Monday, March 26, 2012

Review: BirdsEye BirdLog

Finally! We have an easy and smooth way of entering eBird checklists using our smartphones in the field. The creator of the popular BirdsEye app have recently released the BirdLog app. I've now used it a couple of times and my initial impressions are very favorable. I found BirdLog very easy to use for submitting my checklists. I like how it can use my current location and how it quickly pulls up my personal locations and eBird hotspots nearby. Entering the species and the numbers of birds seen is super easy. When I log into eBird on my laptop, the checklists I submitted using BirdLog are all they are look normal. It works great! Now if they can just add voice commands to enter sightings and counts. This app is available for iOS and for Android now for an introductory price of $9.99 (regular $14.99). A great value for the convenience.

11 comments:

  1. Yes it is. I love the new feature that allows you to submit checklists from recent destinations.

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  2. Thanks for the review Robert! I have birds eye on my iPod touch, but this sounds like it will be very beneficial when I finally get my iPhone in a few weeks!

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    1. I've only been an iPhone user for a couple of months and I love it. BirdLog works great. I am using it more and more and find it very convenient and easy to use. Well worth the purchase price.

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  3. I've been using BirdLog for a couple of weeks now, Robert (see my review/announcement), and have entered about a dozen checklists. It is so easy that I'm entering far more checklists at more locations than I would if I wrote my sightings on a notepad and entered them at home later.

    It is too dangerous to use BirdLog while driving, so I'm using the Android Sound Recorder app to dictate "8 collared-doves at the corner of 4th and Main." Sound Recorder captures the time/date stamp. Then I can enter these later at home. Also, since editing a submitted checklist can't be done directly with BirdLog, I use Sound Recorder to remind myself of a species I forgot, or a bird seen driving away after I just hit the 'submit' button.

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  4. I have been using it and love it as well. very user freiendly.

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  5. Does anybody now how to get the original BirdsEye app? I just got my first smartphone today and BirdLog was the first app I bought, and it looks great, but I was also hoping to use the original BirdsEye app to find birds and hotspots. I can only find BirdLog in the Android market, no BirdsEye.

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  6. I love BirdsEye - get it! BirdLog? I don't get $20 to $10 for an "introductory" price on something that is readily available in most of my other identification apps. Plus, if you have BirdsEye, the only reason it isn't included is to try to generate more $$$ from people. Really disappointed, Cornell.

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  7. first experience with BirdLog (on Samsung Exhibit) wasn't so good. It got lost a couple of times. For example, I tried to enter a comment on a bald eagle, and couldn't get back to the checklist. I couldn't put it in my pocket without risking a change in screens and subsequent inability to get back to my checklist (although it did save the list, I couldn't add to it). And once it quit on its own for no reason. On the other hand, data entry was really easy. I'll give it another try...

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  8. If you're having problems with the app you can contact the BirdLog Help Desk at: support@getbirdseye.com

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  9. Stodd, At this time, BirdsEye is only available for the iDevices (iPhone, iPod, iPad)

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