to customise date and time display. Not everyone uses the illogical US system. The import/export methods seem flawed and I have been unable to make them work so far. I have been unable to work out any other method of initialising my life list to it's present status other than entering the individual trip lists of the last 15 years. The app could do with a Life List maintainance menu that includes a direct entry method.

Have said all that, I do like the app and consider it the best Android Bird Lister I've used so far, particularly if a few simple mods can be made, but please resist the temptation to add GPS, mapping, bird descriptions etc unless they can be turned off. The beauty of the app is it's simplicity, speed and independence from potentially slow or unavailable network services.

Hi,

Thanks for adding haptic feedback in version 3.7. I't not working great on my Samsung Galaxy S II however. The vibration

(1) is delayed by a few tenths of a second, which makes the feature more irritating than useful

(2) is too strong (in other apps it is much more subtle)

(3) should be optional (i.e. please add an option to turn this feature on or off)

Thanks, and keep up the good work!

Andreas

The search on the "Copy Birds" page could be improved. It seems that the search string has to match the beginning of the name to produce a match. So, for example a search for "Winter" does not find a list named "Toronto Winter". I have to search for "Toronto" to find that list. Not a big deal, but I imagine it wouldn't be difficult to correct the search algorithm to fix this little annoyance.

One more... :-)

Please consider adding a "-1" button in addition to the "+1", "+5", "+10" and "+100" buttons. It happens quite often that I accidentally add to many birds, and to recover I have to clear and then add the numbers up again. It would be simpler to be able to subtract.