BirdDoc vs. Excel and paper lists

BirdDoc vs. Excel and paper lists: bird ringing software compared

BirdDoc replaces handwritten capture lists and Excel spreadsheets with direct entry at the ringing table: one clean record per captured and ringed bird, with no second pass of re-typing, with consecutive ring numbers, fixed fields and a uniform format — exportable at any time as an IWM and EURING file.

Please note: the BirdDoc app itself is currently available in German only. This page and the sign-up are in English; the product is not (yet).

• Recording

  Excel and paperEvery capture is noted on paper at the ringing table and later typed a second time into a spreadsheet.

  In BirdDocCaptured directly at the ringing table while the bird is in the hand — with no second pass.

• Ring numbers

  Excel and paperRing numbers are counted on by hand — a transposed digit often surfaces only late.

  In BirdDocThe next number in the ring series is suggested for you, consecutively.

• Format

  Excel and paperDates, measurements and codes are written differently from row to row and from person to person.

  In BirdDocFixed fields with one consistent format for every capture.

• Searching and analysis

  Excel and paperCaptures are spread across loose notes and scattered spreadsheets and are hard to search.

  In BirdDocEvery capture lives in one searchable dataset.

• Reporting to the ringing centre

  Excel and paperFor reporting, the spreadsheet is laboriously reshaped into the required format.

  In BirdDocOne schema for all captures, cleanly exportable as an IWM and EURING file.

BirdDoc is the digital station journal for bird ringing. Request access