burhans@mizar.usc.edu (Mustang Sally) (03/23/91)
Being so successful last time, heres more: Does anyone out there use birding software (e.g. Plover, Birdbrain, etc.) and can you give me a review of how you liked it? I'd like to get one for a PC as a present for someone but am interested in the mac one too. How is the user interface? Do they have graphics which show the birds? Could you use one as a sort of on-line field guide to study--don't suppose you could take one with you to the field (maybe a portable? :-))) Any information about someone coming up with one for Windows on the PC. On a slightly different tack, I recently went to the new Bird Hall in the L.A. County Museum on Natural History (I recommend this!) and they had a pc with a cd room or laser disk or something....you pick the bird you are interested in and it runs a little show showing the bird in flight, playing a tape of the sound...cool! Second question: bird identifying. In my back yard (in L.A.) I was watching mockers, house sparrows and house finches and juncoes and saw this similar bird pecking around on the ground. Seed cracking bill, brown body, smooth light grey head with black stripes. Four stripes, two thru eyes and two more on crown evenly spaced. That's all I caught before it flew. Couldna find it in me book but then, I'm new and it took me two days and four picking thru the book to positively id a green backed heron. Ah well. Thansk! -- Jackie Burhans (burhans@usc.edu) Data Stylist, USC Student Affairs
news@olivea.atc.olivetti.com (news) (03/23/91)
Mike
sid@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Sid Johnson WB6VWH) (03/23/91)
In article <31315@usc> burhans@mizar.usc.edu (Mustang Sally) writes: >Being so successful last time, heres more: > >Does anyone out there use birding software (e.g. Plover, Birdbrain, >etc.) and can you give me a review of how you liked it? I'd like to > Of the various birding software reviews that I have read on this net, as well as BIRDCHAT and elsewhere, Plover gets the best reviews. As far as I can tell most use the program as an up front data entry program to a dbase program. I have not yet seen a review of the newer program datahawk. > >Second question: bird identifying. In my back yard (in L.A.) I was >watching mockers, house sparrows and house finches and juncoes and saw >this similar bird pecking around on the ground. Seed cracking bill, >brown body, smooth light grey head with black stripes. Four stripes, >two thru eyes and two more on crown evenly spaced. That's all I caught > Well, you didn't mention size of the bird but since it was in agroup of sparrows and Juncos, the description would lead me to believe it was a White-crowned Sparrow. They are quite comman here in So. Calif this time of year and the white crown is not always that apparent but the stripes that you mentioned are a good field mark for this bird. I,m not sure what part of the city you live in but I recommend finding out where the nearest birdwalk is held and joining in. That will help you learn the local birds in a hurry and also the key field marks to look for. >Thansk! >-- >Jackie Burhans (burhans@usc.edu) >Data Stylist, USC Student Affairs - -Sid ps. I think Mike tried to reply to this but all we got was his name.
burhans@mizar.usc.edu (Mustang Sally) (03/25/91)
In article <1991Mar23.145351.8041@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> sid@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Sid Johnson WB6VWH) writes: > >Of the various birding software reviews that I have read on this net, as >well as BIRDCHAT and elsewhere, Plover gets the best reviews. As far >as I can tell most use the program as an up front data entry program to >a dbase program. I have not yet seen a review of the newer program >datahawk. Yes, that was my impression after reading the articles a friend copied and sent me. The disadvantage to Plover seems to be that it isn't a world bird list program but only North America. Also, it was unclear if it would allow you to keep lists for multiple people. Hadn't heard of Datahawk and haven't seen any review of Birdbrain, the MAC program. I may have to suscribe to Birder. Its come to that. re: bird identifying question > >Well, you didn't mention size of the bird but since it was in agroup of >sparrows and Juncos, the description would lead me to believe it was >a White-crowned Sparrow. They are quite comman here in So. Calif this >time of year and the white crown is not always that apparent but the >stripes that you mentioned are a good field mark for this bird. Well this seems to be the consensus and I'm willing to accept it, especially after seeing them in bunches at Descanso Gardens, locally. I originally rejected this possibility because it seemed like it had black stripes on a grey head not black and white. But hey, maybe the lighting was bad. As a new birder I find myself sympathetic to all common and ordinary birds. Anything with common in the name and house sparrows (so cute! so plentiful!) even pigeons though that is sometimes a stretch. The ones that look healthy and have the "ancestral" coloring are really quite beautiful if you think about it. Its just that there are so darn many of them! >I,m not sure what part of the city you live in but I recommend finding >out where the nearest birdwalk is held and joining in. That will help >you learn the local birds in a hurry and also the key field marks to >look for. I live in Atwater Village, between Los Feliz and Glendale. Descanso Gardens, I just found out, has Audobon sponsored birdwalks on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of the Month. I'm signing up! Thanks! -- Jackie Burhans (burhans@usc.edu) Data Stylist, USC Student Affairs
sid@jato.jpl.nasa.gov (Sid Johnson WB6VWH) (03/26/91)
In article <31353@usc> burhans@mizar.usc.edu (Mustang Sally) writes: >In article <1991Mar23.145351.8041@jato.jpl.nasa.gov> sid@jato.Jpl.Nasa.Gov (Sid Johnson WB6VWH) writes: >> > >I live in Atwater Village, between Los Feliz and Glendale. Descanso >Gardens, I just found out, has Audobon sponsored birdwalks on the >2nd and 4th Sunday of the Month. I'm signing up! Thanks! > Descanso is a good walk to learn local birds. If you happened to show up yesterday for the walk you heard Karen state that birdwalks at Descanso ,as they currently exist, may soon come to end. That has already happened at Sepuveda Basin. If things are not resolved between the San Fernando Valley chapter and Descanso Karen has already made other arrangements to continue the walk under another sponsorship. If you did,t make the walk and are interested on what is happening, I can send you more info direct. -Sid sid@jato.jpl.nasa.gov > > > >-- >Jackie Burhans (burhans@usc.edu) >Data Stylist, USC Student Affairs