Birdwatcher's Diary Manual

Birdwatcher's Diary User Manual

The Locations Screen

Tap on the Location button on the top center of the main screen to get access to the Locations screen. You will see a list of your existing locations to select from, with the same one- and two-letter index down the right-hand side that you are familiar with from the species list on the main screen.

Adding a Location

Tap on Add to add a new location, and fill in the following information:

Name: The length of this item is unlimited; use your own judgment. If you are an eBird user, you might want to check on the form and spelling of locations which are already part of the eBird database.
Abbreviation: We recommend the use of upper-case letters, limited to ten or fewer characters. The abbreviation is strictly for internal use in Birdwatcher's Diary. Once you enter it, it cannot be changed (unlike the Name, which can be changed in case you misspelled it, for example). And no two locations can have the same abbreviation. As you enter the name, the software will automatically create an abbreviation for you, but after you finish entering the name, you can change the abbreviation as you see fit.
Country: A two-letter abbreviation for the country (e.g., US, not USA).
State: A two-letter abbreviation for the state or province.
County: The name of the county. Leave it blank if you don't know it, but you can change it at any time (as with country and state).
Latitude and Longitude: You can fill these in if somehow you know them, but assuming you don't the two buttons below will help you do it.

The Capture Coordinates button uses your GPS to capture the coordinates where you are currently located. This will be the proper thing to do if you are at the location that you are setting up. If you are not, you can tap the Show on Map button. This button displays a map showing your current location. Tap the Relocate button on the upper-right of the map screen to display a crosshairs. Now slide the map around, expanding or contracting as necessary (a double-tap with one finger expands the map; a double-tap with two fingers contracts it), until the crosshairs are centered on the location you are setting up. Where exactly at that location is up to you. If it is a park, you can center the location at the center of the park, or the entrance to the park, or anyplace else - it's up to you and obviously somewhat arbitrary. Once you have it positioned, tap Save and the coordinates you established will be entered as part of the new location. Finally tap Save to save the new location.

Editing or Deleting a Location

On the location selection screen, hold your finger down on an item until a menu pops up giving you two choices: Edit and Delete. If you choose Edit, you'll see that you are able to change any of the items that make up a location except the abbreviation. If you held your finger down by accident and got the Edit/Delete menu accidentally, just tap on the screen outside that menu to dismiss it.

Read the other sections of the manual: