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Christmas Bird Count (CBC) Data Entry Manual: Instructions on how to enter data for a CBC circle

Last date of update: December 11, 2009

CBC Offices: Geoff LeBaron, CBC Director Kathy Dale Audubon Science – CBC office 545 Almshouse Road Ivyland, PA 18974 cbcadmin@audubon.org

Table of Contents

1. General Tips for working on CBC data entry and how to resolve problems................... 3 1.1 Supported Browsers .............................................................................................. 3 1.2 General tips ........................................................................................................... 3 1.3 How to Contact us for help..................................................................................... 4 1.4 CBC Participant Fees policy .................................................................................... 5

2. Getting started. ............................................................................................................ 6 2.1 How to log in ......................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Registering for access to the Citizen Science portal or updating your information .. 7

3. My Projects Page......................................................................................................... 9 4. My Roles Page ............................................................................................................ 10 5. Circle Status page ...................................................................................................... 11 6. Posting your count date and downloading a blank field form ..................................... 13

6.1 Posting your count date for the upcoming season ................................................ 13 6. 1 Download a Blank Field Form .............................................................................. 14

7. Entering Count Data ................................................................................................... 16 7.1 Start and End Times for Count Circle .................................................................... 16 7.2 Effort Form .......................................................................................................... 17 7.3 Weather Form...................................................................................................... 20 7.4 Bird Checklist Entry ............................................................................................. 22 7.5 Add-a-Species to the checklist ............................................................................. 23 7.6 Add Total Species ................................................................................................ 24 7.7 Special Aspects .................................................................................................... 25

8. Entering/Editing participant information ................................................................... 26 8.1 Editing last year’s participant list to use for the current year ............................... 26 8.2 Entering New Participants for your circle ............................................................. 28 8.3 Running a printable report of circle participants .................................................. 29 8.4 Submitting your CBC circle fees ........................................................................... 30

9. View/Edit Compiler information................................................................................. 32 9.1 View/Edit Primary Compiler................................................................................. 32 9.2 Enter/Edit Secondary Compiler ............................................................................ 33

10. Count Reports .......................................................................................................... 34 11. The Last Step – Submitting Data .............................................................................. 35

1. General Tips for working on CBC data entry and how to resolve problems. 1.1 Supported Browsers PC Platforms:

• Internet Explorer 6.0 and higher • Firefox 2.0 or higher • Netscape 7.2 or higher

Mac Platforms:

• Safari • Firefox 2.0 or higher • Netscape 7.2

Browser Settings

• Make sure that you have Javascript or “active scripting” enabled for the cbc.audubon.org web site.

• You will also need to have “cookies” enabled for the CBC site to correctly display your current status. Make sure that your browser is set to receive cookies from cbc.audubon.org.

• You should also disable any popup blocking software that you have installed for the cbc.audubon.org site. Most popup blocking software allows blocking to be disabled for specific sites, but the details of doing so vary according to the software.

• We do not recommend using more than one tab in your browser when entering data into the CBC system.

1.2 General tips • If you are a PC User: we recommend using a currently supported version of Windows (such as 2000, or

XP). Windows 95, 98 and ME are no longer supported by Microsoft, so we are also unable to assist you if you encounter problems using the CBC system while you use these old operating systems.

• If you are a Mac User: we recommend using at least OSX (OS 10). Previous versions of Mac OS are no longer supported by Apple, therefore we are also not able to provide help. Make sure all security including pop-up blocking is turned OFF (temporarily) and make sure Javascript and Cookies are turned ON (allowed). You can adjust your settings during your CBC data entry session and then resume your secure practices after your CBC session if you wish.

• Internet Connection: a 56K phone connection is the minimum recommended link to the Internet when

using this application. As with all other web sites, a faster Internet connection will result in a better experience. The response time of the application is directly related to the speed of the connection.

• Preparing for your data entry session: Make sure that you have your CBC data ready to enter when you log into the system. Don’t spend your online time resolving calculations or preparing your data for entry – the system will “time-out” and you will loose connection to the database. If you must take a phone call, walk away from your computer, or work on a calculation, make sure you save your work before exiting the system and log back in later when you are ready to enter more data. In the event of a timeout, any data not saved must be re-entered.

• Please be aware that in order for us to communicate with you by email you may need to “unblock” emails coming from the email address cbcadmin@audubon.org. Many internet services automatically block emails unless the user specifically requests an address. Please check with your internet provider if you are not able to use the password reminder or if you have not yet received any emails about compiler activities from cbcadmin@audubon.org.

Common Problems and Answers

Q: I click on a button/menu and nothing happens.

A: You must have Javascript or “active scripting” enabled for the CBC web site in your browser. For Internet Explorer go to tools - internet options - security - internet - custom level - active scripting.

Q: My changes are not displaying.

A: try clearing out the “cached” files in your browser. To do this in Internet Explorer go to Tools/Internet Options/Delete Temporary Internet Files. To do this in Netscape 6.x go to Edit/Preferences/ click on the Advanced item to expand it, highlight “cache” and click on “clear disk cache.

Q: I get the message “Connection Refused” or “Access Denied” when trying to connect to the CBC web site.

A: Your firewall may be set to restrict interaction with the CBC server. If so, the firewall has to be set to allow access to "cbc.audubon.org". Some of the newer versions of Norton Anti-virus and McAfee anti-virus also sometimes act similar to firewalls. You may need to re-adjust settings in these programs to gain access to the CBC database. If you are behind a corporate or 3rd party firewall, check with your network administrator to ensure that you can access our site.

Q: I get a security warning pop-up on my screen when trying to pay circle fees by credit card.

A: The security alert that you see when entering the area to pay online by credit card is a notice that your browser sends you to indicate a secure transaction is about to happen, and that has not happened previously (hence the notice about the certificate being out of date). This notice is only a warning and clicking on OK should re-establish a security certificate for the purpose of continuing the secure credit card transaction. Once you hit OK, the transaction is secure for the time period of this one transaction.

Q: How do I enter my credit card information?

A: When entering your credit card number be aware that it should not contain spaces, non-numeric characters, or dashes. For example enter your credit card number as: 5555666622224444. When you are finished and ready to submit your payment, click on <Submit> only ONCE! No matter how slow it seems, if you click more than once, you will end up submitting your payment more than once.

Q: I entered my start/end times and saved them, but I do not see them when I went in to review the data. What happened?

A: Some users of Netscape 7.x, and users of Windows XP/Netscape 6.x, or some Mac users may experience problems completing start/end times, weather or effort. If you are not able to save, please contact us by email (see section 1.3 below) with the details of what you need to have completed, along with your circle code and circle name, and we will complete the data entry for you.

Q: I am a Mac user and do not see the weather option I need to enter. What do I do?

A: Mac OSX/IE 5.x users cannot see all options in the dropdowns of effort and weather. In addition, these users may not be able to save start/end times. If you do not see the option you want, or cannot save your selections on that page, contact us by email (see section 1.3 below) and provide the details of what you would like to save, including your circle code and circle name, and we will complete the data entry for you.

1.3 How to Contact us for help By Email CBCadmin@audubon.org If you are experiencing technical issues, please email us with the following information:

Address your e-mail to CBCadmin@audubon.org It is imperative to include your 4-digit CBC Circle code in the subject line of the email so

that we can make sure your email gets addressed. Due to the occurrence of spam we need to be able to easily ascertain if your email is valid.

Please be sure to include your count code and name in the body of the email. Please make sure any email-blocking software on your system is set to accept email from

the "Audubon.org" extension, otherwise our response may not get through. Your computer type and operating system (e.g., PC, Windows XP; Mac, OS X).

Your browser and version (e.g., Internet Explorer 7.0, Firefox 3.5). 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.

A phone number and the best time to reach you. 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.

Availability Support is provided during normal business hours (9AM – 5PM Eastern Standard Time). 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 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. 1.4 CBC Participant Fees policy • There is a $5.00 fee per U.S. resident field participant per count. • Feeder watchers and all observers 18 and under may count for free. • The primary compiler (only) is exempt from paying the count fee. • Secondary compilers must pay the count fee if they participate as FIELD OBSERVERS. If secondary

compilers are helpers only they do not have to pay. • All types of compilers get a copy of American Birds regardless of payment status. • One individual may choose to participate in 4 or more count circles and pay only a flat fee of $20. This

discount is available only for participants registering at least 48 hours in advance online. • If someone registers for 5 counts, pays $20 then one of the counts is cancelled we refund nothing except

in the case that if they register for 4 counts and one is cancelled, we have to refund $5. • Refunds of CBC fees will be issued ONLY if a count is cancelled. In this case, the compilers must notify

Audubon of the cancellation of the count for refunds to be issued to pre-registered participants. • Persons who pre-register but do not show up on the day of the count are not eligible for a refund of those

fees. • All paying U.S. participants, U.S. participants 18 and under, and compilers will receive a copy of

American Birds: Summary of the CBC. • U.S. participants have the opportunity to opt-out of receiving this publication if they indicate this online or

if they do not submit their address. • Other participants (nationals) of counts outside the U.S. are not required to pay fees; North American

participants on counts outside the U.S. are requested to pay the fee.

2. Getting started.

2.1 How to log in

Open your browser and go to www.audubon.org/bird/cbc. That will take you to the CBC website. From any of the CBC webpages, click on the “Data Entry/Review” link on the left-hand side of the page. That will take you to the screen above. Enter your username and your password as indicated. Click on <Log In>. If you have forgotten your password, click on Forgot Password. It will prompt you to enter your email address, then click <Submit>. An email from the cbcadmin@audubon.org mailbox will be delivered to you containing your password. Make sure you set your computer to “unblock” emails from this address. 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) you will need to create a new account to get access to the system. Instructions for that are in section 2.2. Please do not register as a new user if you have previously used the system – it ends up creating duplicates which causes a problem. If you need to gain access to a different circle or an additional circle than previously, please contact us at cbcadmin@audubon.org to ask for assistance.

Click here if you forget your password.

Click here if you wish to register.

2.2 Registering for access to the Citizen Science portal or updating your information

To register as a new user:

a. Click on Register New User on the login page (below the password box). You will come to the screen above.

b. Complete all fields that are marked with a “*”. c. Be aware that the case of each letter you use to define your username and password

matters. If you wish your username to be in lower case, make sure to enter it in lower case.

d. Your username can be any single-word phrase you wish to use and does not have to be the same as your email address.

e. Enter a password of 6 characters or more. Re-enter it to make sure it is saved correctly. f. Make sure to complete the email address field with a valid email as this is what is used for

CBC correspondence and announcements. The email address you use cannot be in use by another compiler in the system.

g. Click on <Save> when you are finished. h. This is the first step in the process of gaining access to a CBC circle as a compiler. The

second step is to contact the CBC administrator so that we can connect you to your CBC circle in the database. Contact us at cbcadmin@audubon.org.

Compilers are responsible for updating their own addresses, emails, passwords or other contact information. To edit existing information:

a. Once you have logged into the Citizen Science portal, click on “My Account” at the top of the screen.

b. You will come to the screen above. c. Make any edits you wish including updating your mailing address or email if they have

changed. d. Click on <Save> on bottom of the screen to save any changes.

3. My Projects Page

After you log into the system, you are first presented with the “My Audubon Projects” screen. This will give you access to the CBC project as well as any other projects within Audubon in which you may be involved. Click on <CBC> to gain access to your compiler data entry.

4. My Roles Page

The “My Roles” screen is for the purpose of presenting to you all of the ways you might participate in a CBC – i.e. as a compiler, as a pre-registered participant (registered for participation in a circle and paid the CBC fee before the day of the count), and as a regional editor. If you are a compiler but not a regional editor, you will only see a highlighted link to your circle under “Compiler”. To post your count date or to do data entry on your circle, click on the link to your circle code or the name of the circle (both will take you to the same place). 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 on the circle status page, after completing all entry forms.

5. Circle Status page

The Circle Status page is your “home base” and will show data entry progress on various aspects of the count. Once a count date and the start and end time has been entered, you will see green check marks appear next to those items on the Circle Status page. No other items can be completed until the Date and Start/End Times are entered and saved. Note that the Add Species to Checklist item will not have a green checkmark appear even if used. In addition, from this page you have access to a printable rare bird report form (requires Adobe Reader), a listing of your unusual species, a list of your secondary compilers and sponsors, a count of participants for the current year, and a summary of payments made by credit card under Payment Summary. The “Payment Summary” section will list the number of active participants in your circle based on the number of participants you flag as “include” on the participants screen (see section 8.1), the total amount for any pre-registrations, the total amount of fees due for Count Day participation (based on number of active participants times $5, excludes pre-registration), the total amount of payments submitted for the circle by credit card to date, and then finally, any remaining amount due. You may submit more than one credit card payment for your circle and the system will keep track of the running total. After data entry is begun in Date, Time, Effort, Weather, and the Checklist, a “data entry complete” checkbox will appear below the Sponsors section on the Circle Status page. At that point you will be able to indicate that your data entry is complete by checking that box and by clicking on <Save> at the bottom of the page. If you need to go back and edit you data once you have checked the “data entry complete” box, simply return to the circle status page, click in the “data entry complete” box to uncheck it, click on <Save> at the bottom of the page. Your data forms will again be available for editing. Once you are finished, make sure to check the “data entry complete” box and <Save> again. On the left-hand side of the work area are menu links to a variety of CBC data entry tasks. The following is a list of the menus with the “hidden” menu items listed below each: Post Count Date Download Blank Field Form (CSV) Edit Participants List/Pay Circle Fees View/Edit Participant Enter Participants Participant Report Make Circle Fees Payment View/Edit Primary Compiler Enter/Edit Secondary Compiler Enter/Edit Count Data

Start and end times Effort Weather Bird checklist Add species to checklist Add total species Special Aspects

Download Blank Field Form (CSV) (same as above)

Count Reports Participants Report Count Summary Report

6. Posting your count date and downloading a blank field form 6.1 Posting your count date for the upcoming season

CBC count days are Dec 14-Jan 5, inclusive, each season. Posting the date of your count is an important first step to your data entry. 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 them in advance 2) Yes, allow new participants in the circle, but do not allow them to automatically sign-up

online, but ask them to first contact you 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). Also, be aware that as your count date approaches, information about your circle date and description that appears to the general public on the website will disappear 48 hours before your count date. This is automatic. For more details on the CBC participant fees policy, please refer to section 1.4. 6. 1 Download a Blank Field Form

The downloadable blank field form was added in the 109th CBC. This feature is available from the “Post-a-date” page and also as a link just above the “Count Reports” link. This new feature is for your use in providing a 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 to it on the left-hand area of the page. 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.

7. Entering Count Data 7.1 Start and End Times for Count Circle

Specify a start or end time by using the pull-down menus to select an hour, quarter-hour, and am/pm. You must specify at least one start time and one end time to be able to enter your bird checklist. If your count times are discontinuous, specify additional times by using additional rows of inputs. For example: If your nighttime and daytime hours are discontinuous, give both sets. First row of entry boxes: 1:15 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. Second row of entry boxes: 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m Click on <Save> when you are finished editing.

7.2 Effort Form

Complete all effort details that apply to your count. If you need a definition for an item on the page, click on the link to read a description, or browse through the Help link. Make sure to click on <Save> when you are done editing. Guidelines for entering the number of observers and/or parties Observers in the field during daylight are counted separately from nocturnal birders and those observing at feeders. When reporting the minimum and maximum number of parties, remember these include only parties in the field during daylight hours. In Field- Total Number and Minimum/Maximum Number of Parties: To determine the number of daylight parties, use the number of parties that you began the day with as your basic number. If parties further split up during the day, the maximum number in the field at any given time of the day should be reported, and the basic number becomes the minimum.

• Example: Count Frozentoes, Alaska starts the day with 3 parties. Later, two of these split into two parties each. The compiler records this as Minimum Number of Parties (daylight) = 3 and Maximum Number of Parties (daylight) = 5.

• Frozentoes, AK also had a group of counters out owling from 4:45 a.m. to 6

a.m., but this party is not included in the Minimum/Maximum Number of Parties.

Observers At Feeder-Total Number: Individuals feeder-watching during the day would be entered here, and NOT recorded in the daylight party number. Guidelines for recording party hours and distance Hours and distance - Total Party, By Foot, By Car, and By Other Transportation are reported excluding feeder hours and nocturnal birding hours and distance. Please round all hours to the nearest quarter-hour, and all distances to the nearest quarter-mile or quarter-kilometer. Take into account that for a party on foot, it is stretching reality to have traveled--and birded--much more than 1 or 1.5 miles per hour. Compilers should make sure to get the breakdown of hours and distance covered by car, foot, and other means of transportation (boat, bicycle, skis, etc.) from the party leaders. For party hours and distance By Other Transportation, you are given a limited choice of methods of transportation. If the exact method is not listed, please select the best approximation. At Feeders: The number of hours is obtained by totaling the hours spent at feeders by feeder-watchers taking part in your count. Time spent observing feeders by parties afield should not be included here--they should be included in your field party totals. Hours should be rounded to the nearest quarter hour. Nocturnal Birding ("owling"): For nocturnal birding, report the number of hours spent by all parties in the field during non-daylight hours, rounded to the nearest quarter-hour and for the distance, total up the distance (by foot, car, or other transportation) traveled by those parties, and round to the nearest quarter-mile or quarter-kilometer. Total Party Hours: Totals for Party Hours are calculated automatically by the website. You will not need to enter these numbers, but they will appear in the appropriate locations on the data entry pages. It would be unrealistic to report any more Total Party Hours than the Maximum Number of Parties (daylight) times 12, since 12 is the approximate maximum number of daylight hours in December and January. Distance Values: If appropriate, enter a 0 for distance. For example, an owling party may spend 1/2 hour in one spot--resulting in 1/2 hour and 0 miles owling. Definitions of Effort Terms Observers: • Observers in the field are counted separately from nocturnal birders and those observing at feeders. • When reporting the minimum and maximum number of parties, remember these include only parties in

the field during daylight hours. • To determine the number of daylight parties, use the number of parties that you began the day with as

your basic number. If parties further split up during the day, the maximum number in the field at any given time of the day should be reported, and the basic number becomes the minimum. Example: Count Frozentoes, Alaska starts the day with 3 parties. Later, two of these split into two parties each. The compiler records this as Minimum Number of Parties (daylight) = 3 and Maximum Number of Parties (daylight) = 5.

• Frozentoes, AK also had a group of counters out owling from 4:45 a.m. to 6 a.m., but this party is not included in the Minimum/Maximum Number of Parties. There were 4 people feeder-watching for several hours during the day as well, but again, this is not recorded in the daylight party number (it is recorded as observers At Feeders, Total Number).

Party Hours and Distance: • The form requires you to enter a value for all hours and distance fields except for those associated with By

Other Transportation. If appropriate, enter a 0. • Party hours and distance (Total Party, By Foot, By Car, and By Other Transportation) are reported

excluding feeder hours and nocturnal birding hours and distance. Please round all hours to the nearest quarter-hour, and all distances to the nearest quarter-mile or quarter-kilometer.

• To calculate Total Party Hours, ascertain how many hours each party spent in the field and add those numbers.

• The same procedure is followed to arrive at the Total Party Distance. Make every effort possible to be accurate with these numbers.

• For party hours and distance By Other Transportation, you are given a limited choice of methods of transportation. If the exact method is not listed, please select the best approximation.

• It would be unrealistic to report any more Total Party Hours than the Maximum Number of Parties (daylight) times 12, since 12 is the approximate number of daylight hours in December and January.

• Compilers should make sure to get the breakdown of hours and distance covered by car, foot, and other means of transportation (boat, bicycle, skis, etc.) from the party leaders.

• Take into account that for a party on foot, it is stretching reality to have traveled much more than 1 or 1.5 miles per hour.

7.3 Weather Form

Complete all weather details that apply to your count. If you need a definition, click on the link to read a description, or browse through the Help link. Click on <Save>.

Weather FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)

Q. What if the wind direction and/or velocity was variable on count day? A. If there is little to no wind, select Calm for Wind Direction. In case of fluctuating wind patterns, select Variable. For Wind Velocity, report representative values rather than rare extremes. You will need to use your best judgment as to what is representative. For example, if wind velocity was generally in the 5 to 15 mph range but very infrequent gusts of 30 mph occurred, report Wind Velocity, Minimum as 5 mph and Wind Velocity, Maximum as 15 mph. Q. What are the guidelines for entering rain conditions? A. For a.m./p.m. Rain check all conditions that were true. For example, if the morning started with drizzle that developed into heavy rain, the "Rain" boxes should have both "light" and "heavy" checked for the a.m. Q. What if the snow depth was variable? A. Minimum and Maximum should be reported to the nearest quarter-inch. Both should be reported as 0 if there was no snow. Report representative values rather than rare extremes. For example, if snow depth was typically between 4 and 8 inches with occasional 3-foot snow drifts in gullies and bare spots on ridge tops, report Snow Depth, Minimum as 4 inches and Snow Depth, Maximum as 8 inches. If snow depth increases with elevation, report the representative minimum depth at low elevation and the representative maximum depth at high elevation. If snow depth decreases with elevation, do the reverse. Note – if no snow depth is entered, the system enters 0 for you. Q. What are the guidelines for entering still or moving water? A. Still and Moving Water should be set by these guidelines:

Open= 100% water Partly Frozen = more water than ice Partly Open = more ice than water Frozen = 100% ice.

Q. What are the guidelines for entering cloud cover? A. For Cloud Cover, a.m. or p.m., select the condition that was true most of the time. Local Fog means that only portions of the count circle had fog for most of the period, while Foggy means the entire circle had fog.

Clear = 0-15% clouds Partly Cloudy = 15-33% clouds Partly Clear = 33-66% clouds Cloudy = 66-100% clouds.

7.4 Bird Checklist Entry

The "Select a Species" box at the top of the page contains current AOU names of all species ever observed in your circle. You can select a species by clicking on it once and then clicking on "Add to list" to place the species in the checklist under "Review your list" at the bottom of the page. Notice that as you add species to the list below, they are removed from the list at the top of the page. Once your species is listed in the bottom half of the screen you must enter the numbers observed, "cw", and any flags before clicking on "SAVE". Do not enter any commas in your numbers. Although you can add your whole list of species to the bottom of the list at once, for ease of saving data, we recommend that you don't try to add more than 10 species at a time, before completing your numbers, flags and saving the data. Once you click on "SAVE" at the bottom of the page, the "Review your Checklist" section will resort in taxonomic order. As you work through the list only enter data for birds seen on count day or as count-week species; do not enter zeros for species not seen. Enter the numeric amounts with no commas or decimal points. Please be aware that until you click the "SAVE" button at the bottom of the page, your data are not saved into the database. It's safest to "SAVE" regularly to make sure your checklist data are saved into the database. Your saved checklist at the bottom will resort in taxonomic order and any rows of species that have nothing or improper numbers entered into the number field will disappear from the current season's list and return to the "Select a Species" box above.

7.5 Add-a-Species to the checklist Step 1 – Click on “Add Species to Checklist” on left-hand side of the screen. Step 2 – Enter the common or scientific name of the bird and click on <Search>

Step 3 – Click the bullet next to the species that you wish to select from the next page and click <Next>. Step 4 – On the next page, enter the number observed (with no commas) complete any flags such as US (unusual species), HC (high count) and LC (low count) and then click <Save>. This will insert the new species onto your checklist.

7.6 Add Total Species On this page, enter your calculated species total and click <Save>. The total number of species equals the number of AOU-listed (‘real’) species observed on count day plus any generic or sp. forms not represented within the list. The system cannot currently automatically calculate this number for you. The total number of species will appear on your printable count report.

7.7 Special Aspects

Fill out text of any special aspects about your count for the current year. There is a limit of 4000 characters to record this information. If you choose to cut-and-paste text into this box, make sure not to paste in more than 4000 characters as the system will truncate your text. Details about unusual species seen can be included in this text box for viewing by the regional editor. When finished, click <Save>.

8. Entering/Editing participant information 8.1 Editing last year’s participant list to use for the current year

You can make use of previously entered participant names for your current year’s list of participants. After you click on “Edit participants list/Pay Circle Fees” you will see your current list of participants for your circle including any participants who have pre-registered. There are several different edits, discussed below, that you can make from this screen. You can make as many edits as you wish at a time, but make sure you click on the <Save> button BEFORE leaving this screen so that your edits will not be lost. By default, all participants are listed with the payment required box checked (except those pre-registered), but you can uncheck payment flags as appropriate. In order to indicate the participants that were active for the current year, simply click the box under the “include” column next to each name. Any name checked as “include” will be listed in reports and on the website as a participant of your circle in the current year and will be part of the calculation for the total fees due for the circle. If you wish to remove a name permanently, click the “Remove” flag next to the name. For those participants under the age of 19 (who count for free) you can check the box under the column “Under 19” and that participant will not be included in the fees due calculation. For those participants who wish to opt out of receiving American Birds: Summary of the CBC, check the box under the “Opt Out” column. Participants that pre-registered ahead of the Count date will not have a “remove” box next to their name. Pre-registered participants also cannot have their “payment required” flag changed.

The total payment due for the circle will be calculated based on the number of names marked as “Include” and also marked with “Payment Required”. The primary compiler’s name should not be entered onto this screen, as they are already included based on the “View/Edit Primary Compiler” screen and do not pay the count fee. If any secondary compilers participated in the count, please enter their names and addresses here. You can sort your list alphabetically by last name by clicking on the “Last name” column header.

8.2 Entering New Participants for your circle

Use this screen to enter new names onto your participant list. Only the first and last names are required for each entry. Addresses are optional and must be entered completely, including the country, for those participants who wish to receive American Birds. If your participant would like to “opt-out” of receiving American Birds, please make sure to flag the check-box indicating that at the bottom of this page. Click on <Save & Add Another> or <Save & Exit> when you are finished entering new names.

8.3 Running a printable report of circle participants

To run a participant report, click on “participants report” under the “Edit Participant’s list” menu. Once the report displays on your screen, you can use your browser’s print icon to send the page to your printer. Once complete, click on the “back” link at the top of this screen to return to the previous screen.

8.4 Submitting your CBC circle fees There are two ways to submit the participation fees for your circle. You can send a check or notice of wire transfer for the participation fees to the CBC office in PA as indicated on the Circle Status Page and on the Compiler resource web page; or you can submit the circle fees by credit card online. If submitting fees payment by check or notice of wire transfer, make sure to include your 4-digit circle code and circle name on all your remittance, including the check. Please DO NOT SEND CASH. If another entity (like your sponsor) is paying the fees, please ask them to include the 4-digit code on their check so that we can match the payment with the correct circle. All remittance should be sent to the CBC office address listed on the compilers web page (also included on the cover page of this manual). To submit the payment online, click on the “Make Circle Fees Payment” link below “Edit Participant List”. You may first see the notice below:

The security alert that you see when entering the area to pay online by credit card is a notice that your browser sends you to indicate a secure transaction is about to happen, and that has not happened previously (hence the notice about the certificate being out of date). This notice is only a warning and clicking on OK should re-establish a security certificate for the purpose of continuing the secure credit card transaction. Once you hit OK, the transaction is secure for the time period of this one transaction.

The next screen displays:

The box at the top of the payment page will display the total number of names entered for each of your counts as flagged with “Payment Required” and “Include” (does not include any participants who registered in advance). The amount shown under “Fees Due” is equal to the number of paying participants times $5. The amount shown under “Fees Paid” is the total of any previous credit card payments you have made for that circle. If you suspect that the amount of fees due is not correct, you should click on “Back to participants page” link and go to the “Edit Participants list” page to view all of your settings on that page. For more details on the CBC participant fees policy, refer to section 1.4. You can enter the amount you wish to pay for one or more of your circles and the total amount will be calculated for you. Note that if you wish to pay for only one circle during your session, you can do so, but please enter a zero in any of the remaining “current payment” boxes, instead of leaving the box blank. To continue with your credit card payment, fill in the remaining items on the page, completing all items marked with a “*” including your credit card information. The credit card number must be entered with no spaces. The name and address entered should match the name and billing address associated with the credit card number. When the form is completed click on <Submit>. PLEASE DO NOT CLICK ON SUBMIT MORE THAN ONCE no matter how slow it seems! Clicking on submit more than once will cause additional

All of your circles will appear on this page.

Enter a 0 if you do not want to submit a payment for a circle. You can always come back to submit a payment later.

The Total charge will calculate automatically

Only press Submit one time.

Address entered must match card billing address.

charges to occur on your credit card. Please be patient and wait for the screen to confirm that your payment has gone through. You will receive a notice on the screen that your payment was successful, or you may receive a more detailed notice if there was a problem with your payment. Click on “Back to Participants Page” to continue. 9. View/Edit Compiler information 9.1 View/Edit Primary Compiler

This new page is for the purpose of recording the historical compiler for the count. For most circles, the primary compiler will be the same as the person doing data entry for the circle. But for a few circles, the primary compiler does not do the data entry. In both cases it is important that this page reflect the primary compiler of historical record so that it can permanently be stored in the database. All those doing data entry should review and edit this page as necessary to maintain this important historical record. If you are the primary compiler and your address and contact information is in your user account, there's no need to enter anything more than your first and last name. For primary compilers without Internet and data entry access, please enter names AND ADDRESSES. When you are finished click on <Save> at the bottom of the screen

9.2 Enter/Edit Secondary Compiler Click on “Enter/Edit Secondary Compiler” on the left hand menu to get the following form:

You can maintain information for up to four secondary compilers. The first and last names are required, but all other fields are optional. If the secondary compiler also participated in the count, please enter ONLY their names here, and their names and addresses under the participant section. Secondary compiler names will appear on the website and in reports. When you are finished, click on the <Save> button at the top or the bottom of the screen.

10. Count Reports Compilers can run a printable participant report (covered in section 8.3) and a printable full report of all count data. To run the printable report of your count data, click on “Count Summary” on the “Count Reports” screen.

Once the report displays on your screen, you can use your browser’s print icon to send the page to your printer. Click on the “back” link to return to the menu.

11. The Last Step – Submitting Data After data are entered in Date, Time, Effort, Weather, and the Bird Checklist, a “data entry complete” checkbox will appear below the Sponsors section on the Circle Status page. At that point you will be able to indicate that your data entry is complete by checking that box and by clicking on <Save> at the bottom of the page. If you need to go back and edit you data once you have checked the “data entry complete” box, simply return to the circle status page, click in the “data entry complete” box to uncheck it, click on <Save> at the bottom of the page. Your data forms will again be available for editing. Once you are finished, make sure to check the “data entry complete” box and <Save> again. Once the “data entry completed” box has been checked the final data is made available on the public website. The general public can then view and query on the data. At the same time, the data is then made available to the regional editors for their review process to begin. Please make sure to complete this last step so that the regional editors may begin their work.

christmas bird count (cbc) data entry manual: instructions on … · 2019-12-14 · • if you are...

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