Recording your sightings

[polygro]

I would be really interested to know how you record your bird, butterfly etc. sightings.

Do you use a notebook? Do you use a database? What method do you use, so that you can easily look back and see when you saw your first and last species of the year or a particular species at certain sites for example? I became keen on butterflies last year and I'd like to start using a recording method now that will see me through the ensuing years. I currently record my bird sightings on a simple Excel spreadsheet.

I am off work at the moment (due to having a knee operation) and have time to set up a database. I have never before used Microsoft Access but would like to know if (and how) I can set up something whereby I can make queries as to what species I have seen where and when. I know that there are systems you can buy, such as MapMate, but I would rather do my own

Thanks

Polly

[ron1863]

Hi polygro, although I don't use them, you can download recording sheets for birds, butterlies etc from various websites, here are just two:

http://www.suffolkbutterflies.org.uk...ing%20form.pdf

http://atschool.eduweb.co.uk/warrine...y%20Sheets.pdf

[Pete Collins]

Originally Posted by polygro

...
I am off work at the moment (due to having a knee operation) and have time to set up a database. I have never before used Microsoft Access but would like to know if (and how) I can set up something whereby I can make queries as to what species I have seen where and when.

....

Polly

You should be able to do that with Microsoft Access, Polly, although I don't really have the technical skills to tell you how.

I created such a database with Access about 14 years ago, with a Visual Basic user interface. I wanted to expand my computer skills by learning MS Access and VB, and creating a birding database seemed a useful and fun way of learning. I never did get to use those skills again (and have totally forgotten them) but I still use the system for recording my bird sightings. I can search it using a range of dates (or just a start date), or a location, or a particular species, or any combination of these.

I created a hierarchy of locations, so that for example the system knows that Holkham is in Norfolk, which in turn is in East Anglia. So I can search for all the birds I've seen in Holkham, or all those in Norfolk, or all those in East Anglia. I did this part of the system in Visual Basic - I know there's a form of Basic built in to Access, but I'm not sure if you could do it with that.

[polygro]

Originally Posted by Pete Collins

I can search it using a range of dates (or just a start date), or a location, or a particular species, or any combination of these.
I created a hierarchy of locations, so that for example the system knows that Holkham is in Norfolk, which in turn is in East Anglia. So I can search for all the birds I've seen in Holkham, or all those in Norfolk, or all those in East Anglia. I did this part of the system in Visual Basic - I know there's a form of Basic built in to Access, but I'm not sure if you could do it with that.

This sounds just what I was thinking about - now how do I find out how to do it????

Polly

[NickCantle]

i use a GPS unit. Small handheld unit in which I can mark places for future years. Plants, fungi and animals

[Meta menardi]

I use Recorder, that way your data can go straight into the database at your local Data Centre, where it can be used to inform better planning and protection of the things you like to ID.

I know some people don't like their data being shared, but as an example, I know of a wood that contains specimens of quite unusual trees, some were cut down as only one person knew of the locations. Also I believe that the type specimen of one of the rare Whitebeams found in the Avon gorge got cleared away by a working party clearing space to plant... rare Whitebeams! (not a scientific report that, just think I read it somewhere.)

If you are currently using Excel, try this,

http://www.lpts.edu/Academic_Resourc...e_Tutorial.pdf

Or search for excel database tutorial, there seem to be loads of free stuff out there.

Access can be very powerful, but daunting, and Some updates to the software have left some custom written databases unuseable without extensive re-writing.

Occam's razor!