Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Computing bonanza!

A slightly unsettled day offered no comfort to planning so I settled down and , finally, conjured up the motivation and discipline to get all the biological recording programmes I use on to a single laptop. This will allow for future mobility and keeping things up to date whilst I'm away from here. So life comprised of manuals and disks, frustration , a comment or two but, finally, success.!

BirdBase, BirdArea plus the Add-ons, MapMate, Argyll Bird Recording system plus a few other lesser "cyber-mortals" are all in there. Decisions on settings have been made and all that now remains, in the case of BirdBase, is to input all details from foreign trips carried out since 2002 and the more significant UK ones too. I sense I've a long way to go with both MapMate and the ABC systems , but I can thoroughly recommend BirdBase. Running totals of life lists for different world and local areas, the ability to add in substantial notes to individual observations, .....the programme is packed full of extremely useful features any birder requires. Based on the James Clements World List regular updates are available based on taxonomic changes .

Locally bred Goldfinch, Siskin and Stonechat have formed a loose feeding flock around the house in spite of different feeding strategies. They bring incessant activity and colour to the local landscape ! Stonechats appear to have done rather well this breeding season with birds in many places. The adjacent fells are now somewhat quiet with all Curlews having moved to feeding areas elsewhere around three weeks ago with Lapwings having gone way before that.

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