It's a big day today - our field guide to British Birds is finally in the AppStore! We've been working on it for so many months that it is hard to believe that it is finally out. Also a bit nerve-racking, waiting for the feedback! It only has 112 birds at present, but these include all common and locally common song birds, plus woodpeckers, owls, gulls, pigeons, parrots and the most common birds of prey, with photos, songs and calls. It's a hefty beast already! We will be adding more birds in regular updates until all common and locally common, plus many rarer birds are included. The first update is already well under way and that will add waterbirds - ducks, swans, geese and grebes.The plan is that once it is finished, it will be adapted and translated for other European countries. It made sense to start with Britain because Britain has fewer birds, and we already speak the language ;).
Here's the link to the App Store: Bird Guide Britain
iPad version?
ReplyDeleteWe would love to make an iPad version but unfortunately it will probably take us a while. All the photos will have to be redone and all the screens will have to be redesigned so that they work in portrait and landscape mode. Maybe later in the summer :).
ReplyDeletehi will it work for Ireland?
ReplyDeleteIt can still be used as a bird guide, but it won't be able to check your location and choose birds for that location. (That's because we used the Ordnance Survey grid ref to select location and it's different in Ireland). But apart from that, everything should work fine :).
ReplyDeletethanks for that, do you think at any stage you'l extend it to ireland ie as an upgrade? or do you have any plans to make a guide that will cover Ireland?
ReplyDeleteAt the moment we don't intend to bring out a separate app for Ireland (I don't think we would do this), and we haven't talked about the possibility of extending to cover Ireland though it would be a nice idea. I've just started looking into using latitude and longitude rather than the grid ref to select birds, as this would allow us to use the code for other countries more easily. If we do that, it would be very easy to include Ireland in the British version (it would have to be renamed!) but as I say, we haven't really discussed this at all yet. At the moment we are still trying to finish all the features we want to put in, and add all the British birds, but I shall give it some thought.
ReplyDeletethanks for your quick and comprehensive reply.
ReplyDeletedespite the location bit not working for ireland it still seems like a great app that i'd get loads of use out of, my three yr old son loves watching birds
just bought and downloaded it, fab app, really pleased
ReplyDeleteThanks! I'm very pleased you like it :).
ReplyDelete