Bird Journal app

Back in 2001, Mark Cocker referred to "measuring life out in lists of bird names" in his seminal book on the hobby, Birders. How far the humble list has come in the last dozen or so years. Technology, particularly mobile technology, has changed the way that many of us keep our lists and our bird records. Running in parallel, the resurgence of interest in other taxa such as moths, insects, mammals and so on has presented other issues for the keen record-keeper and lister.

Bird Journal isn't new to the market, but it offers a sound platform for recording both birds and many other areas of interest. Recognising the diversity of technology we use, developer Bluebird Technology offers multiple solutions from iOS and Android apps to desktop-based versions for home entry.

The latest version allows the user to sync records seamlessly across all devices, including worldwide and wildlife observations. Bird Journal may have started life as a bird-recording tool, but the inclusion of taxonomies and checklists in this latest version now covers a huge range, from the amphibians of Europe to the water bugs and allies of the UK.

The apps themselves are 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. These 'bells and whistles' range from time-based summaries, a range of graphs, bar charts and pie charts analysing entries, location mapping and a linked photo gallery. Simple user-friendly layouts with clear instructions add value without over-complication.

I added the iOS app to my iPhone and tested the data entry and set-up. The app opens with a summary page showing entries for today, the last seven days, this month or year and so on. You can switch to look at the individual entries and species recorded. The detail behind the species shows the first, last and total observations. Data entry is simple: once the location is entered the app switches to a species list, from which you search and add entries, along with counts and any other user-defined note fields, for example habitat or weather.

Counts are entered on scrolling columns of numbers; the option to switch to simple keyboard entry would be useful. Currently the biggest issue with the iOS app is that the desktop-based software isn't Mac-compatible, so syncing the desktop and app data and the full benefits of the premium features aren't available. Bluebird says it plans a Mac version.

The inclusion of different recording formats such as eBird and BirdTrack offer additional flexibility to use Bird Journal to record for those schemes and still benefit from the premium features.

For Windows users with an Android phone, at £34.99 for the full suite of premium features, Bird Journal offers as good a solution for the keen list- and record-keeper as is available anywhere. Mac/iOS users, however, will have to be patient.

Screenshots from app & PC software

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