Seasonal Reports | Listing Software | Warbler Migration Study | MN Birding Links

Listing Software and Migration Data For the Birds of Minnesota

Electronic Filing of Seasonal Reports

In its quarterly publication, The Loon, the  Minnesota Ornithologists' Union publishes a summary of bird occurrence in the state by season. The seasons are defined by the calendar:  Winter (12/1 - 2/28), Spring (3/1 - 5/31), Summer (6/1 - 7/31), and Fall (8/1 - 11/30). Seasonal Reports are compiled from observations submitted to the seasonal report editor, Peder Svingen. Besides the paper reports sent in, one can submit this data electronically in two different formats: either using the Minnesota bird listing software that was written for this purpose, or by exporting a file from Avisys, a popular commercial bird listing program.

Minnesota Bird Listing Software --

More information on the Minnesota bird listing software is given below, including the opportunity to download it. It is free.

Avisys --

Avisys is a popular commercially produced bird listing program. It has the ability to export a text file that can be translated into a format to be read by the listing compilation program. Both Avisys versions 2.x and 4.x have been successfully interpreted (and so, presumably, version 3.x works also). If you use this method, it is crucial that you map all localities to counties in the state. (You'll have to add each individual county in which you bird, and they must be in the "county" category.  If you use Avisys, I think you'll know what I'm talking about.) Follow these steps to export the Avisys file (based on Avisys 4.51):

1. Choose the "List Recs" menu item.
2. Set date range for the season and select all observations in Minnesota.
3. Press "List" button.
4. Press "Export" button.
5. Select "Comma delimited ASCII".
6. Include all sighting attributes? - yes
7. Expand sighting places? - yes (this is essential!)
8. Export dates as mm/dd/yy? - yes

Send these files within 8 days from the end of each season to Paul Budde (pbudde@ewb.com).  All files received will be combined into a single report to be sent to Peder.

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Minnesota Bird Listing Software

This is a program written in APL to maintain sightings lists of birds seen in Minnesota. Observations are recorded by species, county, and date. There is an opportunity to add a field note or a count of individuals seen to each sighting. Records can be added, edited, or deleted at any time.

While this software is a good listing program for Minnesota birds, it was designed expressly to be an efficient way to electronically submit seasonal reports of birds seen in the state for compilation with reports of other birders and inclusion in The Loon, the journal of the Minnesota Ornithologists' Union. With a few clicks of the mouse, one can compile the data for a particular season and produce a file to be sent in as your report.  There is a complementary program that will read the files produced and compile them into a single, organized report.

The program is available as a download at this site. Please also download and print the instructions which will guide you through the installation process.

Program requirements:

• PC operating on Windows 95 or later. The program will run on a machine using Windows 3.1 if Win32s software has been added to allow 32 bit processing; if you have the game "Freecell", then your machine can perform 32 bit processing. The program will not run on a Macintosh. (Sorry!)
• 2.5 Megabytes of RAM (plus what your system software needs)

Recent enhancements incorporated in the version (3.0) available beginning August 2000 include:

• New Minnesota species through August 2000;
• Correction of problem occasionally encountered when selecting individual records for seasonal reports;
• Correction of problem when printing checklists with a odd number of species+family names;
• Addition of capability to document "hybrid gulls" and Brewster's and Lawrence's Warblers;
• Upgrade of program to a more recent version of APL.  (For this reason, if you choose to upgrade, you must download all new files.)

Prior updates (version 2.5) included:

• Reordering of species to correspond with the new MOU checklist and the addition of the latest species (through Eurasian Collared-Dove);
• Easy inclusion of species counts with each sighting;
• Checklist report format for simultaneously reporting birds seen and not seen in a specific location and time period;
• Ability to use long file and directory names (i.e., more than 8 characters -- but you still need to avoid using spaces in directory names);
• Included within the "species" listed are "jaeger species", "hybrid gull", "empidonax flycatcher", and "meadowlark species" for those moments when you want to record something but can't fit what you see into the checklist;
• Switch to enable you to change the audio alert to a simple "ping" instead of your default sound.

Currently available files:

• Instructions, in a portable document format (".pdf") (snl.pdf, 28K, 8/7/00) or in a rich text format (".rtf") (snl.rtf, 39K, 8/7/00). You will need the free software Adobe Acrobat Reader in order to view and print the "pdf" version of the instructions. (Go to the bottom of this page to see how you can get this software.) The "rtf" version can be opened in any word processor. Some common installation problems are described in these instructions. The entire program (next item) has a copy of them in an "rtf" format included in the zipped file.
• Complete program. (sr20all.exe, version 3.0, a self-extracting zipped file, 1.2M, 8/7/00) This consists of several files that have been zipped together. These include the actual program and the APL-engine needed to run it. Double-click on this file from Windows Explorer in order to expand the separate files, then read the installation instructions (snl.rtf).
• Upgrade. (snlrpts.w3, version 2.5, 600K, 4/15/99) Select this download if you have previously been using this software and simply want to get the latest version. HOWEVER, TO RUN VERSION 3.0, DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE PROGRAM (see above).  You'll just get the main program, not the APL-engine. Also download the latest defaults file (next item) and place both in the same directory where the program currently resides.
• Latest version of the default system variables used by the program. A copy of this file is included among those files zipped together with the complete program.  If you already have the program, however, you might want to download just this file ("srdeflts.sf"; 22K, last updated 8/7/00) in order to take advantage of new species added to the Minnesota list and changes in taxonomic order. Place this file in the same directory in which the program resides.
• For those of you not quite ready to use the new (1999+) taxonomic order, a default file which will list species in the pre-1999 order is available ("srdefl98.sf"; 22K, last updated 4/98). Download it, and place it in the directory holding the program. It is important that you rename this file "srdeflts.sf"; otherwise, it will not be used as the default system file by the program. Before doing so save the newer version of "srdeflts.sf" elsewhere in case you ever want to switch over to the newer taxonomic order.

Questions regarding this program can be sent to its author, Paul Budde.

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Spring 1999 Warbler Migration Study

Thanks to all who participated in this project!  Your data and enthusiasm were much appreciated.  If you care to see the results, there are two separate files that you can download.  The first is an Excel file that contains the raw data.  The second is an Adobe Acrobat (*.pdf) file that provides a brief commentary on the data and some exhbits comparing and contrasting migration patterns for various species.  The exhibits look best when printed on a color printer, but you should be able to figure out what's what with a black and white printer and the summary data provided.

Raw Data (Excel 5.0 file)

Commentary and Exhibits (Acrobat Reader file)

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Additional Sources of Information on the Web Relating to Birds and Birding in Minnesota

Minnesota Ornithological Union --

the statewide organization of birders and bird-watchers in Minnesota. This website has a wealth of information about birds in Minnesota, including transcipts of the Duluth and statewide telephone hotlines, information about the MOU's listservice "mou-net", and much more information about birds and birding in the state. (Contact: Tony Hertzel)

Minnesota Birding Network --

the website of MnBird, an electronic mailing list devoted to birds and birding in the state. (Contact: Carol Schumacher)

Ornithology-MN --

subscription information about a specialized electronic mailing list devoted to understanding bird behavior and identification in Minnesota. (Contact: Terry Brashear)

Olmsted County --

an active Minnesota birder's home page containing detailed information about birding, with a particular (though not exclusive) emphasis on the Rochester/Olmsted County area of Minnesota. (Contact: Bob Ekblad)

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Acquiring Adobe Acrobat Reader -- Click on the icon below to download this software.

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Paul Budde
Last revised: 07/20/99
pbudde@aol.com