eBird by Cornell Lab

Levi Metzger

2 years ago

I love eBird, no question about it. However, to do literally anything with the app, location has to be on, which is very unnecessary except for recording track. It should be possible to set a default location for Explore and My eBird, rather than being forced to turn location on every time I open the app. It's incredibly annoying that you have to use 24-hr time if you change the time of the checklist. Being able to upload media would also be helpful.

Atlee Hargis

3 years ago

Truly, the eBird app is a 4.5 but because it's the only real birding checklist app it gets a 5. My complaints are as niche as the Vampire Finch. Primarily, the need for data connection when trying to bird in new or remote areas can be frustrating. This sometimes results in delays while the app tries to communicate with the server, the lack of accurate expected species, and the inability to select hotspots because they don't load. That aside, it's THE birding app and pairs perfectly with Merlin.

Tom

3 years ago

SO CLOSE to being great. This app is packed with information, making it particularly valuable for new birders like me. That said, I only watch in my backyard and do not wish to "record track." I made sure to toggle "record track" off. Still, the app attempts to "determine my location" as soon as I change tabs. I end up stuck in a loop until I turn location on and it's very frustrating. I'd love to have an "offline" version where you can navigate without messing with location settings.

Andrew Hlavaty

1 year ago

NOT USER FRIENDLY! It's difficult to quickly add a single bird without doing the whole checklist business. You have to "name" the locations for whatever reason, even though they have the gps data. You can't download all 50 states at once, it's state by state. Viewing your life list is way too complicated as well. The only thing that's good is it's the only app that has a complete list of all birds worldwide. If you're just in the US, however, Audubon is far superior.

prateek kulkarni

2 years ago

The app is one of the best resources to start looking for bird species. Been using the app for over a year and never had anything major to complain about. But just today, something seems to have broken. There's a "download error (unable to update)" dialog showing up at every startup. Haven't been able to use the app on Android today.

A Google user

6 years ago

Easy to use app that helps you submit your birding checklists. The newly added "My eBird" functionality shows you how many species you have seen in a given area that year, how many you were at in previous years, etc. The automatic GPS tracking for time and distance in traveling checklists is also a bonus. Every year the app gets better! Can't wait to see what they add next.

A Google user

5 years ago

Could be great but there are a lot of problems. The new update was meant to bypass entering a location until you were ready. The problem is, you still have to have your GPS on before you can start a list. If you don't use your GPS, it now takes longer to start a list than before the update. Merlin is a great app on its own, but it should be a part of ebird. You should be able to ID a bird through Merlin on the ebird app instead of switching back and forth. Also, life list? No, Merlin has it?

A Google user

5 years ago

Since the update, the app is hardly usable out of cell range. Today, with location on and GPS apps working fine, Ebird struggled for 3 minutes and never was able to find a location though I was in open country. I then was able to scroll through all the countries in the world to find a US list. Why not let us open a recent location first and then edit it later? Very frustrating. Pixel 3/Android 10.

Travis HG

1 year ago

The location setting is so problematic. I can't just enter an address or drop a pin on map. So I went to use their web version and it's impossible via chrome. Every time you try to zoom the keyboard pops up and then zooms you all the way out. I'll try on the laptop later. The time date and location on the checklist screen are not intuitively clickable/changeable. Took awhile to figure that out. It wants to track duration for some reason. I like their other app, Merlin. Hope this one gets better.

Michelle Browning

1 year ago

eBird - both the website and the app - are a little tricky to learn at first. The interface for both isn't really intuitive, and it's easy to give up in frustration. Thankfully, Cornell has A+ tutorial videos on the website, and once you understand that the app is for data input while the website is for data analysis, you're good to go. Stunning that this is free, eBird is a scientific powerhouse to see how your own personal life lists plug into a bigger picture.

Sorak

1 year ago

I find it really annoying that there is a mandatory non-skippable, no disable, checking for updated bird lists in an area. In every new area you visit, even 5 miles apart. If i am in an area of poor signal this can take 10 minutes or more to complete. Not worth it. I don't care about an updated bird list. I want to catalog what I see, quickly & move on to using my phone for other things while enjoying the outdoors. 98% of the time that is birds have seen before and I'm updating counts.

JD Flores

1 year ago

Nice interface and simple to use. Most handy feature as a birder is being able to see what birds are being reported nearby and filtering your target birds for a region. Biggest con to the app is the offline usability. Sometimes you'll have to wait to regain signal before you can submit a checklist. I also wish that viewing your life list was a little straight forward on this app but if use Merlin for sound ID and link your account you could easily see your life list there.

Donald Busack

1 year ago

First off, I love eBird on the PC. The app is a bit problematic. It is extremely annoying to spend 4 hours logging bird sightings only to have it tell you "There was an error submitting your checklist." No hint as to what the error is, just will not submit. I like the mapping and the app in general, but kinda useless if you can't submit.

Corvus Strigiform

1 year ago

EDIT: app now has a bug where it opens my last checklist and restarts it wherever I am when opening at and teleports the entire track to there. Could use more support to be able to view information from within the app instead of redirecting to browser. Would like to be able to view photos, audio, etc in the app. Otherwise functions well and makes contributing to citizen science more accessible for a lot of people.

Kelly N

1 year ago

This was working perfectly from October 2023 until today February 2024. I got a new phone but my app data was backed up. However, when I logged in, it no longer lets me save birds or add a new location. It only allows me to choose from "nearby" locations that are over 1 mile, or an old one. I absolutely loved this app, I don't know what I'll use to bird watch now :(

Laura P

1 year ago

After taking the "eBird Essentials" course, I found the app easy to use in the field. It is extremely helpful when there are more than a few birds, or when you will be moving around the site for more than a few minutes, because it offers quick data entry and automatic tracking of time and distance. Initially I encountered an error about downloading a bird list when trying to choose a location but this later disappeared. Recommend that developer removes the bird list download at this point.

Max Binder

1 year ago

It's a nice idea, but it's too complicated for a simple life list. I just want something that let's me search a database by bird and fill in the rest manually. I don't need timers and checklists. Also, it should just be part of the Merlin app, especially since the bird packs have to be downloaded twice (and eBird doesn't have an option for all of North America, just each state).