If I can add a bit more, I second Bob on two points:
1. For small numbers of records, a spreadsheet can work well. It works
especially well if you just want to record your lifers or first Ohio
sightings or similar. If you want to record every sighting for every
trip (and that's what I do), it can get rather cumbersome. You end up
doing an awful lot of typing unless you get sophisticated and start
importing checklists into your spreadsheet(s) and automating some tasks
-- and if you are doing that much work, you might as well buy a
commercial program! But for keeping just some basics, a spreadsheet is
fine.
2. Yes, the main thing is to start! It doesn't matter how, just start.
For example, if you just use a checklist every time you go birding, you
have the basic data about your sightings. You can enter everything on a
checklist into Wildlife Recorder, AviSys, Birder's Diary, or a similar
program in a few minutes. So even if you collect a large pile of
checklists, when you're ready you can enter all the data on the computer
over a weekend.
If you want to keep detailed field notes related to your sightings,
though, I would advise computerizing the process sooner rather than
later. Re-entering pages of handwritten notes can be quite time consuming.
Finally, commercial listing programs do offer some extras that might be
appealing. For example, Wildlife Recorder allows you to enter sightings
on a Palm or Pocket PC in the field and then transfer them to your main
computer. It also has an interface to maps, i.e., you can map your
sightings. (I've not done that, but it sounds neat!) I mentioned in a
previous note that Wildlife Recorder also allows voice entry of
sightings, it can print checklists for any state or country, allows
field notes of more or less unlimited length, and so on. Of course,
programs other than Wildlife Recorder have interesting features, too; I
mention WR because I use it myself and am most familiar with it.
Good luck!
Bill Heck
Bill
Bob Powell wrote:
> Bill Heck's run-down of the available software pretty much jibes with my
> experience. I have used Bird Base and Avisys extensively and prefer the
> latter. I am currently checking out the Woodstar Field Diary, which is a
> free-form data base that offers the promise of much greater
> flexibility than
> AviSys. You can download a crippled test version of Woodstar from
>
> http://www.tody-soft.com/
>
> Another thing you might consider, particularly if you are just
> starting out
> and don't have a great many records to process, is simply collecting your
> records in a spreadsheet. Most spreadsheets these days can handle 64,000
> rows and the next version of MS Office is supposed to be able to handle
> 1,000,000. Keeping your records in a flat file format is dreadfully
> wasteful of memory, but we all have memory to burn these days. The
> spreadsheet metaphor is easy to learn (MUCH easier than relational
> database
> managers) and allow you to slice and dice the data just about anyway you
> want. And you don't even have to enrich Microsoft if you don't want to.
> The OpenOffice project offers a free office suite, including a very good
> spreadsheet, under the open software license at
>
> http://www.openoffice.org/
>
> The main thing, though, is to start keeping records, even if you just
> write
> them down in one of those speckledy composition books we used to use in
> school.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Bob
>
>
>
> On 12/4/06, Stephen Cunliffe <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>>
>> I would like to add a specific request to Phillip's. I have never used
>> software for listing in my very short career as a birder, but am
>> interested
>> in doing so. Coming to an end of my first year, and it would be
>> interesting
>> to tally things up. Any recommendations? I have a Mac, but I think
>> I can
>> run Windows programs on it
>> Many thanks,
>> Stephen
>>
>> On 12/4/06, Phillip North <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>> >
>> > As a relatively new birder and an avid reader of this site, I would
>> like
>> > some ideas/help on bird list documentation.
>> >
>> > I currently am keeping a lifelist and a yr list with bare bones
>> > documentation of name date and place. I have not been in the habit of
>> > doing a list each time I go out. What techniques/software/lists do
>> you
>> > more experienced birders keep and can you point me to some good
>> resources.
>> > My interet was sparked by the kestrel thread as I see Kestrels almost
>> > everytime I go to Pickerington Ponds in SE Columbus. However, I have
>> not
>> > been keeping any longitudinal data and would like to start doing so.
>> >
>> > Thanks Phillip
>> >
>> > ______________________________________________________________________
>> >
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>>
>> ______________________________________________________________________
>>
>> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
>> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
>>
>> You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
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>>
>
>
>
> --
> Robert D Powell
> Wilmington, OH, USA
> [log in to unmask]
>
> Nulla dies sine linea
>
> ______________________________________________________________________
>
> Ohio-birds mailing list, a service of the Ohio Ornithological Society.
> Our thanks to Miami University for hosting this mailing list.
>
> You can join or leave the list, or change your options, at:
> http://listserv.muohio.edu/scripts/wa.exe?LIST=OHIO-BIRDS
> Send questions or comments about the list to: [log in to unmask]
--
*Bill Heck*
University Data Administrator
Email: [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
Phone: (513) 529-5527
______________________________________________________________________
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