RSPB BIRDS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND

RSPB BIRDS OF BRITAIN & IRELAND

INTERACTIVE PC AND PDA EDITION

Description of the PDA Edition
The PDA Edition is essentially a scaled-down version of the PC Edition. Almost all the data and functionality found in the PC Edition is available in the PDA Edition. The following is a brief introduction to the PDA Edition. More detailed descriptions of all modules and functions are available in the help module for the PDA Edition, which can be found on both the PC as well as on the PDA.

PDA Download Manager
The PDA Edition includes a download manager which is installed to your PC with installation of the RSPB Birds of Britain and Ireland CD-Rom. The download manager includes options to install and activate the PDA Edition software, a list manager for downloading lists to and from the PDA, and a PC-based version of the PDA Help. To access this module, select PDA Edition from the start-up screen. Note the program requires your PDA to be connected to the PC, with Microsoft ActiveSync installed beforehand.

Home Page and Start Menu
The Home Page, Start Menu and Toolbar provide quick and straightforward access to any module. All logical functions are immediately available with a single tap of the stylus on the toolbar, and different modules are a mere menu-tap away off the Start Menu. Note that in the modules, the Start button is renamed to the module name e.g. Bird. If you are in one module and the option you require is not directly available, tap the start button and then the module you require will be on the list.

The Toolbar buttons are colour-coded for different modules, and use simple alphabet letters such as B for Bird, F for family, L for List, P for Picture and S for Sound. The colour-coding is as follows:

  FL = Family list and Family Pages
  BL = Bird List and Bird Pages
  PL = Personal Lists and Records
L● = Birding Sites (white background)
ID = Identification

Use the Back option on the menu to go back one step.

A summary of the short-cut buttons is as follows;

Family List:
FL = family list, P = family plate, Fs = list of family species

Bird List:
BL = main bird list, P = bird page, p> = next picture, T = text, S = play sound, M = distribution map, Ss = similar species, i = bird information (Name, alternative names),

Personal List:
PL = personal list, R+ = add record, Re = add record and edit details, RL = show all records of this bird, Rd = delete selected record.

Birding Sites:
= index of sites, = Zoom in, = Zoom out, = drag map, = view text, = Main Map, = site map

Bird List Map:
= index of sites, = Zoom in, = Zoom out, = drag map, = get a list for a location

Identification
ID = ID module, ? = list of ID categories, <= = go back, => = next screen, X = clear all selections, x = clear current page
i = current ID selection, L? = show bird list for current ID selection

FAMILY LIST
The family list is designed to provide quick access to all the birds, either via the family (field guide) pages, or the full bird list. Family pages are opened by tapping the P button on the family list page, or double-tapping the name in the list. Family pages are useful for browsing, comparison and identification, and quickly locating a bird by picture. Once you have selected a species, you can open the bird page, play the bird sound, add a record to your list, or open the main bird list at that bird.
On the screen, the currently selected bird is indicated by a red dot ● . The bird name is shown at the top of the screen. Tap a bird image once to select it, and double-tap to open the bird page. You can page using the arrows. < = > .

BIRD LIST
The Bird List can be used for selecting a bird to play sounds, view bird pages, and adding a record to your personal lists. The bird list module is opened from the Start menu, or from BL on the toolbar. Bird list and bird page options are green. The program is loaded with a set of standard Bird List options. These are English Family names, alphabetical order, and Check Personal List. Use the Options page to change these settings, or to revert to the full bird list. Check Personal List is a particularly useful function that compares the bird list with your personal list, and checks [X] the list.

On the screen, tap a bird name once to select it, double-tap to open the bird page. To search, tap in the search box and enter a name or number (use the keypad or transcriber in the bottom right corner of your screen). The total number of species in a list, and your position in the list, are displayed in the top right corner. To change the sort order, tap the header row. The arrow indicates which column is being used for sorting.

BIRD PAGES
The Bird Pages are accessed from most screens using the green picture button P . This opens the bird page for the selected bird, beginning with an illustration. To view the remainder of the bird data, including further illustrations, photos, texts and distribution maps, and play sounds and add bird records, use the shortcuts on the toolbar. p> will page through the illustrations, while > and < will page to the next or previous bird. You can also set the bird page to open to the main illustration (default), text or maps. Tapping the bird page screen on any picture will pop up an info box with picture captions.

Distribution Maps
The distribution maps include a colour-coded distribution map, conservation status indicator, and a British Bird List status classification. Different shades of colour are used for occurrence over land and sea. On the maps:

● Green = Resident, areas where a species may be seen throughout the year and where it breeds.
● Orange = Summer Visitor, areas where a species may be seen in summer and usually breeds.
● Blue = Winter Visitor, areas where a species spends the winter, but does not breed.
● Pink = Passage Migrant, areas that a species visits at times of migration, generally in spring and autumn

Conservation status indicator
The conservation status indicator shows the current population status of a bird in Britain and Ireland. It is displayed as a coloured box in the lower-right hand corner.

● Red = Red list: Red list species are those that are Globally Threatened according to IUCN criteria; those whose population or range has declined rapidly in recent years; and those that have declined historically and not shown a substantial recent recovery.
● Amber = Amber list: Amber list species are those with an unfavourable conservation status in Europe, those whose population or range has declined moderately in recent years; those whose population has declined historically but made a substantial recent recovery; rare breeders; and those with internationally important or localised populations.
● Green = Green list: Species that are not of conservation concern in Britain and Ireland.

British List Status
The status of a bird in Britain is displayed as coded letters on the conservation status indicator, in the lower-right hand corner.

● A = Species which have been recorded in an apparently natural state at least once since 1 January 1950.
● B = Species which were recorded in an apparently natural state at least once before 31 December 1949, but have not been recorded subsequently.
● C = Species that, although originally introduced by man, either deliberately or accidentally, have established breeding populations derived from introduced stock, that maintain themselves without necessary recourse to further introduction.
● * = a species on the Rarities list that requires a rare bird report if sighted.

PERSONAL LISTS
Personal List buttons are light blue. Personal lists are created by selecting a bird from a family page or bird list, and adding it to your personal list. The data fields recorded in the personal list module are directly equivalent to those in the bird list module of the PC Edition. The first time you select Personal List, or add a record ( R+ or Re ), the program opens the Personal List Options page. Select Create to enter a list name, and add the place and date. Then return to the bird list and start adding records. If you add multiple records of a single species to a list (different place or date), Species Count will count the number of records and report the number of species. RL will show a summary list of all records for a selected species.

Create or Load a personal list.
Select PL from the toolbar or Start - Personal List. Then select P-List - Options (the first time the module opens, it opens the Options page). Select a list from the drop-down box, or tap Create New List , enter the list name in the box, and tap Create. Next select the display options for your list (number, name and display order). Now enter the default Place and Date for records added to your list. Note that records added with the R+ button will be added with the default place and date.

Adding and Editing Records
You can add a record to your personal bird list directly using R+, or Re to add and edit a record. Re can also be used to edit an existing record. After editing, use Rs to save the changes. The data fields displayed for editing are as in the bird list module of the PC Edition.

Backup Data
You can Back Up your bird lists to a selected place on your PDA. NOTE: If you allow the battery to run flat, the PDA loses all programs and files saved to main memory. For fail-safe backup, you can choose to back up to the "iPAQ file store", or to an SD-card. Alternately, back up your lists to the PC edition.

BIRD LIST MAP
The bird list map will generate a bird list for any location. Simply click the arrow button on the toolbar, and then tap on the map. A red box will be drawn on the area you requested. If this area is correct, simply double-tap the map to open a bird list containing the birds commonly found in the selected area. To return to a full list, select the list of your choice from the bird list options page (press B-List and then select Options.)

BIRDING SITES
The Birding Site module begins with a detailed, navigable map of Britain and Ireland, and the location of all the major birding sites marked as yellow dots. Tap on the screen to zoom in, and tap a site to select it and display the site description. The currently selected site has a purple dot, and hovering on the site will pop up the name.

Birding Site Index
The birding site index lists all the birding sites in an easy-to-navigate tree, grouped by location. To view a site description, select a site from the list, then tap

to open the text. Selecting

will jump to the site on the main map, and

will show a site map.

IDENTIFICATION
The ID module can be used to create a shortlist of possible species. Once you have created a shortlist, you can view the possible species using the Bird Pages. The ID categories are Distribution, Habitat, Shape, and Plumage.

The toolbar options are as follows:

ID = ID module start button
? = show list of ID categories.
<= = go back to previous screen
=> = open next screen
X = clear all selections
x = clear selections on current page
i = current ID selection
L? = show bird list for current ID selection

To use the module:

select a category, then tap the selection or click the forward arrow
make a selection from the multiple choice options presented
on any page, you may select more than one option if you are not sure,
you may select from one or all of the main categories (Distribution etc).
Use Distribution, Habitat and Shape as an easy but effective way to start your shortlist.
Once you have completed your selection, tap L? to see the list of possible species.
If the list is still too long, you can return to the ID module and continue to further select from the ID categories.
Alternatively, if there are no birds left, try de-selecting some of the options, or adding some possibilities.
use the information pop-up i to view the current ID selection
Use the Bird Lists - Options - Show to select what type of image to view (the bird page can be selected to open to illustrations, map or text).

NAVIGATION
Finding your way around the PDA version is simple and logical. All logical functions are immediately available with a single tap of the stylus, and different modules are a mere menu-tap away.

The Start Menu lists all the main modules. Note that in the modules, the Start button is renamed to the module name e.g. Bird. If you are in one module and the option you require is not directly available, tap the start button and then the module you require will be on the list.

The Toolbar buttons are colour-coded for different modules, and use simple alphabet letters such as B for Bird, F for family, L for List, P for Picture and S for Sound.

Use the arrows to page forward > and backward < through the birds. Use the Back option on the menu to go back one step.

Bird List Options
The Bird Lists and Personal Lists have an Options page available off the Start Menu (B-list for Bird list, and P-list for Personal list). Here you can select the list to display, the names and numbers to display, and also the order to display the list in.

Minimising and Exiting the Program
The X at the top right corner of the PDA screen will minimise a program and not close it.

To minimise the RSPB pda Edition, simply close with the X button at the top right of the program screen. When you start the program again, it will open to the last screen before closing. Switching off the power with a program screen open has the same result - when you switch it back on, it opens to the same screen. This is particularly useful in the field if you are working with a bird list for adding records, or have selected a bird for sound playback.

The RSPB pda Edition also has an exit button off the Start menu, that will close the program completely. The next time you start the program, it will open to the Home Page.

Note that all programs closed with the X button at the top right of the program screen are in fact minimised and remain resident in memory. If you have closed the RSPB pda Edition and the PDA is low on memory, the program will not restart. Go to the Windows Start button, select Settings (below Programs), then System, Memory, Running Programs, and Stop All running programs. Then restart the program.

Searching
The bird lists have a Search option at the top of the screen. Click in this box, and use the keyboard at the bottom right of the toolbar (tap to open, tap again to close) to enter a name or number. Then tap search. An option to using the keyboard is the transcriber, found off the pop-up arrow at the bottom right of the toolbar. It is quicker and easier to use than the keyboard.

Info, Captions and Pop-ups
Tapping any screen will usually pop-up an information box. The alternative bird names are available in this way. Information about the modules is also available from the Start - Info menu. If you hold the stylus on a button (press gently, don't tap), a pop-up will describe the button.

Entering Text
Entering text for searching or recording notes is fairly simple. In the bottom right corner of the screen is a minimised keyboard. Tap this and it will enlarge. To enter text, first tap in the box for text entry, then type from the keyboard.

Immediately to the right of the keyboard is a small ^ arrow. Tap this to open a list of text entry options. The transcriber is a useful option that allows you to write on the screen. Simply tap in the text entry box, select transcriber, and write. The transcriber can be trained to suit your writing. Use the Pocket PC Help if you have any problems with these options.