Two months on from my last foray into this forum, and 15,000 sightings to the good, all done by keyboard entry. I have some sightings that are recorded in checklist-style, which I think would be easiest to enter in Checklist Entry. However, there are just a small number of species in my checklists, 38 in one case listed taxonomically, and 22 in another listed in order of abundance. Is there a way to produce customised checklists to use for Checklist Entry,please?

Hi,

I have some sightings that are recorded in checklist-style, which I think would be easiest to enter in Checklist Entry. However, there are just a small number of species in my checklists, 38 in one case listed taxonomically, and 22 in another listed in order of abundance. Is there a way to produce customised checklists to use for Checklist Entry,please?

I am afraid I just don't get what you are after here. I haven't had my morning coffee yet. How are you using the term checklist when you say, "...there are just a small number of species in my checklists,..."? Please explain in as much detail as possible. 

Let's start here.

Jeff

Ah ha! Got it now.

Here is what you should do...

1. If you haven't already, create the location "Local Garden" (or whatever your prefer to call it) and place it in the proper location in your Location hierarchy. You may perhaps want to create your local county/shire, etc first and finally place this new location under that.
2. Now, you want to assoicate your 22 species with that location. For that we will use the Checklist Editor - found under the Advanced Toolbar button at the top of your BD window. Open the checklist editor now.
   1. Select the taxonomic list you will be using from the dropdown on the upper left "Location checklist" side.
   2. Click the Set button - don't forget this step
   3. Type your new Location name from #1 above into the Location field.
   4. Click the Load button - don't forget this step. It should load no birds.
   5. Now, in the Name field, type the name (of 22) of the first bird you want associated with this location
   6. Press ENTER on your keyboard - this activates the Search button and it will not find the name and therefore make the Add button the default button.
   7. Now press ENTER again; this will activate the Add button and add this bird to the grid below.
   8. Press the DELETE key on your keyboard; this will clear the Name field.
   9. Repeat 2.e through 2.h until you have entered all 22 names.
   10. Click the Update button at the bottom.
   11. Close the Checklist Editor
3. Open the Sightings Entry Setup window (ADD toolbar button)
   1. Select checklist entry method
   2. For Location Filter enter your new location from #1 above
   3. Select your taxonomic list and other settings;
   4. Click continue, and now your checklist entry will only have those species you associated with this location.

Let me know if I can assist further,

Jeff

Hi,

Be sure to reference the Online Users Guide section for the Checklist Editor here: http://www.birdersdiary.com/Documentation/BDV37/Windows/Checklist_Editor_Window.htm 

I must confess that I am having trouble determining where you are having a problem in your last post.

To add a new bird to your user-defined location is exactly the same as the procedure stated above. Exactly, except in step 2.d, it will load the birds you have already associated with this location. Now continue to add birds as you see fit and to remove a bird, clear the "F" column for that bird in the grid. (Typing the bird name in the name field and clicking the Remove button ("X") will do the same thing.)

Clicking Update will save all changes.

If you enter a bird via the Checklist Editor, it just adds it to your current entry session grid. It does not save it to the Checklist. To add this bird to this location permanently, you need to use the Checklist Editor as per above.

Let me know if you have more questions please.

Jeff

Hi BD,

Thanks much for the extra details.

I don't think the Checklist Editor can show a different set of things from Checklist Entry as long as you are specifying the exact same taxonomic list and location in each. Be sure to double-check that. And if you find that to be true, please let me know exactly which things are different.

RE: Pied Wagtail. Be certain you are following the exact steps as stated above and that you are specifying the same exact taxonomic list and location. If you exit the Checklist Editor and re-enter it, specify tax list and locaiton, does Pied Wagtail show? If not, then you are not saving it after adding Pied Wagtail. If it does show, then you are not using the same settings (tax list and location) for your Sightings Entry Setup window.

RE: Add Name usage in Checklist Entry. After using Add Name to add the thing to your checklist, you must still check it to state that you have seen it. It does not automatically check that bird off as seen by just adding it to the grid. If you click the Review button, how many things does it show in the list? 10 or 11? This functionality has been around for years and noone has ever reported a bug in this.

RE: Last paragraph above. We may be getting to the root of the problem here. When you say "Locations window" here, what are you referring to? The Location text field in the Sightings Entry Setup window; the Location text field in the Checklist Entry window; or the Locations Maintenance window? For this to work correctly, you must be specifying the same exact tax list and location in the Sightings Entry Setup window that you are specifying in the Checklist Editor window. Let me know if that is not clear.

Ok - I think we are making progress. Let me know on the things above.

Jeff

BD,

I just tested using Add Name in Checklist Entry to add a new bird to the grid. The counts were always correct when I clicked Add Sightings under various conditions.

fyi

Jeff

OK Jeff

RE: Pied Wagtail Taxonomic list issue - the "Survey Garden" Checklist is based on the BOU Tax List. When I checked the "Sightings Entry Setup", World Tax list was checked. On rectifying that, the Add Name usage in Checklist Entry issue (10 or 11) went away - the totals cross-checked. However, on re-creating the Tax List problem the issue obviously recreated itself (adding one to the total) - I wanted to check "Review" for future reference, and it showed the correct total.

I am saving "Pied Wagtail" in the "Checklist Editor", correct tax list set, and "Survey Garden" in the Location window and Loaded. On entering "Pied Wagtail" in the "Name" window (2 X Enter key) it comes up as "White Wagtail yarrelli" (to be expected) and when "Update" is pressed the program increases the number of records from 28 to 29 and the following window come up - "29 checklist records written successfully". After the "Checklist Editor" window is closed and then re-opened the number of records have reduced by one ie back to 28 and not showing "Pied Wagtail". The "Sightings Entry - Checklist" window shows only 28 without "Pied Wagtail".

I have added "Lesser Redpoll" to the checklist via the "Checklist Editor" and no problem.

RE: Last paragraph above. Where is the "Location Maintenance" window?

The Checklist is named "Survey Garden", and means just those species on the survey list. There are obviously other species that have been seen in the garden over the years, and I would not wish to separate the information (survey and historic). So in the "Locations" box in the "Sightings Entry - Checklist" window, vertically beneath "Date/Time" and above "Trips" I enter "Garden". So I guess that's the second of your options - "the Location text field in the Checklist Entry window".

Just to confirm I am using same exact tax list and location in the "Sightings Entry Setup" window that I am specifying in the "Checklist Editor" window

Ah - we are getting closer now.

You can add Pied Wagtail (a subspecies) to your "Survey Garden" using the Checklist Editor with the BOU taxonomic list selected. It will indeed associate the Pied Wagtail to location "Survey Garden". However, when you restart the checklist editor, you are not checking the "Show Subspecies" (Ssp.) checkbox. So it does not show. The same setting applies to the Sightings Entry Setup (for Checklist Entry). There is a show subspecies checkbox.

As for "Survey Garden" vs "Garden"... are both of these locations in your BD Location hierarchy? Above, you refer to the former as a checklist. Not sure how you are using both.

Jeff

Jeff

"Show Subspecies" has cracked it and "White Wagtail yarelli" now visible on both sides.

Both "Survey Garden" and "Garden" are in the heirarchy. "Survey Garden" (in my mind) refers to the specific checklist for garden survey species. However, I want to record the sightings entered from the checklist with other historic species, under the Location "Garden", hence the use of "Garden" in the "Locations" box in the "Sightings Entry - Checklist" window. Seems to work, as I can "Edit/View" those sightings, and they appear in the "V&E Sightings" window under "Location" as "Garden".

Hi Rich,

Excellent questions. And the answer is yes. The checklist editor in 3.6 is designed for this use and much more. Here is how you accomplish that. (The key is the copy... button at the bottom)

1. Open the Checklist Editor
2. Using the Location Checklist (left side of Checklist editor) only
   1. Select the taxonomy you are going to use
   2. Click the Set button
   3. Select the Location you want to copy from
   4. Click the Load button
   5. Now, click the little green checkmark button to the left of the "Copy" button at the bottom; this selects all records in the Grid (582 if using clements and location UK)
   6. Now, click on the Copy button at the bottom (still on left side only)
   7. You will be prompted for the location to copy these records to (you should have created the new location already)
   8. Check the Load checkbox to load that location after the copy
   9. Click OK
   10. Now your grid will be loaded with the new location and all selected species assigned to it.
   11. Edit your grid and remove species you don't want at the new location by clearing the "F"ound column.
   12. Be sure to Click the Update button when finished with your editing, or periodically during your editing to save your work.

That is it! Now, if you already have sightings logged against this new location, consider using the Sightings button at the bottom of the editor instead of the Copy button. This feature will add all species sighted at the selected location to the grid automatically.

Per your question in paragraph #2 above, you can now use this location checklist data with any feature in BD that uses that; Checklist reports, sightings entry, etc.

You cannot get a "when" or "Where" column in your checklist printout, but by sizing your columns appropriately, you can leave room on each row for notes of this nature. See screen shot below.

Jeff