iBird Journal: Listing Birds of North America App Reviews

First of all, the journal is a top notch birding app all by itself. That being said, I gave it a generous two stars for the following reasons. #1. There is a quite lengthy set if directions of how to use the import/ export tab with ebird= it doesnt work #2. Support mentioned it has no plans to rectify the situation. #3. I would not have bought this had I known the only way to get 15 years of observations from ebird....has to be done manually= GREAT!!!

The app STILL hasnt been fixed so that it doesnt crash when trying to delete locations. I know you have known about this since December, and there is no excuse that it is still not functioning. I paid good money for this and expected a working product.

The journal is very easy to use. However, it would be nice to be able to click on a sighted bird and add a new date. I’m trying to track when the marsh area near me has the most variety during the year. Also, it seems a little ridiculous that I can’t automatically back up to iCloud and easily share the data between my iPhone and iPad.

Very disappointed in the investment. If you pay $15 for an app, you expect it to be full featured. This app is a glorified Word table with very poor search function and limited information of the birds it does list. I its defense, it does claim that it interfaces well with other iBird products that offer better and more complete information but Im not spending more money for what I get for free (Merlin Bird ID)

I use this app every day to track my observations.

Deleted it. Havent been able to delete a location, and they refuse to fix it. Wasted my money.

It didnt even occur to me it wouldnt have multiple device syncing. I go between my iPhone and iPad and would make it 5 stars with syncing.

Im pretty tech savvy. But, this app is a STRUGGLE to use, especially in the field. I do not want to fight to figure out how to make a list and add bird sightings to the list. The wonderful options that the journal is supposed to make available convinced me to buy the app. Hopefully others will have more success

The eBird csv import from Dropbox no longer works. I just get a "spinning" wheel and nothing happens, even after 10 minutes. All of the manual importing and backing up is getting very old. There is no iCloud support. You cannot pick multiple locations on the map when performing a search, you must use the list view which makes it very difficult. Another annoyance is a lack of species variants and sub-species. For instance, inputting Dark-eyed Junco gets you the normal info and picture of the bird. However, after importing my eBird data, which was only possible on the previous app version, I get a blank picture because the app doesnt recognize Dark-eyed Junco (Slate-colored). This would have been a great app 5 or 6 years ago, but now its archaic.

Ive looked at all the apps designed for keeping track of your bird observations and this is hands down the best. It offers regular lists you make on the fly as your encounter new birds and Checklist type lists which you create ahead of time and check off the species as you observe them. Designed to be a companion to the publishers iBird field guide apps.

Love the way the app ties into iJournal.

Expensive, but well worth the $ for me. Ive started bird lists before, but never kept them updated due to misplacing them or just not having them when unexpectedly needed. Ive tried a couple cheaper apps, but they were much tougher to manipulate to what I wanted (life list, home list, vacation list, etc.).

I like being able to quickly make note of a sighting without the process being too lumbering. Also like the easy access to supplemental information if I need it.

So far Ive found this to be an incredibly useful app. I love that it links directly to the iBird app (regardless of version), allowing you to look up data on the bird you are listing. The main issue Ive run up against is more of an OS problem I think - I want to Export my files to eBird but am unable to do so from my iPhone (it wont let me select the file, a problem Ive run into repeatedly with other programs as well). So iJournal is currently exceeding my expectations.

I had really hoped that this would be seamless. I want my money back, I will never use it. Janet C. prochazka

This app is a perfect companion to ibird. It allows me to keep track of what I find and where I found it.

I love this app! Ive tested various bird logging apps, but this is the one for me. I can log my sightings on the go and even attach my photos. I love that I can back up everything and syncs with my devices. Yes, its pricey. But you get what you pay for.

Im a serous birder who was disappointed with recording sightings as a note or comment within the species description. Im happy with iBird Journal and would gladly make the purchase again.

Unable to sync btw iPhone & iPad, big disappointment since ibird pro has this. Suspect rushed to release way too soon.

If you keep bird observations, this is the App for you.