The Birder's Sightings Explorer

Ever wished you could see your sightings on a map or generate your own frequency maps or seasonal checklist?  Well now you can - with the Birder's Sightings Explorer software.

The Sightings Explorer - Major Feature List

Features in Detail

Screen Snapshot of the Sightings Explorer

 

 The Sightings Explorer

The screen shot to the left shows the sightings explorer map for the Guelph area with a consolidation level of "Lots".  On the top right is the bird list/checklist for an area just south of Guelph Lake.  If you look closely you can see the "1" label that corresponds to the "1" in the bird list.

 

Screen snapshot of the bird list

 

 This is a close-up of the checklist text.  You can see the "1" that corresponds to the label on the map.

As you can see in the snapshot to the left, the common name of all the birds that were seen is listed, how many outings it was seen on, and the "J F M A M J..." beside it is the month that it was seen.  In the case of the Chestnut-Sided Warbler, for example, it was seen in September, and was seen on one outing.

The list can also be set to display (and sort) by latin name.

 

 By zooming in on the map, we can see that these sightings are around the Guelph Lake Sports field.

The map contains complete street-level detail from government of Canada 2005 road data, the national scale framework hydrological data and government boundary information (for counties and cities).

In addition to using your own sightings, you can also explore the regional database (details later!  Read on!).

The Frequency Map

Using a drop-down button on the toolbar, you can switch the plot type from the sightings explorer to the frequency map.

When viewing this mode, each sighting in a square is counted, the number of birds averaged per outing, and the square is shaded to indicate the average number of sightings.  In addition to this, the average bird count is printed in the centre of the square.  The square size is variable using the "consolidate" drop-down button on the toolbar.  In addition to using your own sightings, you can also explorer the regional database (details later!).

Note:  When viewing all sightings (not a specific bird), the squares show the total number of sightings, not the average.

The Locations Map

Using the "Plot Type" drop-down button on the toolbar, you can switch the plot type from the sightings explorer to the locations map.

When viewing this mode, each location contained in the "Locations Editor" is plotted on the map, along with it's name when you're at an appropriate zoom level on the map.

Map Coverage

The coverage is the entirety of Ontario, both in major water features and street-level detail.  Reduced detail is included outside of Ontario (major water bodies and major highways).

Highway and Street names can be identified by clicking on a street on the map (make sure zoom and "Move" mode isn't on when you do this).

The Sightings Editor - Major Feature List

Common Location Editor - Major Feature List

Checklists and Reports - Major Feature List

The Sightings Explorer contains a full complement of textual and graphical reports.  Screen snapshots are shown below:

Seasonal Checklist

You can generate a mini-seasonal checklist on the map, but you can also generate a full-fledged, printable, checklist from your own sightings, or from the internet database (details below).  Either use all of your sightings, or optionally filter them by region, location, and sub-location.
The Monthly Birding Checklist

The monthly birding checklist lists all the birds that have been seen in a particular month, along with a check box for marking off sightings in the field.
The Location Report

The location report lists all the birds that were seen in a particular region, location, and sub-location, and the dates they were seen.
The Report by Date

The report by date lists all sightings, organized by date seen.
The Bird Report

The bird report is an alphabetical list of birds, subcategorized by the location they were seen, and the date.

The Regional Sightings List

Imagine the possibilities:  Numerous birders around the area, all contributing sightings to a master regional bird list.  The source of the list contains the exact location of the sighting, and the details of each sighting.  Sounds pie-in-the-sky?  It's not.

The "Tools" menu in the software contains an option to upload your local database of sightings to a regional sightings list and share them with the community. 

Ok, that's a great idea, but what's in it for you?  The ability to switch databases and explore the regional list!  The Sightings explorer can do that.  Choose the "Regional Database" in the program options (available on the tools menu), load the map, and you're viewing the combined lists of dozens (dare I say it... hundreds!) of birders from around Ontario!  Naturally, due to the amount of data, this will require a broadband (high-speed) internet connection.

When entering it, you can mark data so that error is intentionally introduced into the location on the map when using the regional database.  This is so that houses, for example, cannot be identified on the map.  It's a security feature, and the location will be randomly shifted a block or two on the map.

You can also mark an individual bird entry as "sensitive".  These records are omitted on the map and on the reports when using the regional database.  This is to handle rare or breeding birds that should not be disturbed.  Once a year has passed (aka the danger of disturbance is over), these birds will be shown.

The Sightings Upload Form

System Requirements

The software does some hefty processing.  The map alone requires it to process almost half a million records each time it draws the map.  It consequently requires a fairly modern PC.  Here's the minimum requirements:

Contact

Please contact the Guelph Field Naturalists (http://www.guelphfieldnaturalists.org) for more information.