How do you keep your lifelist, and what is included? (2 Viewers)

[Mysticete]

Recent threads have made me curious. I know people use a bunch of different systems, from special software to homemade excel lists to physical paper. I also am not sure what exactly is put in by different folks. For me, I assume the bare minimum is a bird name, date seen, and location. I would assume everyone records this basic information, but I am not sure how much more detailed information people use.

For me, I have custom excel spreadsheets, separate files for birds, mammals, and herps. For birds I use IOC for species level taxonomy, and the Mammal Diversity List for Mammals. I don't think there is a good updated global list for herps, so its basically down to regional checklists and books, double-checked with wikipedia and the like.

Within the excel files, I use different tabs for my main list, non-countable exotics, heard only, and future potential splits, as well as some extra sheets for taxonomic notes I might need to refer to.

For each species in the list, it's arranged using my own custom taxonomic order, and includes the common name, scientific name, order, family, and where relevant subfamily and tribe. I use a color-coding system of alternating "cool" and "warm" colors to indicate changes in family and lower.

I include the site where first seen and the date of observation, and I also have a section that I mark on what continent or regional listing area I have seen it (ABA, North America, Europe, etc). Introduced species, provisional introduced species, and critters I saw before I officially became a birder are highlighted using different font types (Italic, bold, etc).

This system slowly evolved over the last decade, rather than being in place all at once. Anyway this is probably way way more detailed and elaborate than some people's list but it works for me. I'd be curious if people have specific systems they use, or if the lifelist is just an afterthought. Or I am just insane and a weirdo...

 

[Lisa W]

or if the lifelist is just an afterthought.

Mine is more of an afterthought. I tick marked in the back of my first guide, but then lost that. I used Bird Journal, I think?, but then it failed to keep up with IOS and stopped working. I looked at E-bird to replace it, but that seemed really cumbersome to put in the old ones. I do have them (that I can remember) on a notepad on my iPad. I really want to start up, but the laziness seems to keep me from doing it.

 

[Owene]

Igoterra for everything but also bubo for birds.

 

[Trilogy82]

I'm using Ebird.

I know from experience that I have the type of personality where I convince myself the OP's approach is the one for me. I go at it wholeheartedly for a few weeks or months but ultimately my commitment wanes. I've done this numerous times with different interests!

I find Ebird easier however since at lot of the info (time, date, location etc) is automatically recorded since it is app based. It cuts down on the admin/data input and for me, makes it more likely I will keep up with it.

In find the website is also very useful for review purposes, since other birders lists are available to view.

 

[foresttwitcher]

Self-made spreadsheet of both world total and by nation (and some islands / island groups) and including 'distinctive' sub-species.

 

[LittleBitOfBreadNoCheese]

I had mine as ticks in a copy of Howard and Moore, reasoning that I was unlikely to lose it that way. Then I accidentally threw it away during a house move. The closest I have now is a European list in an older guide book. I still think this is better than a computer file or somewhere online.

 

[raymie]

I just keep mine in a Google Doc, in taxonomic order. Most other people I know keep theirs in eBird, but I prefer not to do that, as I don't personally count heard only birds, but these obviously need to make it onto an eBird checklist for data accuracy.

 

[vergan]

I kept it by marks in my guide before internet (and still a kid). then I move to an excel, quickly ignored. For the last 2 years I have started to use eBird, so it does all the job in order to keep list for whatever (region, country, local patch and so on).
It is a pity it does not accept other wildlife, but I understand the project and the need of focus the resources on birds.

 

[Lerxst]

Initially ticking boxes in my Peterson guide, 30 years ago.

Then a list in a loose-leaf notebook. Then a spreadsheet. Then using eBird starting some 10 years ago. Others have tried to sell me on different approaches but I've not found anything better and have zero complaints about what eBird provides. My lifelist is definitely not an afterthought, and this approach provides the exact level of detail that I want, as well as having a repository for my photo and audio media, integrated with my sightings. Why turn down unlimited storage from CLO?

I have come to regret not keeping lists of mammals and herps, though it now seems a bit late to start. If I was doing so obviously I'd have to add another method.

 

[Farnboro John]

My world bird list is in a copy of MG Wells World Bird Species Checklist, much annotated and splits that matter to me with extra boxes. British List on a Word copy of the BOURC list amended to include their mistakes according to the JNDRC.

World Mammal List is in a copy of Duff and Lawson, also somewhat annotated now. British Mammal List in my own Word document and European List counted up against the field guide occasionally.

Both book lists include lists of photo ticks.

John

 

[Mysticete]

I just keep mine in a Google Doc, in taxonomic order. Most other people I know keep theirs in eBird, but I prefer not to do that, as I don't personally count heard only birds, but these obviously need to make it onto an eBird checklist for data accuracy.

Not to mention that it forces you to be beholden toClements for listing purposes, and if you prefer other taxonomies (IOC), you are out of luck.

 

[raymie]

Not to mention that it forces you to be beholden toClements for listing purposes, and if you prefer other taxonomies (IOC), you are out of luck.

I use Clement's anyway, as even not using eBird I do like the integration (integration with iNaturalist is great, too). The common names I use are not consistent with eBird though - I have birds like "Gray Jay" and "American White Ibis".

 

[Jeff Hopkins]

I keep my "official" lists in spreadsheets. I have transferred much of the info to eBird, but their recent change to eliminate some birds that they consider escapes (versus natural vagrants), means they are never the same as my lists anymore.

 

[lgonz1008]

Excel for bird life and state list.

eBird for everything bird related.

Scythebill for bird life, state and county list, plus mammal list (if you have a better way to keep track of mammals like eBird, I'd greatly appreciate it)

 

[raymie]

I keep my "official" lists in spreadsheets. I have transferred much of the info to eBird, but their recent change to eliminate some birds that they consider escapes (versus natural vagrants), means they are never the same as my lists anymore.

Yes, forgot about that, too - I am currently counting one species that's an escapee according to eBird but is very clearly established (Red Junglefowl of the Tampa population).

 

[Jon.Bryant]

I previously kept a simple Excel list, based on a full IOC list with a column for each year and a few cells color to indicate something about the bird (UK [home country], oversees, new). I quite liked it as you could easily see how often (or how long ago) I had seen a bird at a glance. I could see what i was missing, and I could also see my UK and overseas year list totals - sometimes a bit depressing, but also sometimes a spur to get out and about. The problem was it was a pain in the backside to keep updated (especially when IOC were updating more than twice a year). The more species I saw the bigger the problem seemed to become.

The real pain was that I also tried to link this to a MS Word yearly diary - with entries for Species, Country, Sightings (e.g. XXX many birds seen at YYY on the [Date], or even '2nd year XXX seen migrating south over YYY on the [Date]. I would even try to summarise count and date info, so I would know the total number of Spoon-billed Sandpipers I have ever seen, the highest count of Common Pochard I had ever recorded, or the earliest date I had seen Common Redstart in the UK.

Perhaps a bit OTT, and of course upkeep became unmanageable. However, It would be nice if Ebird (or the BTO's BirdTrack and similar) had export functions to pump out records in a MS Word (or perhaps RTF) and MS Excel format that could then be tinkered with to produce both tailored lists and reports.

I know that Surrey Ornithological Society download data from BirdTrack, but it would also save a lot of time, if you could set criteria for this (say 5 earliest sightings of a migrant, top 5 high counts, etc. etc.), then dump this to MS Word for editing into a report. I don't think EBird or BirdTrack are this versatile, but I am not an expert on either package.

A long time ago when my system became unmanageable, I started writing my own database programme to do the work, but I wanted the database to also export to Ebird and BirdTrack. As these use different taxonomies, I have found structuring the database, keeping abreast of taxonomic, and updating the base species list too time consuming, so progress on functionality has impacted. I also want the software to be able to keep pin point location information, so for instance I could map out changes in location of singing Dartford Warblers on my local heath over time. I am probably considered too much functionality, but I have no idea how coders for other diary software programmes manage to keep up - roll on the output of the WGAC and the adoption by all (the saving in faffing around will total many, many man-years).

 

[Xenospiza]

I try to put my interesting records into an access database. Same for mammals, reptiles, amphibians, butterflies (all seen in Europe, mostly the photographed ones only outside of Europe) and plants (only European ones).
This gives me the possibility to check my lists for any country/geographic entity I've visited. I cannot see the numbers (easily).
Since I enter most of my records on-line as well, I've become less good at keeping up my databases, so I sometimes have to make an overhaul.
My bird database is (mostly) aligned with IOC. I think my mammal and reptile sightings are not that well managed.

 

[Mysticete]

I previously kept a simple Excel list, based on a full IOC list with a column for each year and a few cells color to indicate something about the bird (UK [home country], oversees, new). I quite liked it as you could easily see how often (or how long ago) I had seen a bird at a glance. I could see what i was missing, and I could also see my UK and overseas year list totals - sometimes a bit depressing, but also sometimes a spur to get out and about. The problem was it was a pain in the backside to keep updated (especially when IOC were updating more than twice a year). The more species I saw the bigger the problem seemed to become.

The real pain was that I also tried to link this to a MS Word yearly diary - with entries for Species, Country, Sightings (e.g. XXX many birds seen at YYY on the [Date], or even '2nd year XXX seen migrating south over YYY on the [Date]. I would even try to summarise count and date info, so I would know the total number of Spoon-billed Sandpipers I have ever seen, the highest count of Common Pochard I had ever recorded, or the earliest date I had seen Common Redstart in the UK.

Perhaps a bit OTT, and of course upkeep became unmanageable. However, It would be nice if Ebird (or the BTO's BirdTrack and similar) had export functions to pump out records in a MS Word (or perhaps RTF) and MS Excel format that could then be tinkered with to produce both tailored lists and reports.

I know that Surrey Ornithological Society download data from BirdTrack, but it would also save a lot of time, if you could set criteria for this (say 5 earliest sightings of a migrant, top 5 high counts, etc. etc.), then dump this to MS Word for editing into a report. I don't think EBird or BirdTrack are this versatile, but I am not an expert on either package.

A long time ago when my system became unmanageable, I started writing my own database programme to do the work, but I wanted the database to also export to Ebird and BirdTrack. As these use different taxonomies, I have found structuring the database, keeping abreast of taxonomic, and updating the base species list too time consuming, so progress on functionality has impacted. I also want the software to be able to keep pin point location information, so for instance I could map out changes in location of singing Dartford Warblers on my local heath over time. I am probably considered too much functionality, but I have no idea how coders for other diary software programmes manage to keep up - roll on the output of the WGAC and the adoption by all (the saving in faffing around will total many, many man-years).

I haven't experimented with this personally, but you might be able to accomplish some of this stuff in ebird with birdstat:

birdSTAT

A tool to summarise and visualize your personal eBird data. Zak Pohlen

birdstat.com

 

[angusmcoatup]

I have a very tatty collection of notebooks going back 37 years. Everything goes in them and occasionally from them I’ll update my copy of Clements, with notes scribbled in the margin if needed.
Having said that I’ve no idea of numbers anymore, my UK list was the only one that meant anything to me and I’ve long since lost count. I use my original copy of Peterson on the odd occasion I pick up a Uk tick, just for old times sake.

 

[Jon.Bryant]

you might be able to accomplish some of this stuff in ebird with birdstat

Thanks for this. I didn't realize it existed. I will have a play to see what it can do, but from a quick squint I think it looks like the analysis is 'in app' without any obvious export function.

As I say, I think it would be great to have a tool which dumped filtered data in RTF format, to form the basis of a report, which could then be edited in a word processor. This could be very useful, particularly for individual or organisations creating reports for publishing - for me, it would simplify generating the systematic list for the trip reports I occasionally produce (and for the long lapsed year reports that I used to try and create).