(light cheerful music)
- With eBird Mobile
birding has never been easier.
This free mobile app works anywhere in the world,
helping you quickly enter checklists
while keeping track of your exact birding route.
Letting you just enjoy the birds.
When you first install the app, you'll need to
download a pack of information on what birds
are expected in your region.
Bird packs let you get a precise list of birds
for your area, regardless of your Internet connection.
The apple suggests the best pack based on where you are.
And you can download other packs through settings
at any time.
Now you're ready to start birding.
Typically, you'll be entering a checklist in real time,
so the app knows the date and time you're starting.
I wanna record my track, so I'll leave that on.
Tracking is a great feature that allows eBird to fill in
where you're birding, how far you travel,
and how long you're birding for.
It keeps track so you don't have to.
All right, you're all set.
Now click start checklist.
When you start a checklist, eBird uses
your current GPS location and your bird packs
to provide a list of expected species
that are likely to be in that area at that time of year.
You'll fill in this checklist as you go.
Once you've found a bird you know, by sight or sound,
the fastest way to add it is to type right here,
in the quick entry bar.
Let's start with two Mallards out on the pond.
Type the number of birds, two, and the species, Mallard.
Then select the species from the checklist,
and you're all set!
It's that easy.
Let's enter a few more sightings the same way.
Here's five Canada Geese, forging in the grass.
(Red-tailed Hawk calling)
Sounds like there's a Red-tailed Hawk calling nearby.
(Red-tailed Hawk calling)
And there's an Osprey, eating a fish.
And a Great Blue Heron flying overhead.
You can see all the birds you've already tallied
by switching to the checked view.
This is particularly helpful for adding
more sightings to a species.
For example, you see three more Mallards;
tap the number three times and you're all set.
You'll notice some birds
have these icons next to their names.
These show whether a bird is infrequently reported
or unreported for that region and time of year.
By tapping a species name,
you can make changes to your tally,
or add comments about the bird's field marks, its behavior,
the habitat you saw it in,
or anything else you find interesting.
This is especially important
for those rare and unusual sightings.
You can see where you've been by clicking here
to review your track.
When you're finished birding, tap stop.
If you have an active track, eBird will ask you
if you're done birding.
Tap stop track to confirm.
Now it's time to review your checklist.
The first thing you'll need to do is add your location.
The best way to do this is to use the map.
It's important to chose a location
that accurately represents where you were birding.
You can either chose an appropriate existing location,
or create a new location by tapping on the map.
In this case, you were birding at Sapsucker Woods,
so chose that location.
Next is info about your birding outing.
This is what makes eBird tracking great.
Tracking has already defined your checklist type
based on whether you were moving or stationary.
Tracking also fills in the duration and distance traveled.
You can change your checklist type and edit the other fields
if you need to.
Before you can submit, eBird asks
if you're submitting a complete checklist of the birds
you were able to identify.
Complete checklists are eBird's way of knowing
you've identified and reported all of the birds
you saw or heard to the best of your ability.
It's not possible to detect every single bird,
nobody can do that.
As long as you've listed all of the species
you could identify, then check yes.
You can also enter comments about your birding experience.
You can document the weather, other animals you saw,
or any other fun memories.
Last but not least, you can review the species you reported.
When you're ready, click submit.
Congratulations, you're an eBirder.
You're now part of the largest birding community
in the world.
(light cheerful music)