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For more formal reviews of our products and services, click here. Bird News AnywhereMany of the birdwatchers who trialled our Bird News Anywhere service completed an online questionnaire to give us their views. The following quotes are taken directly from their replies (sorry about the spelling mistakes!): "The service is First Class, easy to install and gives a wealth of information, that is easy to obtain." "The Bird News Anywhere service suits my needs perfectly, its on demand when required, and not a continuous stream of information that is not necessary." "...the ability to look when I want and wherever I have been has been excellent. Reading is much better than trying to listen andf follow info. A service with excellent potential." "The trial has been fantastic. I travel around the country with my job and the information you can request is brilliant and I don't need to re submit information like I do for the text alert service. I have no reccomondations on how it can be improved as I think you have pretty much hit the nail on the head." "For someone who has never had a pager due to cost, the service on Bird News Anywhere is excellent." "Looks like a good service if it is run along the same lines as Text messages which I have stated before has saved me loads of money over the last 2 years." "Bird News Anywhere is slick and useful and is recommended to others." "What I've seen so far has been very good - it's helpful to be able to specify areas (such as a county) and to "drill down" to get more information on sites, etc." "I would visualise using it on Sat night at home to plan Sun morning & then midday in field to plan afternoon." "The service is an excellent innovation and very well suited to those who, for personal reasons, prefer not to have a pager." "I only wish that I had heard about it sooner with possibly Text Alert, as I might have heard about the fantastic Waxwings in Hedge End sooner." "I feel that your company could revolutionise the birding scene by taking the pager service to those of us who cannot justify spending the ludicrous amounts of hard-earned cash on a pager, and are totally frustrated by having a WAP-enabled phone in our pockets when we're out birding. The service I got from the trial of BNA was superb and helped us to locate the Red-necked Grebe at Covenham Resr (by using the links to directions page)." "...the high price of the pagers is exactly why I've never owned one. I thought the idea of the Bird News Anywhere services was excellent. Personally I don't need something that's alerting me constantly, but something from which I can access the information I want when I want, is perfect." "Thanks to the Bird News Anywhere service my partner and I connected with the White-tailed Eagle in Norfolk - fantastic views. I have done my best to find fault with the service and I'm pleased to say I failed miserably!!" "A great idea and it works for me, I seem to be looking at it when away from the computer. Has helped me to see birds already. I don't own a pager because of the price." "This is an excellent service particularly for birders without pagers." "It is one of the most innovative ideas in the birding field for a long, long time. It enables you to access bird information at anytime and will be more cost effective than calling the birdline services. It removes the need to write down vital information, as if you forget it you can just log on again and retrieve it..." "I would probably use Bird News Anywhere on weekneds away when acces to a PC isn't possible to see if there is anything in the local area and find reccomended sites in that location." "I like the flexibilty of the new proposed service. The ready availability of the information in the field allows more flexibility to day trips and holidays, without having to reset the requirements on a daily basis (if a non regular user of the message alert). To be honest it is something I have been hoping for since becoming a user of the BirdGuides services 18 months ago." "...it is quick and simple to use and gets you the information you want. I have so far used several times to check my local area (Herts) at the weekend and also on a couple of occaisions whilst in Norfolk recently, which has assisted in some excellent birding." "...a great product which seems well thought out and which works like a dream." "...useful in the field. handy to run alongside Bird Text Alert" "I would prefer now to be using a phone rarher than a pager. I am unhappy paying the costs of a pager but would like access to regula bird news with frequent updates at a price lower than my pager." "It has proved invaluble when going to Norfolk as none of the group had any pagers or any other way of accessing BirdGuides info." "I think it is a service with fantastic potential, and as a casual birder suits my needs perfectly." Other unsolicited testimonials"Your new trial Bird News Anywhere service is a stroke of absolute genius. Full access to all the information anywhere on my mobile phone?!?! My initial reaction is amazement at the obvious value." "...first impressions were good with very quick access and downloading." "Very impressed by the fact you can define a distance from a specified grid reference to filter sightings...I found the service easy and quick to set up..." "What an excellent service! I particularly liked the design of the menus. I could quickly get a view of the megas news very quickly, then the scarcer birds in southeast England and then down to the individual county. Well thought out...thanks for a great new addition to your services! Another winner." "I currently subscribe to [Bird News Anywhere] and am over the moon with the level of service." "Just tried Bird News Anywhere - I used a free trial week for a long weekend in Norfolk. 10 out of 10 all the information from Bird News Extra in you pocket. If you already subscribe to BNE it is a real bargain." (MM)
Bird Text AlertWe've been delighted by subscribers' responses to Bird Text Alert, our service that sends news of rare birds to your mobile phone by text message. Here are some comments we've received from satisfied customers: "I use BirdGuides for when I am at home and their texting service when in
the field; this is much cheaper than having a pager as you can tell them
exactly which days you want messages and also which areas you are
interested in - also levels of rarity, either just new sightings or all
updates, exclude non-twitchable birds. "Just wanted to say that the SMS service you have launched is EXACTLY what I have been looking for. Congratulations - the combination of flexibility and control with pricing is superb. We were looking for something that would support us on the occasional days of birding, with the flexibility to change county we are in, etc. We have just subscribed." (IC) "This is a really brilliant service I have longed for." (AJC) "I found the detail and readability of the reports excellent, and the service as a whole well worth the subscription." (CB) "Pity the service didn't exist 15-20 years ago, but then the grapevine and Nancy's caff had a stronger social dimension than today's high tech replacements!" (JM) "I'm impressed with the service. It has all the features that stopped me from having a pager." (SR) "Thank you for your help in the last couple of days. I have recommended this service to my brother who subscribed today." (KP) "The personal options offered by the system are first class and a credit to the designer... Overall - Excellent, Thank you." (RB) "I've found the service excellent over the last few months and have been very pleased and impressed with it. Keep up the good work!" (BM) "I think the service is working superbly well...Please keep up the good work." (JT) "This service has been ideal for me. A great service - thank you." (TC) "I am really pleased with the service to date." (SR)
BirdGuides Photo Page"BirdGuides is...an excellent website and a great resource when searching for photos and other information. I often advise birding friends to visit BirdGuides!" (Niklas Holmström, Sweden) We recently received an email from an American artist, Mike DiGiorgio, confirming what we have been claiming for some time – that our collection of photos represents a fantastic tool for anyone wanting to study the plumages of British and European birds. Here's a part of his email: "My name is Mike DiGiorgio, and I am a bird artist based in Connecticut, USA. I have made several trips to England, Scotland, and Ireland to sketch British birds. Even though my drawings are essential tools when I am creating a painting of a bird, I often look for photos showing the details of the species I am depicting. The computer has essentially replaced my own massive clip files. The website www.birdguides.com gives me access to some of the best bird photos available. I regard it as an indispensable part of my creative process, and I would recommend it to anyone wishing to access the best European bird photos on the web." Here are a couple of Mike's paintings:
You can access for yourself 184849 searchable British and Irish photos in our British and Irish picture gallery, or 29424 pictures from around the world in our World gallery. Both galleries are free of charge. iDentify"I have just bought one at the Bird Fair - it is wonderful. I can now drive all those people on my train mad with the sounds of birds. So easy to use - thank you." (TW, 20/08/06) "Have recently purchased the iDentify birds CD for my iPod Nano. I am absolutely delighted with the software and its use within the iPod. Congratulations on creating such great software and an excellent site for us birders. Well done all, a very happy customer." (TG, 30/10/07)
BWPi"I use it all the time and tell everyone how good it is. It's easily the best-value buy I've made for years. Excellent." (Lars Svensson, Collins Bird Guide) Concise Guide to British Birds"I purchased The Concise Guide to British Birds last year at the RSPB site at Ynys-hir in Wales and have been very impressed, it is great value for money at only 19.99, and despite not being XP-compatable, it runs very nicely on my XP machine [note that Version 2 is fully compatible with Windows XP - eds]. I am now considering upgrading to a more comprehensive guide, from the same team, but would happily recomend the concise guide to anyone starting out in bird watching." (Peter Scandrett)
CD-ROM Guide to Eastern Birds"Very pleased." (SC, 7th September 2006) Birding in... DVDsBirding in China"Superb!! I thoroughly enjoyed this DVD - it's my favourite from the series so far (although I've still a few to get). The footage (especially the warblers and Blue Robin) is simply "breath-taking" - very close and detailed! An excellent guide if you're planning a trip. The humour's great too!" (SE, 15/04/07) |  Reviews | |||||
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