Date: Tue, 19 Nov 2002 19:28:29 -0500 Reply-To: Maryland Birds & Birding Sender: Maryland Birds & Birding From: Bill Ellis Subject: Re: Recommendations for CD-ROM on Birds Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I keep my birding records in an Excel spreadsheet. I can sort by date, by species, or by location (site, county, state, or country, and biogeographic province in MD), because that is how I designed it. It is not hard to extract a year list, then add to my life list, but it is not automatic. To sort on bird species, I have devised a numeric code for the ABA List of North American Birds. My coded list is available on request (spreadsheet form or formatted text file). I keep records of species, forms (male, female, juvenile, color phases, etc.), whether seen or heard or both, count (sometimes), and miscellaneous notes. I also track hours birding, so I can calculate species/hour, and track whether my field skills are improving. (They are pretty rusty, currently.) I recommend this method of lifelisting for anyone who is already comfortable with spreadsheets - you have complete control of what you track and how to arrange it. Bob Ringler is a user of AviSys, and he likes it a lot. Maybe he could offer some remarks about it. Bill Ellis Eldersburg Carroll County At 10:02 AM 11/19/02 -0500, you wrote: >Just a comment about the Thayer Birds of North America program and keeping a >life list with it. Each bird in the program can be checked as 'observed' or >left as 'not observed'. However, to the best of my knowledge, there is no >way to download a list of your observed birds to give you a life list. There >are numerous checklists in the program, but they are not interactive. You >can print them off and check things off manually (the old fashioned >way -with a pencil) but again, to the best of my knowledge there is no life >list in the program. That seems to be the function of the birder's diary >program which is much more expensive (listed at $140 on the Thayer website). > Jerry > > >----- Original Message ----- >From: "Bonnie Ott" >To: >Sent: Tuesday, November 19, 2002 8:06 AM >Subject: Re: [MDOSPREY] Recommendations for CD-ROM on Birds > > >> I want to purchase a CD-ROM on North American birds that includes the >> > ability to maintain records of sitings for my life list. >> >> I recommend Thayers. You can keep a basic life list with the Birds of >> North American program. The program is very nice with thousands of photos, >> video clips and songs. They also have a listing program - Birder's Diary - >> which is solely a list keeping program. The other listing software is >> Avisys. (spelling?) You can probably check MDosprey archives since we >> discussed the merits of each at length last winter. >> >> Bonnie Ott >> Howard County Field Trip Chair >> Ellicott City, MD >> >> ======================================================================= >> To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >> with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >> ======================================================================= > >======================================================================= >To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com >with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey >======================================================================= > ======================================================================= To leave the MDOsprey list, send e-mail to listserv@home.ease.lsoft.com with the following message in line 1: signoff mdosprey ======================================================================= =========================================================================