Birdwatcher's Diary iOS (1 Viewer)

[aegithalos]

Birdwatcher's Diary 8.2, iOS 13.3, iphone 8

I can no longer access the 'archive' section of the app: clicking on the usual icon crashes the app. Same thing when trying to access archive from one of the pop-up menus. I have tried restarting the phone, killing the app, turning data access on and off, etc.

If anyone has any bright ideas for alternative ways to get to the archive/input/output pages, I would be very grateful ...

I have emailed Stevens Creek

Keith

 

[gdhunter]

I have emailed Stevens Creek

Good luck with that. I like Birdwatcher's Diary. Used it for years. A few times ran into problems (often user-related!) & sought guidance from Stevens Creek. No automated reply. No answers. Never. Saw some evidence in BirdForum of similar experiences with other users. I think someone may have detected a bit more responsiveness through Facebook.

Mine is installed on a current-generation iTouch, so the functionality should be similar. All apps (including BWD) are up-to-date. I just checked mine and had no problem reaching archived lists. I am glad, however, that I also have those lists archived on my PC.

I now use (exclusively) the eBird mobile app from Cornell. Takes some getting used to it, and I miss the BWD index bar on the right for quick alphabetic access to the intended species. I've had a couple of issues, and contacted eBird support for help. My questions were addressed promptly, knowledgeably and courteously (even when the real problem was the user!).

Gary H

 

[aegithalos]

I've looked at eBird, in the past and again now, but it doesn't work for me. It does not record altitude. The whole checklist / hotspot thing is complete gobbledygook - I see a bird, I identify it, I want to record its location (including altitude), behaviour, maybe other notes, and all very quickly, often offline. I can't be bothered with all the site searching it does. It doesn't use IOC taxonomy. And then I can't get to see my own data except via eBird's servers. The observations are mine (my skills, my time, my expense getting it), not theirs, and I don't expect to have to rely on their goodwill to see it again. BirdTrack seems to be similar, but I have even less experience of that.

I have been trying out Birdlasser, and it is good, very good. In particular, it does record altitude, and I can download the data myself (and upload to eBird were I to so choose). Its species lists are built in, and global coverage is not (yet) complete, but the folks there seem willing to add lists on request. They also answer email.

Talking of which, Stevens Creek have not replied to me. My problem with Birdwatcher's Diary arose while I was in the Azores, and my suspicion was that it was something to do with a recent iOS update (I'm not sure exactly when my last successful use of BD's archive facility was in relation to when I updated the iOS). However, I am now sitting in Lisbon airport on the way home and BD's archive is working again, nothing else changed. I find it hard to believe that there is something quirky with the internet connections on the Azores (which was both 4G and WiFi at my end) which caused the problem, but this is now near or at the top of the list of my suspicions.

So ... it seems that the world is getting a bit short of decent independent listing apps. Stevens Creek are not exactly responsive. Bird Journal (as noted in another thread) seems to be going (or gone) the same way. Birdlasser is looking good as we speak. There isn't much else that I can see. Is it all going to end up with birders only able to collect data the way eBird wants it, for better or worse? And what, exactly, is the problem about recording altitude? The GPS gathers the data anyway - it is just a matter of outputting it. It is surely a more useful piece of field data than recording time to the nearest second.

Keith

 

[njlarsen]

You have decided ebird is not for you so this is for others reading this: once uploaded, your data are easily downloaded from ebird when accessed using a browser.

I have zero experience with them but others have written about observado, have you looked at that?

Niels

 

[aegithalos]

You have decided ebird is not for you so this is for others reading this: once uploaded, your data are easily downloaded from ebird when accessed using a browser.

I have zero experience with them but others have written about observado, have you looked at that?

Yes. As you have clearly decided it is not for you, this is for others reading this.

It can be accessed as http://observation.org or http://observado.org. The iPhone app is iObs.

The [bird] taxonomy is not specified as far as I can see, but it allows eBird import, so may follow that (but not necessarily).

Altitude is not saved with location, but the time is saved to the nearest second.

An account on observation.org is required. Once obtained, observations from iObs can be uploaded to it. After that has been done, but not before [the link is greyed out], data can be emailed directly as .csv.

Extensive species lists are available, for multiple plant and animals groups. These include (optionally) subspecies, which is a major plus.

After a period of multiple updates through 2016 and 2017, there seem to have been none for >2yr, although the app includes an extensive wishlist. Not being further developed?

It is interesting, but that forced upload to observation.org is too restrictive, especially as there does not seem to be a way to get the data off the phone without full internet access. That can be done with Birdwatcher's Diary and, mostly, with Birdlasser. Lack of recent updates worrying, and the no altitude thing.

Keith

 

[aegithalos]

Birdwatcher's Diary is not working at all after update to iOS 14.5 (pop-up says that Developer needs to update it to work with this iOS). It has also disappeared from the App Store.

Stevens Creek never did respond to problem I had with it in Dec 2019 on the Azores (which turned out to be confined to the Azores - all back to normal once back in the UK - bizarre, but that's how it was). And I see no update from them on their website or Facebook.

So, that may be it. RIP.

Keith

 

[gdhunter]

Birdwatcher's Diary is not working at all after update to iOS 14.5 (pop-up says that Developer needs to update it to work with this iOS). It has also disappeared from the App Store.

Stevens Creek never did respond to problem I had with it in Dec 2019 on the Azores (which turned out to be confined to the Azores - all back to normal once back in the UK - bizarre, but that's how it was). And I see no update from them on their website or Facebook.

So, that may be it. RIP.

Keith

It served me well for awhile, but ANY efforts to seek support were always ignored. It helped me keep track of sightings and I'm glad I had it when I did, but for my purposes it did nothing that eBird Mobile doesn't do better. I haven't tried mine in a while (still have it installed as Plan B), but if you're right, then yes: RIP

Gary H

 

[birdcat]

Are there any similar apps out there that one would recommend?

 

[John Fleet]

It served me well for awhile, but ANY efforts to seek support were always ignored. It helped me keep track of sightings and I'm glad I had it when I did, but for my purposes it did nothing that eBird Mobile doesn't do better. I haven't tried mine in a while (still have it installed as Plan B), but if you're right, then yes: RIP

Gary H

Similar experience and the fact that eBird has a web interface is another major plus so having been a loyal BWD users for nearly 10 years I can't say that I now miss it at all...

 

[aegithalos]

Birdwatcher's Diary is not working at all after update to iOS 14.5 (pop-up says that Developer needs to update it to work with this iOS). It has also disappeared from the App Store.

Stevens Creek never did respond to problem I had with it in Dec 2019 on the Azores (which turned out to be confined to the Azores - all back to normal once back in the UK - bizarre, but that's how it was). And I see no update from them on their website or Facebook.

So, that may be it. RIP.

Keith

Out of the blue, Birdwatcher's Diary has returned to life. It has been updated to version 8.3, and is working just fine on my iPhone 12 mini, iOS 15.1.1. The Stevens creek webpage has been updated, but not Facebook (no updates there since 2019). I've been using it today, and enjoyed it. How long will it last? Dunno, but as long as iOS does nothing radical if/when it shifts to 16, and I keep the same phone for a while, I'm sorted.

Welcome back!

Keith

 

[gdhunter]

Out of the blue, Birdwatcher's Diary has returned to life. It has been updated to version 8.3, and is working just fine on my iPhone 12 mini, iOS 15.1.1. The Stevens creek webpage has been updated, but not Facebook (no updates there since 2019). I've been using it today, and enjoyed it. How long will it last? Dunno, but as long as iOS does nothing radical if/when it shifts to 16, and I keep the same phone for a while, I'm sorted.

Welcome back!

Keith

Out of the blue, indeed. The BWD update was at the top of the list of available apps, and I've updated it. Don't think I'll stop using the eBird Mobile app, but BWD now might well be a plausible Plan B. If memory serves correctly, updating the country (or state, or province, or whatever) lists was a bit complicated, but I did find some lists under the download tab. But the one quick check I did suggests that the taxonomy hasn't been recently updated: Blue-throated Mountain-gem is still listed as Blue-throated Hummingbird.