Importing Sightings From Birder’s Diary Mobile

Since v2.0 of BD Mobile, you now have two options for transferring Sightings from BD Mobile to BD Desktop.

  • Birder’s Diary Cloud Server (PREFERRED)
  • eMail

You select the option you want to choose using the Configuration option (Wrench button) on the home page of BD Mobile.

Look for the Submit/Export Settings section on this page.

The Submit Method allows you to choose either Cloud or eMail.

Export/Import using the Birder’s Diary Cloud Server

This option, new in v2.0 of BD Mobile, allows you to quickly upload the Outing to the Birder’s Diary Cloud Server. Your data is safe and private.

This is the preferred option. It skips the steps of opening eMail, saving an attached file and importing that file.

To set up this option, touch the Config button (Wrench) on the home page.

  • Scroll down to the Submit/Export Settings.
  • Set your eMail Address. This is used as your username for the Cloud when choosing the Cloud option.
  • Set your Cloud Access Key.
  • Change the Submit Method to Cloud API.

On Birder’s Diary Desktop, you must configure it to match your specified eMail address and Cloud Access Key specified on BD Mobile.

  • Run BD Desktop on your PC
  • Select View | Options, General – 2 Tab
  • At the top, set your eMail address and Access Key to match what you specified in your BD Mobile settings above.

Once you set this up,

  • When you Submit an Outing from BD Mobile, it will go to the Cloud database where it stays until downloaded by BD Desktop.
  • Every time you start BD Desktop on your PC, it will check to see if you have any Outings to download and import.
    • If found, it will prompt you to import the Outings
    • You can also manually force the check from “Features | Sightings | Check for NEW BD Mobile and eBird Import Files (Ctrl+I)”

Export/Import using eMail

Setup:

  • Choose “Submit via eMail” as your Submit Method on the App configure window, available via the Wrench button on the home screen.
  • Specify your eMail address here as well.

When completing Outings using Birder’s Diary Mobile for Android, you will eMail a Sightings Import File from your Android device running Birder’s Diary Mobile to your Desktop computer running Birder’s Diary Desktop.

Once you are at your desktop computer with Birder’s Diary Desktop and have received your eMail containing the import file (BDMOBILE-SIGHTINGS-IMPORT-xxxx.csv), using your eMail client, save the import file to your local computer. A good place to save it is to C:\Birder’s Diary.

Start Birder’s Diary Desktop.

 Once you import your first BD Mobile file, every time you start BD Desktop, it will check the same directory to see if one or more new import files are present to be imported. And you will be prompted to import the file. This is a great time-saving feature. Click on the Import button to be taken to the Sightings Import window.

If you were not prompted to import a file, then go to the Sightings Import window:

  1. Click on File | Import/Export…
  2. Select the Sightings Tab

  1. Select the “import Sightings from CSV-formatted File” option
  2. Select the observer for whom the sightings will be imported
  3. NOTE: No need to select the Taxonomy. Imported names will be auto-matched across multiple taxonomic lists.
  4. Click the Import button

Your sightings will be imported. You will be prompted if any names or locations are unknown.

After import, you will be asked if you want the import file deleted.

Auto Create Trip on Export

New in v5.3.16, you will be prompted if you have a Track file to import. This Track file is exported and sent to you via eMail along with your Sightings import file if you configure this option on the Finish Outing window configuration page – “Submit Checklist Options”. If you import a Track file, it must be attached to the Trip you created for the Sightings imported. For this reason, it is also a good idea (it saves you a couple steps) to use the option to auto-Create Trip on Import; also available from the Submit Checklist Options page.