May I present you with BirdFiles?

We've been talking about doing BirdFiles all year long, and recently Terry prodded me on with it a bit more.

I have a history of occasionally releasing features here on DG on December 25th and this year is no different! Therefore, this afternoon I present you with a beta version of BirdFiles!

It is patterned after our BugFiles. You can add a new bird to the database, then post a comment and upload some pictures.

Currently it's unmoderated but I'm hopeful that eventually someone or someones will step up and volunteer to oversee this thing in the same way that kennedyh does with BugFiles.

You can access the feature by clicking on "Guides and Information", then "BirdFiles".

Have fun!

Dave

OMG...thanks Dave!!!!

What a great Christmas gift ^_^

Very cool. Thanks so much, Dave!

This is wonderful - thank you !

Oops! OK, I just tried adding a bird to the Bird Files. I clicked "add a new bird...".
When I entered all the order, genus, etc on the first page, I got the following message:

"The order ("passeriformes") and family ("troglodytidae") are not familiar to us. Before you can add this bird, you'll need to post the details to the BirdFiles How-to's forum."

When I click on the Hot-to's Forum link, it takes me to the DG home page.

Am I doing something wrong? Or perhaps we can't yet add anything and I'm jumping the gun?
Deb

Thank you.

What a wonderful Christmas present Dave. Thanks so much for adding bird files.

DebinSC, my bad! Please try again and see if it works this time.

I tried adding BirdFiles to my favorites, but it fails to show up.

Great Christmas present....thanks Dave

Wonderful addition to DG! Thanks!

Thanks!

Can Red-bellied Woodpecker be corrected to Melanerpes carolinus (not "Melanerpes m. carolinus"), and 'Woodpecker' given a capital, please?

I could probably help out with maintenance, if desired.

Resin

Resin would be the perfect choice for the position of maintaining BirdFiles.

Thanks for the Christmas gift Dave!!! You are super!!
Resin would make a super mod!!!

I just tried to upload a photo to the Bird Files photo forum but there was no Browse feature.

pelletory, I think that since this is still in the infancy stage, there is no browse feature. Until there are more files added, it might be that you have to add the entry for now and perhaps browse will come later. I'm assuming that you are wanting to browse to see if there is already a file for the one you want to add before adding it?

PlantFiles works a little different than Bugfiles though, so perhaps kennedyh can answer the question better than I can.

It's showing up in Favorites now, thanks.

Let's see how things go before adding moderators.

I would like to see Resin maintaining Bird Files also.

I just added a pic. of a Robin egg, hoping that is ok? I think it would be nice to have photos of their eggs as well, an aid in identification...

Why isn't there a Browse photo on mine?-Only Preview

O wonderful! Thanks for volunteering Resin!!!

LOL I just looked at the recent threads and birdfile entrys is sweeping the charts ^_^ Thanks everyone for contributing.

This message was edited Dec 25, 2008 6:18 PM

Thank you so much Dave for adding Bird Files!!!

Marilyn

My last entry failed to go thru, please remove....thanks.

You know...now we're gonna need a "Fun Random Bird" feature ^_^

threegardeners,

Exactly! :-)

Exactamondo thirded.

Just wanted to say at 11:39 pm Mountain time Bird File entries are still sweeping the charts on the recent threads. However I think it's ok to sleep friends. Bird Files will be there in the morning. Seriously this is a great Christmas present. Thanks again Dave.

Oh I've been waiting for this! Thanks so much everyone!

Dave, I tried to make an entry to BirdFiles that ended up a blank space....it looks really bad, could you please remove it from BirdFiles? Thank you!

This message was edited Dec 26, 2008 6:52 AM

Gardenpom, this is the only entry I see you made: http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/go/14/

Thank you, Dave. My fluffy junco thanks you, too.

Eventually, could we upload wav files with bird songs?

Thanks for this great feature! ^_^

I am noticing some have not put in the Order, Song Thrush is in Order Passeriformes.

http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/go/159/

Gulls in Order Charadriiformes

http://davesgarden.com/guides/birdfiles/go/170/

Also I think the word 'Gull' should have a capital. This information can be found by google and on Wiki,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black-headed_Gull

Edited to say 'Thrush' also has no capital.






This message was edited Dec 26, 2008 6:21 PM

These sites are also great for finding the order, family, genus and species.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/
http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/site/accounts/information/Parus_atricapillus.html

Fixed and fixed wallaby1

I'm curious. What are we doing with the birds that are named one thing in the US and another in Europe.

Example: I just tried to search for European Starling which is the correct full name for it in the US but it's coming up Starling which is incorrect.

Here is the page for them from the Cornell site.

http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/European_Starling.html

Thanks for your help.

As with PlantFiles, we are going to run into regional and national differences on common names.

I suggest we adopt a similar stance in BirdFiles, and include all commonly-accepted vernacular names. It can take some doing to track them down, but that will make it easier for anyone, anywhere, to locate a file by the name they are most familiar with.

So we're going with the American name?

We will enter all accepted common names so that wherever someone is located, they will be able to find each bird by the name that they are familiar with.

Just put a comma between each common name in the field and enter them all.