Diver ID please? (1 Viewer)

[RichieTwitchy]

My paper field guides have yet to run out of charge, try and sell me something with a pop-up advert, freeze up, needed to reinstall, needed to reboot... and when I've dropped them they ain't cracked

 

[Harrybongo]

My paper field guides have yet to run out of charge, try and sell me something with a pop-up advert, freeze up, needed to reinstall, needed to reboot... and when I've dropped them they ain't cracked

Hi. Yep, paper every time! 👍

 

[Muppit17]

My comment was quoting someone who was talking about Collins - hence I was too. I apologise for not making that more clear.

I can do both of those on Android. The compare is very simple and brings species together on a single screen. The location stays set even if I leave the app and return later, but I do lose the ability to open in family groups (I have no use for the location filter anyhow, so no issue for me)

I agree. The compare function is alive and well and sitting on Collins for Android. You can select up to 6 species to compare images side by side.

It is on the left hand 'burger' index and simply select 'compare'.

Not sure how the certainty of statements saying it can't be done have entered this forum

 

[Butty]

the certainty of statements saying it can't be done

In fact, not what I said.

the Android phone app has a clunky switch-between-screens compare, but no side-by-side capability

The second part of that's not completely true, as there is very limited side-by-side capability, via the Compare screen (this screen is the minor improvement introduced with edn 3 that I referred to above), and ...

You can select up to 6 species to compare images side by side.

...but, side-by-side, you can see only 1-2 figures of each species, and these figures are chosen by the app - you can't select for yourself which plumages/postures you wish to compare. This sometimes doesn't matter but often does matter very much: try, for instance, comparing females of rock bunting and house bunting side-by-side - not possible; instead, for each glance between the plumages, you have to switch screens twice - going back and forth between the full species pages via the Compare screen - and, if you were looking at the figures zoomed in, you have to un-zoom and re-zoom at each switch as well - and, if you switch away from the app for long enough, the whole Compare screen resets and you have to make your species selections again. Thus...

clunky and inconvenient

...compared with (say) an independently-zoomable split-screen approach.
On the other hand, it is cheap for an app version of a top field guide. On the other other hand, it's got plenty of bugs and annoying quirks.
(Refers to Android phone only.)

 

[Jos Stratford]

The second part of that's not completely true, as there is very limited side-by-side capability, via the Compare screen (this screen is the minor improvement introduced with edn 3 that I referred to above), and ...

...but, side-by-side, you can see only 1-2 figures of each species, and these figures are chosen by the app - you can't select for yourself which plumages/postures you wish to compare.

Still false. It was not introduced with edn 3, it has always been there (I don't have edn 3). And for many species, you can choose plumage - you simply select whichever plumage you want on the first species and it gives the corresponding for the comparison species.

 

[Jos Stratford]

PS. Also on an Android phone, I don't see the 'clunky and inconvenient' - quite the opposite for me. I haven't personally experienced any bugs.

 

[Muppit17]

...compared with (say) an independently-zoomable split-screen approach.
On the other hand, it is cheap for an app version of a top field guide. On the other other hand, it's got plenty of bugs and annoying quirks.
(Refers to Android phone only.)

Android has a split screen function (and has for many years - 10+ at a guess)

I have never used as I find it annoying - but it is there. Both screens can be zoomed independently if you wish (I never have had the wish)

But we are digressing from Divers

 

[Scozmos]

Meanwhile, back on the original subject

 

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Meanwhile, back on the original subject View attachment 1563945

These are both Great Northern Divers.

 

[Scozmos]

Thanks @Andrew Whitehouse

 

[BBandW]

On the subject of paper field guides, I remember years ago reading advice that when buying your first guide, never buy anything with the word 'European' in the title, on the grounds that its hard enough identifying UK birds without the added confusion of multiples of European variants.

I'd recommend the 'RSPB Handbook Of British Birds' everytime. Collins is just too complicated for my liking.

The other thing I'd suggest, to anyone starting out, is getting a copy of 'Birdwatcher's Field Lists RSPB'. They're £1 and great and easy way to keep a tally of what you've seen and where.