Christmas Bird Count (CBC) Data Entry Instructions€¦ · 4.1 How to log in and out.....5 4.2 Updating your contact information in the system ... Recommended browsers You can return

Page 1 of 20 Copyright 2012 National Audubon Society, Inc.

Christmas Bird Count (CBC)

Data Entry Instructions

Last date of update: January 27, 2012

Christmas Bird Count office Audubon Science 545 Almshouse Road Ivyland, PA 18974 Email: [email protected] Website: www.christmasbirdcount.org Compiler’s web page: www.christmasbirdcount.org/compilers


Table of Contents

1. Computer Requirements for using the CBC data entry system. .................................. 3

2. How to Contact Us...................................................................................................... 3

3. CBC Participant Fees policy ........................................................................................ 4

4. Getting started. .......................................................................................................... 5

4.1 How to log in and out........................................................................................... 5 4.2 Updating your contact information in the system ................................................. 6

5. The Christmas Bird Count Home data entry page ...................................................... 7

6. The Compiler Menu..................................................................................................... 8

7. Working with the menus once you are inside your Circle Pages and General Tips...... 9

8. Posting your count date for the upcoming season.................................................... 10

9. Updating the Compilers for the Circle....................................................................... 11

9.1 Adding a new name to your Compiler or Participant List .................................... 12

10. Edit Participants list ............................................................................................... 13

10.1 Printable list of participants and payment settings........................................... 14

11. Downloading a blank field form for your circle....................................................... 15

12. Working on the Bird checklist................................................................................. 17

13. Start/End times, Effort, Weather forms.................................................................. 18

14. Add Total Species, Special Aspects......................................................................... 19

15. Paying Circle Fees .................................................................................................. 19

16. Marking your circle as completed and submitting your data for the year. .............. 20


1. Computer Requirements for using the CBC data entry system. If you use a PC:

Windows XP or Windows 7 operating system Internet Explorer 8.0 and higher or Google Chrome as your browser

If you use a Mac:

OSX or higher operating system A recent version of Safari as your browser

Browser Settings

Your browser should be set to allow “cookies”.

2. How to Contact Us By Email : [email protected] If you are experiencing technical issues, please email us with the following information:

Your computer operating system (e.g., Windows 7 or OS X). Your browser and version (e.g., Internet Explorer 8.0). A complete description of the problem or error message. Please be as precise as possible. Include

the text of any error message, and a description of what you were doing, or trying to do, when you received the message.

If possible, a screen-capture showing the problem. In Microsoft Windows, a screen capture can be obtained by holding down the “Alt” key, and pressing “Prnt Scrn” key. Then open up MS Word, or MS Paint and select from the menus, “Edit”->”Paste”. You should see the screen capture inserted into your document. Save the document and attach it to your email message.

By Phone: 215-355-9588 x10 By Fax: 215-355-2353 Availability Support is provided during normal business hours (9AM – 5PM Eastern Standard Time, M-F, except during the holiday break). During the CBC Data entry period we receive a high volume of requests for help. We will do our best to address your questions in a timely manner. Thank you for your understanding. By Surface mail: Send all CBC correspondence and remittance to:

Christmas Bird Count Audubon Science Office 545 Almshouse Road Ivyland, PA 18974

Please make sure to include your circle code and circle name on all correspondence. Please do not send CBC correspondence to the New York City office of National Audubon as that will cause delays.


3. CBC Participant Fees policy

The count fees collected during each CBC help to cover the cost of generating materials for compilers, producing the annual CBC summary issue, and maintaining the CBC Web site and database. The policy follows and a printable version is above:

There is a $5 per field observer fee per CBC. Feeder watchers and observers 18 years of age or younger are not asked to pay the fee.

Field observers pre-registering on a U.S. CBC for four or more counts pay a maximum of $20 for the four or more counts per season.

The primary compiler (only) is exempt from paying the fee for his/her count(s). Secondary compilers must pay the count fee if they participate as field observers. If secondary compilers are not field observers and only helpers they do not have to pay the fee.

Refunds for pre-paying observers will only be given in the event of a count's cancellation by the compiler. In the event of an observer paying $20 for five or more counts, in advance under the new discount, no fee will be refunded if one count is cancelled. If an observer pays $20 for four counts in advance under the new discount, and one count is cancelled, $5 will be refunded to the observer.

Non-attendance at a count by a pre-paying individual cannot be refunded. In Canada, fee arrangements are handled completely by Bird Studies Canada, the

Canadian partner of the CBC. In countries other than the U.S. and Canada, fees are optional for nationals, but requested

of North American (U.S. and Canada) participants. All paying U.S. participants and U.S. CBC participants 18 and under will receive a copy of

American Birds: Summary of the CBC, published once per year after the conclusion of the CBC season. This summary issue contains articles on the many ways that CBC data has shown us early winter bird population trends, as well as information about those that participate in the CBC. Participants can opt-out of receiving this publication.

Sponsoring groups, which may be Audubon Chapters, bird clubs, or other entities, in some areas may cover some or all of the participant fees for a given count or counts.

Since the CBC fee is a requirement of participation it is not considered a donation.


4. Getting started.

4.1 How to log in and out

Open your browser and go to www.christmasbirdcount.org . That will take you to the CBC website. From any of the CBC webpages, click on the “Data Entry/Review” link on the right-hand side of the page. That will take you to the screen below. Note that you will see this screen only the FIRST time you enter the system. Subsequently you will go directly into the system and bypass the login. Enter your username and your password as indicated. Click on <Log In>.

If you have forgotten your username or password click on the link provided and follow the instructions on the next screen.

To find out your username, fill out your first and last name and click on submit. The information will be provided on your screen. Once you find out your username, click on <Login Screen> to return to the log in portal. To find out your password, enter your username, then click submit. An email will be sent to the email address you have in your account to reset your password. Follow the instructions emailed to you to reset your password.

If you are not already registered as a user on the Citizen Science portal (and have never done data entry on a circle before as a compiler or have never pre-registered as a CBC participant)

Click here if you forget your Username or password


you will need to have a new account created on the system in order to do data entry for a CBC circle. To have an account set up, contact [email protected] A new account will be set up for you and you will receive an email with a link to log on and to reset your password. If you need to gain access to a different circle or an additional circle than previously, please contact us at [email protected] to ask for assistance.

Tip: To log out of the system, put your mouse over the menu with your name on it and click on logout. You do not have to log out, if you would prefer to stay logged in you can simply close your browser and the next time in you do not have to log in.

4.2 Updating your contact information in the system

To edit any of your profile information, click on “My profile” on the menu with your name and edit any items on the screen below. Currently there is no way to update your username, but that will be available in the future. Make sure to click on SAVE once you have made edits.

Go to the menu under your name to edit your profile or to log out of the system.


5. The Christmas Bird Count Home data entry page

Once you are logged you will see the Christmas Bird Count Home data entry screen. Note that the menus that appeal across this screen will depend on what access you have in the system. The home screen contains:

Contact information for the US and Canadian office of the CBC.

Links to the Compilers resources webpage that contains the compiler’s manuals, sample documents, rare bird forms, answers to questions, and other details.

The fees remittance form and fees policy

Data entry deadlines

Recommended browsers You can return to this screen at any time by clicking on “Home” in the upper left part of your screen.


6. The Compiler Menu

You will see a Menu item “Compiler” in the upper right. This is where you access data for your circle(s). The “Compiler” menu will show a list of all of the circles you are assigned to, and the data entry status of each. To do data entry on a circle, mouse-over the “Compiler” menu and select one of the circles listed there by clicking on it. Be aware that the Status: indicator will only say “Data Entry Begun” when you have completed the date and time portions of your data entry. This Status: indicator will change to “Completed” only when you check the “Data Entry Complete” box at the end of the process, after completing all entry pages.


7. Working with the menus once you are inside your Circle Pages and General Tips.

The items listed on the left-hand side of the page (the navigation) include: Circle Management Post the Count Date Participants List Compiler List Count Start/End Times Count Effort Count Weather Bird Checklist/Add to list Add Total Species Reports/forms Download Blank Field form (spreadsheet format file) Participants list (PDF format file) Count Summary Report (available after 1-30-12) Working in the data entry system will involve opening each page or work area to make edits. Open one of the forms to make your edits by clicking on the menu item listed under Circle Management on the left-hand side of the page. Tip – If you have work area open and that screen contains a long list (like your participant list or the bird checklist) you will have a scroll bar appear on the right, inside the work area, that you may need to use. Tip – If you make any edits to your data, you must click on the update or save link provided on that page before closing that page. Clicking on the black bar to close an area will NOT save your data.

Option 1: Click a link here to open a form in the work area to the right

Note – only one form can be open at a time in the work area.


8. Posting your count date for the upcoming season When you select a circle from the Compiler’s menu you see the menu of items available for editing on the left, and the work area for Post Count Date open on the right.

Select your count date using the calendar tool that pops up when you click on the down-arrow. Reminder: CBC count days are Dec 14-Jan 5, inclusive, each season. Posting the date of your count is an important first step. By posting the date, it is available on the website for any interested CBC participants to view. If the date is not posted, the circle is not “advertised” on the web. In addition, the count date is required before you can enter your bird checklist. In addition, on this page, you have the option of allowing online registration for your circle. This choice is completely up to you. The three choices that appear on this screen are described below/ You can decide to:

1) Yes, allow new participants to register online without any contact with compiler in advance 2) Yes, allow new participants in the circle, but do not allow them to automatically sign-up online,

and ask them to first contact compiler through email. 3) No, do not allow any new participants to volunteer for your circle count.

Participants who pre-register online in advance for 4 or more CBC circles pay a flat $20 and therefore can realize a savings. In order for participants to get this discount, enough circles must be set to allow online registration of new participants. Be aware of this when making your decision on this option for your circle(s). For more details on the CBC participant fees policy, please refer to the CBC Participant Fees policy in section 3 of this manual or on the compiler web page at: http://birds.audubon.org/faq/compilers#600n835


9. Updating the Compilers for the Circle

The Compilers List page is for the purpose of recording the historical primary and secondary compilers for the count in the database and for displaying the primary compilers name and email on the public web site as contact for the circle. This information should be reviewed and updated each year. The person who is the primary compiler should be flagged under Is Primary. Only one name can be flagged as primary. Any other names on this list are secondary compilers. If compilers also participated in the field on count day they can also be listed on the participant list. To mark the primary compiler, click Edit to the left of the person’s name. That will open the record for editing (below). Check the Is Primary box and then click on Update to save your changes.

Check the Is Primary box by clicking in it.

Save your changes by clicking on Update


9.1 Adding a new name to your Compiler or Participant List For the Compiler list or the Participant list, you can add a name using the following steps.

1. Click on Add New Compiler/Participant 2. Enter the first name and last name into the boxes 3. Click on Search. The system will search for a match. If a match is found you can

select it from the drop-down box. Once you’ve selected the match, press Submit to insert it into your list.

4. If no match is found, you can complete the rest of the form and then click Submit to insert it into your list.

A match is found in this case: No match is found in this case:

Select the match from the drop-down and make any updates on the form.

Then click Submit

If no match, complete the rest of the form and click Submit


10. Edit Participants list The participants list is available in advance of the count so that you can review and update any contact information about your participants in advance of the count. A downloadable list of participants is available on the left of the screen under “Reports/Forms” – see #10.1. All participant contact information that was previously entered for your count circle is brought forward for the current year. In addition, you have a link to enter any new participants for your circle. Note that any participants that choose to pre-register for your circle (if you set your circle to allow this) will automatically get inserted alphabetically on your participant list.

You can check the boxes under any of the columns on the participant list screen. If you edit the boxes on this screen, make sure to click on “Save Checkbox Edits” before leaving the screen. Payment Required – This should be set to yes (checked) for all field participants 19 and over,

except the primary compiler, and for feederwatchers who wish to receive American Birds. Feederwatchers should only be listed on the participants list if they pay the $5 fee and wish to receive the publication. Otherwise feederwatchers do not get listed on the participants list.

Remove – use this only to permanently remove a name from your list, in the case of someone

who is deceased or who specifically asked to be removed from your list. Under 19 – For those field participants who are under 19, check this box and the payment

required will be unchecked as the fee is not required for those under 19. Include – This is how you indicate if someone participated in the current year. Flag your current

year’s participants as “include” so that their names show up on current year’s reports, on the website and so that they will receive American Birds.

Opt-Out – this is specifically for opting-out of receiving American Birds – the published summary

of the Christmas Bird Count. Primary and secondary compilers can be included in the participant’s list. Primary compilers do not have to pay the count fee, but secondary compilers who participate in the field do pay the fee. Make sure the Payment Required boxes are set to reflect this. To edit a participant record, click on the blue edit link just to the left of the first name. This will open the screen to edit the record. Make sure to click on SAVE in the bottom right of the participants record to save your changes.


To add new participants to your list, refer to the steps in section 7.1

10.1 Printable list of participants and payment settings. The printable participant report is available on the left-side of the screen under “Reports/Forms” click on “Participants List” to download this report. Only participants flagged as “include” for the current year will show up on this report.

Participants report is here.


11. Downloading a blank field form for your circle

The downloadable blank field form is for your use in providing a customized checklist and field form for participants to note species, weather conditions and effort while they are out in the field. This form will not replace the current data entry methods for the circle, but is to be used offline. Currently there isn’t the capability to upload circle data using a spreadsheet. To download the form, click on the link Blank Field Form from the left-hand area under “Reports/Forms”. A pop-up will appear and ask you to save or open the file. Select to save the file, and navigate to a location on your local hard drive to save the file. Once the file has been saved, you can open this file with Excel or other spreadsheet program that can read *.CSV formatted files. Once you open the file, it will look something like the sample on the next page, with a list of the species seen on your circle within the last 50 years, in taxonomic order. Also included will be areas to complete the effort, time and weather information. You will need to format the document for your individual printer.

Blank Field form is here.


Blank field form as it looks when opened on your computer is below. You must use a spreadsheet program to view and edit the file.


12. Working on the Bird checklist The bird checklist area contains a grid that will display all birds reported in your circle’s history.

To complete your checklist, click on the Edit link in the left column for the species you wish to edit. It will pop-up with a box for you to complete (see below) with the number observed or cw, and the flags – Unusual Species, Unusually High, Unusually Low. Complete everything on that pop-up and then click SAVE. It will then display the number and flags in the grid.

Tip – You can sort your checklist by common name, scientific name or by taxonomic order by clicking on the sort options near the top of the checklist form: Tip – If you have to make any changes to numbers you previously entered you have to click on Edit in the first column of the line you wish to edit, and make any edits to the pop-up box. Tip – To add a new species to your list, click on any of the New links in the grid. This will bring up a search box to query on a species name and fill out details to add to the grid. Search on the full common name of the species to search, then select from the drop-down with your mouse-click, then complete the count number or cw and flags and click on SAVE.


13. Start/End times, Effort, Weather forms

Start/End times: You can enter one or more start and end time periods within your count day by selecting the values and clicking on Add. Click on the delete button to remove the time from the listing.

Effort: Make sure to FIRST complete the Observers in the field, at feeders and the Other time and distance values by entering the numbers and clicking Save at the bottom of the effort form. Once you have done that, then complete the Party hours and Distance listing box in the middle of the page by entering the values and selecting the type and clicking on Add.

Weather: Complete as many items as you can, using the drop-downs to make your selection, or entering the numerical values. Make sure your units are set correctly -- default is the US based units. Click Save at the bottom of the form to save your edits.


14. Add Total Species, Special Aspects

The system does not automatically calculate the total number of species seen on your count. Please read the definition of how to calculate a species on the Add Total Species page and then enter the total number and click Save.

The Special Aspects form is for the purpose of relating special aspects of this count -- historical or current. Information in this field is displayed publically in reports and becomes part of the official historical record of the count. This field is not to be used to ask questions – email should be used for that. Make sure to click on Save once you have entered the information on this form. 15. Paying Circle Fees To access the credit card payment page for CBC circle fees, mouse-over your Compiler menu and click on “Submit Circle Payment” which will appear at the end of your menu.

You can pay for one or more of your circles by completing the payment form below. Make sure that you enter your credit card number without any spaces. The name and address entered must match what your credit card company has on file. You have the option of having an email receipt sent to you when you click on Submit Payment. The payment system will take VISA, MC or American Express. Note you can also enter information for any donations made separately from fees including the name and address of the donor and the amount. Donation amounts are separate from the participation fees due for the circle.

Submit Circle Payments.


Tip – You must have your participant list flagged with all of the correct “include” settings in order for the payment screen to display the correct amount due for your circle. Circle Fees Payment Page Example:

16. Marking your circle as completed and submitting your data for the year. Once you have saved any data onto each of the forms, with the exception of the Special Aspects form (which is optional), the “Compiler Entry Completed” box will appear at the top of your compiler page.

Check this box when you have completed all of your data entry. A notice will then pop-up to notify you that once you save that checkmark, your regional editor will know that your data is complete. Click on Save to finish marking your circle as complete. Once you have marked your circle as complete, you will no longer be able to make any edits to your circle data, but will be able to run any reports listed under Reports/Forms. If you find that you need to make any corrections after you mark your circle as complete, please contact your regional editor or the CBC admin. Your regional editor must approve any edits after you have marked your circle as complete.

This is where you can mark your circle data as completed.

Documents

Christmas Bird Count (CBC) Data Entry Instructions€¦ · 4.1 How to log in and out.....5 4.2 Updating your contact information in the system ... Recommended browsers You can return