Abandoned App?
Bug reported over 5 months ago and allegedly fixed and awaiting release. Since then no reply to e-mails, no fix, nothing.
Other apps claim supported by BWP (eg Life List) but they aren't, presumably needing an update that never happens.
Suspect abandoned. Shame as it has lots of great info and potential.
Other apps claim supported by BWP (eg Life List) but they aren't, presumably needing an update that never happens.
Suspect abandoned. Shame as it has lots of great info and potential.
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Amazing value
Amazing value for any serious birder. Though out of print used volumes are still popular, but the weight and the shelf space!
Great portable reference
The app is superb on my iPad. On the iPhone, it had initially difficulty loading in spite of there being ample space on the phone. Once it loaded, it provides a very useful reference. I very highly recommend it. Now I have a full reference to European birds, which I can carry even when I would never carry a paper volume.
As a small improvement, it would be very useful to be able to search for birds in any language (eg in scientific /Latin) independently from the language chosen for visualization.
I would be thrilled if there were a similar app for the US; there I have the Sibley but I like more the layout of this app.
As a small improvement, it would be very useful to be able to search for birds in any language (eg in scientific /Latin) independently from the language chosen for visualization.
I would be thrilled if there were a similar app for the US; there I have the Sibley but I like more the layout of this app.
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Response from developer
It sounds like you may have run out of space to load it. Please make sure you have at least 8GB of free space for the installation (it's less than that when loaded), restart your device, attach to your best possible wifi and try again.
No longer the book it was for bird sounds
For bird sound enthusiasts and noc mig enthusiasts this ap is a big disappointment. The original books with Joan Hall-Craggs, PAD Hollom and Patrick Seller all leading experts in bird vocalisations were the definitive handbook for this subject. Bird guides have systematically destroyed this side of the work. The sonograms have been eliminated, the original sounds that the texts were based on have been discarded. At different times they have introduced different collections of sounds (Roche etc) that have little connection to the original. There is no connection to the original recordings held by the British Library. With some work this could have been a scientific masterpiece for sound enthusiasts instead it’s a huge disappointment.
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Essential for birders
Absolutely brilliant to have this essential resource on the Mac. Fifth star will be awarded when I can increase the font size!!
Update - it is a menu option for the main text! CMD and "=". Awarding the fifth star now and assuming this feature will be added to the species list :)
Update - it is a menu option for the main text! CMD and "=". Awarding the fifth star now and assuming this feature will be added to the species list :)
Great
Some really unhelpful reviews here.
Great to have this back on my Macbook had the original DVD rom
Breeding info and pictures are great being someone with a dedicated interest in the breeding habits of birds.
Really recommend this - outstanding
Great to have this back on my Macbook had the original DVD rom
Breeding info and pictures are great being someone with a dedicated interest in the breeding habits of birds.
Really recommend this - outstanding
Doesn’t include BWP Update
Disappointing that the text has not been modified to include BWP update, which was made available as separate text with BirdGuides BWPi product many years ago.
For some species the updates are important, providing completely revised text to BWP (e.g. for Red-necked Grebe the update provides replacement text for Habitat, Distribution, Population, Movements, Food, Social Patterns and Behaviour, Breeding, and Geographical Variation plus new section on Cause or Mortality and Related Species. Without these updates the early volumes and the text in this app is now over 40 years old (vol 1 was first published in 1977)
The statement the this is a revision and update of BWP seems incorrect, for example Manx Shearwater uses the original text and includes Yelkouan and Balearic (although separate accounts for these species are also provided). Although photos have been added, as BWPi included text for BWP update and BWP Concise edition, I would argue that that version was actually more current - this versions seems a step backwards.
Also would have been nice if the app allowed text size to be altered, which I find too small for a phone app.
For some species the updates are important, providing completely revised text to BWP (e.g. for Red-necked Grebe the update provides replacement text for Habitat, Distribution, Population, Movements, Food, Social Patterns and Behaviour, Breeding, and Geographical Variation plus new section on Cause or Mortality and Related Species. Without these updates the early volumes and the text in this app is now over 40 years old (vol 1 was first published in 1977)
The statement the this is a revision and update of BWP seems incorrect, for example Manx Shearwater uses the original text and includes Yelkouan and Balearic (although separate accounts for these species are also provided). Although photos have been added, as BWPi included text for BWP update and BWP Concise edition, I would argue that that version was actually more current - this versions seems a step backwards.
Also would have been nice if the app allowed text size to be altered, which I find too small for a phone app.
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Excellent app
Three weeks in and still very happy that I bought this app. Not sure why there are those complaints about the age of some of the stats, the developers have been totally upfront that this is based on the original work from that period with some tweaks. Not had any problems going between this and the Collins guide and they compliment one another very well. Is it perfect? No, of course not, there are some minor niggles such as the mode of scrolling through the illustrations rather than having them full screen as in the Collins guide, but such things aside I cannot recommend this app highly enough.
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Response from developer
Thanks for your review. You can now also swipe between full-screen assets :)
Duplication
Quite easy; unless you want the xtra info BWP provides, then don’t bother. Buy the Collins app
And the extra videos within it. Videos in both provided by nature guides. Pictures/diagrams pretty much the same, although they do take some and spin them 180d to make them look different.
However, if you do want the extra info then it’s worth it.
And the extra videos within it. Videos in both provided by nature guides. Pictures/diagrams pretty much the same, although they do take some and spin them 180d to make them look different.
However, if you do want the extra info then it’s worth it.
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Response from developer
The illustrations used within Collins are taken from the Collins Bird Guide. The illustrations used in BWP are taken from the OUP title Birds of the Western Palearctic. There are far more illustrations per species than in Collins. There are also additional videos for the species that don’t appear in Collins.
Superb
I have just tried this out on my iPad and it is amazing, I do have shorter version of the books, but this is so easy to use and so well done. Reading some of the criticism, I can only think that the bugs have been fixed.
It works perfectly with the Collins app. Excellent photos (easy to switch from one to another) and excellent videos. All with the best information on every aspect of the subject.
I would not use this while out birdwatching - but at the end of the day to review and find out more about what I have seen. Also so valuable to take away on a birdwatching break.
Very pleased with it.
It works perfectly with the Collins app. Excellent photos (easy to switch from one to another) and excellent videos. All with the best information on every aspect of the subject.
I would not use this while out birdwatching - but at the end of the day to review and find out more about what I have seen. Also so valuable to take away on a birdwatching break.
Very pleased with it.
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