The BirdGuides app now on Android
On opening the app, you'll be asked to sign in or register. Sign in using the email address and password that you currently use for your existing BirdGuides account; if you do not have a BirdGuides account, registration is free and requires nothing more than a name, email address and password. Once you have signed in/registered in the app, the app homepage will be displayed showing the most recent news and gallery images.
Accessing the news
To view a list of all the recent news, tap the "All" bar. A full list of all recent news is now displayed. To access details for a particular sighting, tap once on the report. County and the date/time of the sighting will be displayed for all users; to access specific site details and notes relating to the sighting, a Bird News Anywhere subscription is required. Existing Bird News Anywhere subscribers, once signed in, will automatically be able to access these details. For those who do not currently subscribe to a BirdGuides news service, an annual Bird News Anywhere subscription can be purchased for £40. A Bird News Anywhere subscription can be purchased online at http://www.birdguides.com/estore/p-810-birdguides-bird-news-services.aspx.
If you already subscribe to one or more of the BirdGuides news services, a Bird News Anywhere subscription can be added to your current subscription for the bargain price of £10. To add Bird News Anywhere to your current BirdGuides subscription, call 0800 919391 during office hours.
Tapping the "Filtered" button (subscribers only) will bring up a list of recent news based on your personal filters. To edit your filters, tap the device menu button. Tap Filters and edit, add or delete accordingly. Filters can also be edited online.
To find out what birds have been seen near you, tap the "Nearby" button. You will need to have Location Services active on your device to run Nearby news — either accept the message that should appear in your device the first time Nearby is used, or edit the Location Services in your device Settings.
On all three sightings pages, tapping the circular arrow button in the top right will refresh the news (or, if you prefer, use the "pull down" gesture).
Reporting your news
If you are lucky enough to come across a bird that you think should be on our news service, or if you would like to give an update on a sighting already featured, you can report your sighting via the app (registered users only). Tap the eye button in the top right. Species, date & time and location are all required; and either species count or details needs to be completed before the record can be submitted. The date and time automatically defaults to the current time, but you can manually alter these.
Records submitted using the BirdGuides app are shared with the BTO. If you have made an observation that may not warrant reporting on our bird news service (generally an observation of a common breeding or wintering species), we recommend submitting your sighting directly to BirdTrack.
The Gallery
From the app home page, clicking on the "Gallery" bar takes you to a gallery of our most recently uploaded photographs. Tapping once on brings up a larger image. You can swipe left/right through the larger images. Double-tapping on a larger image zooms in/out; single-tapping hides/shows details; tapping the information icon in the bottom left of the text panel displays further photograph details, where available. To return to the previous screen, tap Back.
You can download the app for free on the Google Play app store.
