Birdwatcher`s Diary

HIGHLIGHTS

The Birdwatcher`s Diary is now available for $12.99 for both iPhone and iPad owners.The application is designed for use in English language. It weighs in at only 0.9 MB to download. The new Birdwatcher`s Diary app version 5.0.2 has been updated on 2014-11-18. The Apple Store includes a very useful feature that will check if your device and iOS version are both compatible with the app. Most iPhone and iPad are compatible. Here is the app`s compatibility information: Compatible with iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. Requires iOS 3.0 or later
Bottom Line: For more information about Birdwatcher`s Diary check developer Stevens Creek Software`s website : http://www.stevenscreek.com/birdwatchersdiary.htm

have used Birdwatcher s diary for several years in the USA Mexico and South America It is a wonderful program that greatly enhances the enjoyment of birding It is easy to use in the field and at home in collating data It provides a useful format for historical records whether for personal use or for uploading to eBird The Stevens Creek Software team is highly responsive to inquiries and in providing app updates when necessary                     Useful in many ways Raklak

I own several bird listing software Apps for iOS but Birdwatcher s Diary remains my top choice I don t even bother with the other programs any more I rely on it for recording observations nearly every day and submitting them to eBird I really like the fact that Birdwatcher s Diary grabs very exact Lat Long coordinates for each species sighting I m using a Bluetooth GPS linked to my iPod This is probably my favorite feature after a birding trip it s great to be able to instantly bring up a map of the area showing exactly where I ve seen each bird I also like the ability to easily switch Master Checklists for out of state trips and the ability to customize my Checklists to include eBird Spuhs i e Empidonax sp etc The Birdwatcher s Diary interface allows for quick entry and works great Because the program is so flexible and complex it takes a bit more study to fully master than some of the other Apps out there However nothing else can match it s feature set which makes the effort well worthwhile Plus the support from Stevens Creek is top notch they ve consistently improved the eBird upload interface which is vital to me and other features of the program After nearly three years of daily use Birdwatcher s Diary continues to be the most utilized App on my iPod I can t image going birding without it                     The Best Bird Listing Program for iOS Catnip Gardens

I have tried a number of birding apps including the new eBird app and this is by far the best I love the flexibility that it allows I have total control over my data I can create my own locations and record unique lat long down to 100 foot intervals and export it to multiple formats including eBird A few hiccups in eBird uploads when eBird makes changes but a big thanks to the developers for quickly adapting to these changes                     Great App for Data Collectors Listers Featherjunkie

This app crams a lot of features into a non intuitive and convoluted interface and for a steep price It s stunning how this app forces the user to conform to its needs rather then addressing yours I m in my early 40 s a fast learner with technology and have a background in biology ornithology This app defeated me even after time investment As an example even searching for a bird is difficult the user cannot just type the common name or any part of it as in the Sibley guide Instead you must first choose a type of search then if searching by common name type either first or last name It turns out that the entire phrase Pygmy owl is a last name who knew If you search for owl pygmy owl won t appear in the results only owls with non hyphenated names Any search that doesn t hyphenate or not hyphenate exactly right leads to failure If you forget that northern is part of the name for northern pygmy owl or try to type pygmy as the first name it will loudly QUACK to point out your error The app punishes you if you don t conform to the its rigid requirements after all those QUACK noises I wanted to throw my iPhone into the nearest creek Why not one simple search box where you enter any part of the name banding code etc and let the user pick from search results And the menus for saving retrieving or uploading lists are worse The app presents a Rube Goldberg ian array of options that can t be understood without exhaustive study of a manual Try to save a bird list assign it a location or start a new list and you ll be stymied or hounded by the app s annoying error quacks because you haven t met its demands but without providing a straightforward solution I ve already lost one bird list completely still can t change locations or dates and accidentally deleted Savannah Sparrow from the available options for all my lists If you truly want an app that feels like 1990s technology it would be easier to learn MSDOS figure out how to run it on your smart phone then use it to write your own bird list app For those who miss DOS commands this app s demand for rigid syntax it s use of non intuitive jargon and its multi step operations to accomplish seemingly simple tasks will fill you with nostalgia I really tried But if the developers feel like I should have studied the manual further I disagree I m not someone who gives up easily but the whole point of apps like iPhones is to make things relatively easy for the user to learn I feel bad about leaving a negative review I truly wish the developers the best and I share their love of birds But I feel I must warn people about this app         NOT USER FRIENDLY FRUSTRATING ZD-CA

Birdwatcher s Diary is a straightforward tool that can be used in the field or at the conclusion of a day in the field if like me you use some other device to note species observed during the day And this reviewer appreciates the fact that unlike so many other apps it can be used with devices that cannot be updated to the most recent OS as of this writing it is apparently backward comaptible to OS 5 and it works splendidly and with full finctionality on my iPod Touch 4G OS 6                     well designed intuitive tool GaryD_H

I have used the software for several years for professional and recreational activities and like the fact that I can record the lat long location for each observation with some limitations Great for eBird submittals The current version 6 1 3 seems to work fine on iPhone 6 4 7 in and iOS 8 0 as of Sept 21 2014                     Biologist Mike E from San Diego

I am a serious birder and a computer programmer I tried this app for two solid days Brought me to my knees in frustration Authors need to hire a couple of beta tester birdwatchers and video them trying to use it Its very very easy to lose your entries I deleted this app     Complicated and too easy to lose entries SusanPR

Very well designed for serious birders Easy to use in the field uses iPhone GPS to automatdocument location                     Great app for serious birders excellent support warbler87

This app is a game changer No more need for a notepad to keep track of species and numbers seen The app also records the time and GPS info for your sightings At the end of the day you can upload your info directly to Ebird or send your list by email                     Outstanding app for birders Sharkhaywood

I try to keep lists of the birds I see and submit them to ebird but find that if I manage to keep the list I get lazy when it s time to do the data entry This app takes care of both I can easily keep a list in the field or the backyard and with just a couple of clicks submit it to ebird with no data entry needed I ve actually submitted more lists in the last two months than in all the time since ebird came out It s a wonderful product and several friends have been impressed with mine and gotten it for themselves Update for 5 0 1 The new features are GREAT You can download lists directly from their servers instantly adding them to your app Now you can also upload directly to ebird instead of email and then uploading This is so much faster and easier and allows you to upload lists while in the field Nice Another neat thing is uploading sightings and maps to Facebook Want to share your great sighting NO problem I still use this app nearly every day and it just keeps getting better and better Kudos to Steven s Creek Software This is a fantastic app Updating again This app still rocks and Stevens Creek Software is great They listen to their users and make corrections and add improvements quickly It just keeps getting better and better and the customer service couldn t be better                     Love it LStacey

Updated review I ve been using this app for 3 years now and I wouldn t even consider using another bird listing app My paper notebook is entirely gone Spot a bird tap it on the list enter the number and you re done Exact time and GPS coordinates are automatically recorded It has a myriad of options to customize your experience and speed data entry It also includes very rich query and reporting features and now supports direct upload to eBird from within the app One word of warning it does take a llittle bit of practice to do the initial setup and get the hang of the UI Absolutely spend an hour to read the user guide on line watch the tutorials and try it for a few trial runs to get the settings right and get the hang of it If you don t do this you ll delete the app in frustration the first time you try to use it But once you re up and going you ll never go back One last note customer support is very responsive can t say the same for some competing apps Problems or suggestions are promptly addressed and that s worth a lot                     Best birding list out there Starduster123

I read all the reviews before purchasing this app and was concerned because some users had reported the app as being difficult to learn Our daughter bought BirdLog and was less than pleased because she reported it to be buggy and I therefore preferred to select an alternative app that works even if it was going to be difficult to master If you are at all comfortable with use of spreadsheets or other simple data entry utilities you will find this app very intuitive and easy to use I spent an hour playing with the app while flipping through the excellent manual and mastered it to the point that I easily recorded all my sightings out on my dog walk this morning I subsequently exported an eBird list to myself and imported the file as a comma delimited file and ended up with a nice list The many different free lists of birds also are easy to import from within the app slick Bottom line I couldn t be happier and recommend this app to all bird listers                     A great tool for recording your sightings quick and easily ApUser91301

I consider myself relatively tech savy I m a GIS specialist in my job but this requires several hours of time investment to get it to function As far as I can tell it really doesn t do anything that BirdLog doesn t do Requires a lot of time and effort to even import a state list The manual is 58 pages long and is rambling and poorly organized I do not need to be told about how great a feature is while trying to explain it I need a simple step by step tutorial with superfluous junk left out of that process The video does not even show how to import your lists and the initial implication is the lists show up by default once you create a location I finally managed to import a state list by trial and error and by then I was so disenchanted with the whole process I deleted the app from my iPhone     Ridiculously complicated for something that should be simple xtrablu

Could not get data to upload to ebird     Almost TCubedT

I can see that this app has a huge amount of functionality and for tech savvy birders with a large amount of time on their hands enough time to literally read a dense 60 page user manual this could be just the thing you are looking for I do not have that kind of time and I don t know many people who do For this reason I wouldn t recommend this app to birders I know and don t think I ve gotten any value for my purchase other than satisfying my curiosity about what I was missing For my personal uses and I think the uses of the vast majority of birders BirdsEye BirdLog serves the critical needs and is much much simpler I have also noted a great deal more errors in BD submissions to eBird since there is no presubmission notification of flagged bird sightings         Impressive but impenetrable evilempid

I ve been using this product for over a year now Even though there s a bit of a learning curve it s well worth the effort really folks just read the documentation I ve used Birdwatcher s Diary on Christmas Bird Counts and other field surveys and it s worked great as a compiler for one CBC and co compiler for a second I m very particular about keeping lists accurately Now that the latest release directly uploads my lists to eBird from my iPhone it s just indispensable I tested it with two lists today one that I created yesterday while in the field and one that I created back in June and archived but forgot to upload Both were uploaded quickly from my iPhone and within a minute or so I was able to see the results in the My eBird area of eBird from my laptop computer Birdwatcher s Diary is a wonderful app and I highly recommend it                     Excellent tool S.Kelly-

I ve been using Birdwatcher s Diary BD for about a year now and loved it from the start I ve also been an ebirder since its inception Initially it was a pain going through the download save upload to ebird routine It was still easier that transcribing from my Rite in the Rain BirdLog offered a listing app that allowed direct upload to ebird so I paid the exorbitant for the app and used it for about a week BirdLog wasn t bad but it was just a little more cumbersome I really missed BD s quick tap system to get the info That I wanted to enter quickly so I went back to using BD just because it was easier to use in the field and there is always more time back home to do the ebird entries Now with BD version 5 0 1 I can input data to ebird directly from BD even in the field if I have cell or wi fi coverage I also us the North American Butterflies list that come with the app I can t wait till you put out a mammals list so I don t have to do it myself Yeah I m a little lazy Thank you so much Stevens Creek Software You guys rock                 50 Years Of Birding Kayakd8

I have used this for over a year and still find it frustrating Stevens Creek is a good organization and they really try The main problem is that it is just too distracting to use in the field Plus you can t upload directly to eBird I recently switched to BirdLog and it has been a great relief BirdLog does not have as many features but it works Until I switched to BirdLog I was just recording my observations on a small digital voice recorder and than using BD to tally my observations at home and then uploading to eBird Since switching to BL I have been tallying directly into the iPhone using the voice recorder as a backup and or when the observations were coming fast and furious With BL you can upload to eBird from the field You cannot do this with BD With BirdLog you can have more than one list going at the same time not the single daily archive of BD which is very confusing If you are making lists in the field you should really be uploading to eBird It makes you part of the eyes and ears of the planet BL really make uploading to eBird quick and easy I hope this helps             Birdwatchers Diary vs BirdLog Dr Veggie

I really like this app I m impressed with how well thought out and powerful it is The main idea behind this app is to help you enter your records quickly so that you have more time to bird and they have done a great job achieving that goal I keep all my official birding records in eBird and I really appreciate that they have worked hard to fully support interfacing with my eBird records I was able to import all of my historical eBird records into the app And now I am using the app all the time whenever I create new records and I have exported the new records out of the app and into eBird Once you learn how to do all this it is quite easy I will say that you should be prepared to spend time learning this app but that is not because poorly designed It is more just because the app is powerful and it can do a lot There are a few different screens and you need to kind of learn how these screens work how to create new lists add to them change the location when you move to a different birding area how to clear all the records on the screen after you ve saved them to an archive how to recall an old list of birds etc I don t think there is any way they could have made all of this immediately super easy or totally intuitive The user manual is long very well written and detailed I recommend planning to spend time reading it I printed it out all 57 pages and now they ve updated it for the new release so it may even be a little longer Now that I ve read the manual and learned how to use the app I m very happy with it but it did take a little time to really get fluent with the app if you don t care about using eBird it would be easier for you The reward of putting in the time to learn the app is being able to keep bird lists very quickly Also if you take time to learn this app it will make it MUCH easier to keep records for a big day of birding at say 6 different locations Birdwatchers Diary keeps track of all the different locations for you and you can export it all to eBird as a single file and the file gets automatically separated out in eBird into lists for each different location I will definitely use this app for Christmas Counts I m glad to see that Stevens Creek is actively working to improve and support the application When I sent in a couple questions about managing the exporting of records to eBird I received very prompt and articulate support Finally it is great that they are able to give a portion of the cost of the app to support local bird conservation education and research When you consider that plus how well designed and powerful tha app is it s an unbelievable bargain                     Excellent application eBirder

Big improvement Butt dialing almost completely eliminated I like the fact that I don t have to use a keyboard while in the field and scrolling tapping takes exactly the same time as scribbling abbreviations in my note book Final eBird upload from home PC probably makes for MORE accurate reports Five stars if the manual weren t so dense Still definitely worth the                 May 12 upgrade Monk61

I have not been able to use all the options this little app has but I have found it easy to use and now that I am able to sort by taxonomic order it is easier to use with my other birding apps programs and books Great work and keep it up                 Thanks for the taxonomic sort Yodeler52

Have used the app for 2 weeks and like not needing to carry pen and paper in the field Data entry is easy I submit to Ebird and keep numbers which is very easy Emailing myself the day s list in Ebird format makes Ebird data entry from my desktop a cinch                 Birdwatcher s Diary OCBirder

Horrible app Should not have to refer to a website for guidance Apps are to make life easier When birding there should be a joy to record sightings not frustrations Other programs are much better Refund     Waste of Time Energy and Money BJJ4LFE

This app has the least intuitive interface of anything I ve seen on an iPhone The first time I used it I tried reading the endless online manual but still wound up losing 300 entries multiple times After spending more time hours studying the immense manual I realized that everything revolves around one archive per day If you mark all the birds you ve seen in the US archive then switch to a list of Costa Rican species archive again you will lose all of your US entries You need to manually trick the app into thinking its a different day when entering the Costa Rica birds Again not intuitive Three stars since it allows you to track sightings on an iPhone instead of a PC             Takes a while to grasp somewhat tedious Rokuser

Downloaded this app hoping that it would be work the cost I have found to be worth every penny its fully featured with excellant manual to explain how to use all of the features Simple enough for a backyard birder to use but has all the features that a dedicated birder needs I read reviews stating that ebird was not well supported but that has been taken care of and it now sends info directly to ebird I have been able to add new lists from the developers site to my iPhone as well as creating a bird list for my home state The developer is very responsive and plans to continue his support and development                     Enjoying this bird app works just as described Fulinn

An updated review The application continues to improve on an already great product The developers respond quickly to questions and suggestions If you have any interest in recording observations in the field electronically Birdwatcher s Diary is worth a careful look Records can be exported via email or iTunes file sharing in several formats including for submission to eBird                     Outstanding Vagabond800

I gave this app a try after hearing about it in the American Birding Association newsletter Winging It The app allows the user to record a bird sighting with a tap on the iPhone I tried to use the app shortly after I bought it without reading the online manual and had some trouble figuring out how to use it After reading through the online manual and using the app for a while there was still a bit of a learning curve but it didn t take too long to figure out how to use it I found the app worked as advertised I could record sightings and the app would automatically keep track of the location and totals I loaded a couple of custom bird lists via iTunes I output some of my sightings to my iMac using both iTunes and email and I uploaded some sets of sightings to eBird and to my own database I think that I will still want to record bird sightings the old fashioned way with a notebook and pencil much of the time but this app will have its uses I don t always have a notebook and pencil or a watch or map when I see a bird I want to record but I often do have my iPhone                 Does the job but takes a bit of practice to learn how to use Weatherbird

Used this app for the first time during spring migration and absolutely loved it This is the first year I m keeping a year list and Diary was invaluable Overall once you learn how to use it and there is a bit of a learning curve so be sure to read the manual on their website it is a great app for any listing birder I can t imagine birding without it                     Great App for Any Lister evenlake

I tried the app out birding in Ohio this weekend Saw 96 species was able to make entries in seconds faster than my friends using paper checklists The app stores data by day There is an option to merge lists for several days even allowing you to make a trip list so to speak I emailed the list to myself no problem Read the manual first I found the interface confusing initially but the manual walks you right through After testing this app in the field I m very satisfied with it and would recommend it to any birder                     Fantastic app Donkeydawny

Updated review Fantastic support and an excellent app The latest version fixed being thrown out of the app and now it works smoothly I highly recommend this app Note when you get it read the manual first I used this app to record species seen while on 3 CBCs this season and it worked flawlessly Even more impressive was when I used my checklists to upload my sightings to eBird What used to take hours was finished in just a few minutes Recording the birds in the field real time with this app is no more challenging than using a notepad I recommend this app to any birder looking for a way to record your sightings in a very useful manner                     The new version fixed the few crashes that I was experiencing Laurie Foss

Birders have spreadsheets and database programs to keep track of their life lists state lists county lists country lists and yard lists What they haven t had is a means to easily record the ID time precise location and other info regarding their bird sightings in realtime in the field Birdwatcher s Diary fills that space admirably Support for BD is responsive and friendly They have fixed every bug I have reported added features I ve asked for and made the app faster Better yet half the proceeds from the sale of BD is donated to the conservation research and education work of wild bird organizations Do yourself and the birds a favor Buy this app                     Ten Bucks Well Spent dmbraddy

I recommend this app for any birder who wants to keep track of and record their sightings I ve been using this app since the beginning of the summer 2010 and I really like it There is a short learning curve but if I had read the manual first rather than recording bird sightings for a while I would have had no issues in the beginning There s so many good features in this app I ll try to point a few out that I particularly like First of all if you don t have wi fi or cell service where you are birding you can keep your sightings on your device until you do That may seem like a no brainer but the other app I used first did not have this feature I love the NONE location you can set up locations but there is a NONE location that you can use any time you see a bird anywhere I m always birding so I may see something when I m driving looking out the window etc so there is an easy way to record that sighting without having to set up a location first You have several options as far as recording where you see a bird You can record all the birds at one location park field trip etc at one gps coordinate or you can record each one exactly where you saw it You can also not record gps coordinates and or find that location on a map Getting your sightings off your device is also easy just email them to yourself or transfer when you are syncing Couldn t be easier You can send your sightings in ebird format google maps format and custom format or all 3 if you wish It s so excellent to get a google map showing all your sightings I had attempted doing this sort of thing before this app was available and I spent hours and hours doing it I went to Arizona in August on a birding trip and downloaded the Arizona bird list to my iphone Voila I had all the birds I needed to tick off When I got back to California I switched to the California list There are other lists available and apparently one can easily create a list in txt format and load it into your device This is a great app and I will definitely continue using it and recommend it to other birders who want to keep up with their sightings                     Excellent idbirds