The new Bird Journal has been live for just three days now and already the number of accounts has doubled.
I've already written an article on how to get started with the new version.
In addition there have been a few common questions, for which I've written support articles. If you're still getting started with the new Bird Journal, it's likely some of these articles will help you.
Why is my email not recognised?
How do I import my existing desktop records to my account?
Can I use the new mobile app with my older copy of Bird Journal?
Does the new Bird Journal need internet?
How secure is my data in Bird Journal's systems?
Can I import eBird records using the new Bird Journal?
Today we are delighted to announce that the all-new Bird Journal is ready to use.
New apps
Our Android, iOS & Windows apps have each had a big update.
You can now sync your records seamlessly across all devices, including worldwide and wildlife observations. iOS and Android apps are now available worldwide from the AppStore and Google Play respectively.
Sync also serves as a backup for your data. If you lose your device or your computer malfunctions, simply sign back in to your account to carry on from where you left off.
The Bird Journal Library makes it easy to discover, install & update taxonomies, checklists and other items of interest without leaving the app.
We think these changes make Bird Journal the best way to record, explore and share your bird & wildlife observations and experiences, and hope you'll agree.
Further reading: Getting started with the new Bird Journal
New website
Our new website www.birdjournal.com presents Bird Journal more clearly as a single product. It works well on any size screen and we tried to make it more personal too. New pricing
Apps themselves are now completely free to download and install, and local bird observations can be kept using a free account.
A premium subscription is available offering full library access and analysis features. All existing Windows app customers are entitled to 1/3 off* for the first three years of a premium subscription. Enter your license key when upgrading.
* If you ordered recently, you'll get a full credit towards a premium subscription.
Further reading: Why Bird Journal moved to subscriptions
What's Next?
We've spent nine months developing and testing these changes, and we hope you'll love them. This is however just the beginning in a new direction for Bird Journal. We have many ideas on where to take Bird Journal next. For example, updating all of the taxonomies in the library will be a priority after launch.
Please let us know what you'd like to see using our feedback site.
We are very excited to launch our free public beta in the next few days. We've been working hard for the last seven months to bring you some significant changes across all three of our supported devices.
See http://www.birdjournal.com/ for more details.
I'm delighted to be giving a lecture on the top apps for birding at this years Birdfair at Rutland Water.
To help bring a wider perspective I've created a survey. If you have five minutes to spare now, then please complete the survey.
Please share this survey with other birders you know so we can get better results. They don't have to be Bird Journal users. The link is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/BPHWKNJ
We'll post a summary of the results on the blog in a few weeks.
Maps in version 3 just got better. We're now using a different company (Mapbox) to provide map data. The data is still from open street map, but is much more up-to-date and has terrtain detail.
If you don't have the update already, you should be prompted during the next week. Alternatively you can get it now by selecting Help > Check for Updates.
New month, and a new version of Bird Journal.
A few changes this time, including some to help our effort to release Bird Journal as easily as possible.
- New Feature: Intra year species progress graph.
- New Feature: Restore backup item in the start menu, for cases when Bird Journal doesn't load.
- Enhancement: Total locations and total photos counts added to summary page.
- Enhancement: Today's count added to summary page.
- Enhancement: Single installer for trial and full versions.
- Enhancement: Check for updates now has multiple channels.
- Enhancement: Error reports now contain more detail, helping us resolve issues more easily.
- Fixed: Incorrect text on exception dialog.
- Fixed: Export of grid references sometimes having an odd number of digits.
- Fixed: Occasional crash loading the options file.
If you own version 3, you'll be automatically notified of the update shortly, or you can click "Help" > "Check for Updates.." to get it straight away.
If you don't own version 3, then there's no better time to upgrade as you can save 1/3 in our summer sale. Just enter code SUMMER13 at the checkout. Offer ends 31st July.
Best wishes,
Justin
Just a small update this one:
- Fixed BirdTrack export sometimes incorrectly merging sightings.
- Fixed map screen pause on first load.
The update is available from the software from the Help button:
Best wishes,
Justin
Recently we were asked if there was support for users who know their birds by their French names.
The main software has not been localised, user interface etc. However we have included other languages along with the taxonomy data, where present. For example, the AOU list contains both French and English names in addition to the scientific names. These can be used from the software by selecting “Preferred Language” to French in Options->Localisation. Then, if a checklist has French names available it will use them. Other taxonomies have other languages available, though they're not very discoverable from the software, unless you already selected the right taxononmy. Here's a list of the non-english languages supported by the different taxonomies:
American Ornithologists' Union: French
Brazilian Ornithological Records Committee: Portuguese
Sociedad Española de Ornitología: Spanish, Catalan
In addition to the languages available from the taxonomies, we also have a feature called “Synonym Lists”. This allows the user to create synonyms for taxa already in the system. Synonyms can be in any language, and either for full names, or for quick-codes, that are used to speed entry. It would be great to see some non-english synonym lists on the forum: http://www.bluebirdtechnology.com/Forum/viewforum.php?f=19
Do you know someone who would use Bird Journal if only it was more localised? How important do you think it is to have the user interface localised?
Justin
We have fixed a number of issues reported since the release of version 3, and these are now available in version 3.1.
Enhancements:
- Graphs are now hidden on the locations page when no data is present.
- Graphs heading on location page has been renamed to "Graphs (Birds)" for clarity.
- BirdTrack export now validates that location GeoTags are specified.
- BirdTrack export now validates that a userID is specified.
- BirdTrack export now merges sightings of the same species into a single row, with a warning. Counts are added together. All other fields take the first value.
- BirdTrack import now automatically resolves to any other wildlife checklists, including butterflies.
Bug Fixes:
- Fixed inability to load databases over 2GB.
- Fixed filter bar showing locations that it shouldn't.
- Fixed filter bar incorrect display of species names.
- Fixed filter bar subspecies crash.
- Fixed wildlife navigation issue.
- Fixed crash on the Location Species Count graph, when a database is empty.
- Fixed error in the order of sightings during export.
- Fixed rare crash when editing locations.
- Fixed a compatibility graphical issue when using Windows 8 or .NET 4.5.
- Fixed export of grid references sometimes having only 3 or 5 digits.
- Fixed an occasional problem exporting dates to BirdTrack.
- Fixed incorrect IOC family English names.
- Fixed "since last export" date being hidden by the help message.
- Fixed crash showing year species count graphs on the locations page when there are no bird sightings.
- Fixed latitude/longitude values with commas being incorrectly read.
- Fixed occasional map crash, when the map was scrolled to the far edges.
- Fixed occasional crash when switching a GeoTag from latitude/longitude values to grid reference.
- Fixed inability to edit a location range, when a continent or world checklist is cloned.
- Fixed crash when filtering to a checklist that has duplicate concepts.
- Fixed errors in the taxonomic ordering of orders/families.
This update is available free via the check for updates system in Bird Journal version 3.
Version 3 of Bird Journal is now available from our website!
We’ve been busy working for a number of months, together with a group of 30 users who have been very kindly providing lots of feedback, keeping us headed in the right direction and finding any bugs. Your responses to our surveys have really helped, and we hope that you’ll find many of the changes in version 3 to your liking.
There are various improvements in version 3, from big new features such as integrated mapping to smaller but equally important tweaks such as the ability to quickly find locations and species by typing. You can find detail on the new features on the Bird Journal page, but here are some of the highlights.
Mapping. You can add location information (aka. Geotags) to Locations, Sightings and Photos within your journal. The whole world is covered, thanks to OpenStreetMap, and there are lots of interesting ways to look back through your maps, including filtering for species and dates, just as elsewhere in your journal. Mapping is great for remembering where you've been birding, where you saw a rarity and where your pictures were taken.
All-New Filtering. All filter bars have a much clearer layout, and lots of extra functionality, such as: filter by custom properties, filter by month alone (previously year had to be selected first) and the ability to type into location and species filters to find things more quickly. Find out where you've seen birds on the locations page using the new filter bar.
BirdTrack Import and Export. Bring your existing BTO BirdTrack records into Bird Journal easily, or easily keep BirdTrack up-to-date with your latest sightings. Nobody wants to type things out twice.
The IOC World Taxonomy. You can now also record birds using the IOC list. The IOC is great for names and classifications of world birds that more closely match the British list. Country bird checklists are now available in both Clements and IOC flavours.
The Latest Bird Data. Version 3 has the latest data for all bird taxonomies and checklists. If any species in your database need to be split or lumped, then a migration wizard will show when running version 3 for the first time, letting you review and resolve items as needed.
Enhanced Export Capabilities. Records can now be exported "since last export", to keep other databases such as eBird and BirdTrack up-to-date with minimal effort. A filter bar has also been added to more easily choose which records to export.
We launched Version 3 at the British Birdfair last weekend, and it was great to meet with both new and existing users.
Version 3 is now available on our website to purchase as new, or as an upgrade. As Bird Journal is now more comprehensive, prices are higher for version 3. Of course all existing users are eligible for a discounted purchase; just enter your existing license key on the purchase page to claim your discount.
We look forward to hearing your feedback on version 3 of Bird Journal. Please help us spread the word about this new version!
We'll leave you with some pictures of our recent Birdfair trip.
Best wishes,
Christine & Justin
Bluebird Technology