Chirp Team

Where to go birding?  The world’s appetite for getting outdoors has become super evident since the advent of the pandemic. It’s becoming increasingly apparent that people are looking for safe activities to do outside. It is no longer something that only the die-hard adventurer seeks. More people are looking for accessible outdoor places to explore. What better activity to be involved in while you’re exploring than birding!? But where to start?  If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard, then you may already have a space to watch the birds near you, but for many people, the best way to find birds is by heading out to the nearest greenspace. There’s nothing like seeing new bird species or ‘lifers’ and I don’t know about you but even though the future of travel is unclear, I still absolutely love exploring areas where other people are seeing birds, either dreaming of future birding trips or just getting a glimpse into the worlds of other birders’ lives.  Birdwatching is one of those fantastic pursuits that keeps giving no matter where in the world you are. And it’s so exciting to find new natural areas to explore. This article gives you an idea of some of the top birding locations in the world. Places where many birds have been seen and recorded, meaning not only are they great spots for biodiversity, they’re also great places to flex your newly found birding muscles.  Even in this uncertain post-pandemic world, we can’t help but dream about possible future trips. Whether it’s close to home or for a trip, choosing a birding location can be tricky if you’re new to birding or if you’re exploring an area you’re unfamiliar with.  Top 12 birding locations in the world! Here is a rundown of some of the top birding locations in the world. These areas have the highest recorded number of bird sightings in the world (according to GBIF data). While these numbers are only an indication of where the world’s tech-savvy birders live, they are all amazing birding spots that birders have chosen for good reason, and therefore totally worth a visit. Besides good proof that there is an abundance of birds in the area, these sighting figures mean there are birds to see and most likely other birders or guides to show you around if you’re new to the area.    1. Estero Llano Grande State Park, Texas, USA - 698,443 sightings   Roseate Spoonbill by Chirp Member David Casas   Want to see waders? Shorebirds and waders are found here in their hundreds, including the Roseate Spoonbill. Some noteworthy sightings include the Wood Stork, an endangered species. During the migration seasons the park’s lake which is long, narrow and not very deep, attracts waterfowl. Within the woodland and thorn scrub one can find Groove-billed Ani and Altamira Oriole or if in luck, the rare Red-crowned Parrots and Green Parakeets. An ideal destination for the avid or beginner birder, Estero Llano Grande in Weslaco, South Texas attracts a huge diversity of South Texas birds. The park has varied landscapes of over 230 acres, including a shallow lake, woodlands and a thorn forest with diversity for all sorts of bird species. It’s no wonder that the park has a huge birding reputation and sits atop the list for the greatest number of bird sightings recorded globally.    2. Ottenby Bird Observatory, Sweden - 569,644 sightings   Area around the bird station, North view   The Ottenby area is one of the most visited nature reserves in Sweden. Ottenby is full of hiking trails stretching across the coastal meadows and rich forests. Since the reserve is on a large stretch of coastline, birds and ocean views can be found throughout the reserve. The Lighthouse Långe Jan is open for visitors during spring, summer and autumn, and in Naturum Ottenby there is an exhibition detailing the history of the area and the bird observatory. Just below the lighthouse, BirdLife Sweden hosts a store aimed at birders and nature enthusiasts.   3. Point Pelee National Park, Ontario, Canada - 393,817 sightings   Photo Credit: Canadian Geographic   Point Pelee National Park is all about migratory species. The park lies en-route of some significant flyways and on the shore of a large body of water - Lake Erie. Meaning when birds are travelling during their migration, they may need to rest, feed and recuperate, and this national park gives a good supply of all the above. A huge diversity of birds is therefore attracted here during this season and it’s quite incredible that within the park’s birding area, over 390 species have been recorded! Also, being very central on the continent, means there are some special rare birds seen here on occasion too. Of course, the park is famous for spring and fall migration, but you can find a good diversity of birds throughout the year.   4. Western Treatment Plant, Melbourne, Australia - 325,223 sightings   Brolga by Chirp Member Frank Yuwono   More than 295 bird species including rare and endangered birds have been recorded at the Western Treatment Plant, making it a real birder’s destination. Whether you’re a beginner birdwatcher or you’re more experienced, there are good birdwatching options nearby.  The site has recorded some of Australia’s rarest shorebird species, including the Asian Dowitcher and Buff-breasted Sandpiper. The birds feed on the intertidal mudflats along the plant’s foreshore, which are exposed at low tide. Enriched by treated wastewater, these support enough invertebrates to feed around 16,000 birds. Ponds managed by Melbourne Water provide an alternative feeding habitat outside the few hours of low tide – another one of the site’s great advantages. Brolga, a native crane, has been recorded successfully nesting in salt marshes next to the Western Treatment Plant, moving with their chicks onto the plant’s grasslands to forage. The extremely rare Orange-bellied Parrot has been seen here and Red-kneed Dotterels are in abundance with over 250 having been recorded at a single time.    5. Jomfruland Fyr, Norway - 168,188 sightings   Photo Credit: Visit Telemark   Jomfruland is well worth a visit for all birdwatchers. It is a 7km long, narrow island that runs parallel with the Telemark coastline. This unique island off the coast of Norway is a great place to visit with spectacular birdlife! This location is one of Norway’s best spots to witness birds during migration. There have been over 330 species recorded in and around Jomfruland. The island plays host to some rare species, including an array of breeding species, including the Black Guillemot, Greenish Warbler and the Eurasian Golden Oriole. Together with the island's two characteristic lighthouses, the Jomfruland Bird Station (Jomfruland Fuglestasjon) is located on the northern peak of the island and is run by the Norwegian Ornithological Society.   6. Reserva Ecológica Costanera Sur, Argentina - 163,529 sightings   Photo Credit: Buenos Aires Cuidad   Just a few blocks from downtown Buenos Aires lies a 350-hectare green space complete with lagoons and marshes, alder forests and grasslands. Once functioning as a municipal space, the Costanera Sur Ecological Reserve has been put in place to protect biodiversity in the area. This birding hotspot is close to the bustling metropolis and therefore well-positioned for those en route from the city. Not only is it accessible, but also home to over 250 bird species among other flora and fauna. This reserve provides a good representation of the biological diversity in the region. Species to note are the large population of Black-necked Swan and other waterfowl.   7. Rietvlei Nature Reserve, Gauteng, South Africa - 146,209 sightings   Photo Credit: City of Tshwane   Situated between Johannesburg and Pretoria in South Africa, is Rietvlei Nature Reserve. It is one of the world's largest urban nature reserves comprising 3,800 hectares and accessible from the highway between Pretoria and OR Tambo International Airport.  South Africa's national bird, the Blue Crane, has been seen here from time to time. The Secretary Bird is a regular visitor and Rietvlei is home to a breeding pair of Fish Eagles. Several other species of bird can be seen including the Orange-throated Longclaw, the Little Egret, the Reed Cormorant, the White-breasted Cormorant, the Goliath Heron, the African Finfoot and the Green-backed Heron.   8. Changaram Wetlands (Ezhupunna), Kerala, India - 121,115 sightings   Blue-cheeked Bee-eater by Chirp Member Utpal Borah   Changaram Wetlands is a birding hot spot in Kerala, India. With a large species diversity, around 120 resident and migratory bird species, all feeding on different sources, therefore offering little competition for one another. Some noteworthy species for the area include Blue-cheeked Bee-eaters, pelicans, numerous ducks, sandpipers, kingfishers and terns.   9. Pipeline Road (Camino del Oleoducto), Panama - 115,617 sightings    Photo Credit: Panama Rainforest Discovery Centre   Pipeline Road (Camino del Oleoducto) is one of the top spots for birdwatching in Panama and indeed the globe. Located near Soberania National Park, there have been 525 species of birds, recorded in this location. The road is accessed on foot and runs to about 24 kilometers long. You don’t need to walk its full length, a few kilometers will be enough to get some great sightings as the only route back is to retrace your steps. Guides are therefore recommended because of the sheer scale! It is also possible to visit the Panama Rainforest Discovery Center and its observation tower which stands at 32 meters and affords fantastic views over the forest.   10. Reserva Ecologica Rio Blanco, Colombia - 74,413 sightings    Long-tailed Sylph by Chirp Member Daniel Uribe   Dubbed one of the best birding spots in Colombia and located just a few kilometers from the bustling city of Manizales, more than 307 species nest in this reserve. It was originally created to protect the water supply of the city. A spectacular cloud or mossy forest, it is considered to be one of the richest regions of biodiversity on the planet. It is well-known amongst many birdwatchers for the diversity of antpitta species seen there. There is birdlife in abundance in the lush forest and you’ll likely see many of Colombia's special birds such as hummingbirds like the long-tailed sylph, tanagers, warblers and woodpeckers. The rare and beautiful Masked Saltator is highly sought after in the reserve, as it is very sparsely distributed in the Andes and is classified as Near-Threatened due to habitat loss, a sighting is lucky indeed.    11. Jahra Pools Nature Reserve, Kuwait - 70,554 sightings    Western Marsh Harrier by Chirp Member Aldo Picxellencenl   As an important migration bottleneck, Al Jahra Pools Nature Reserve acts as a stopover for raptors and the undeveloped surrounding area of flat land is important for many harrier and eagle species, including Buzzards, Greater-spotted Eagle, Steppe Eagle and the Western Marsh Harrier. The reserve contains a sewage outfall with pools surrounded by reed beds and coastal flats and is the only major area of non-marine wetland in the country. It is also home to a number of warblers, crakes, gallinules and plovers within breeding seasons. When the pools are flooded they become important winter habitats for duck and geese, especially during winter.    12. Via a Las Cascadas (Waterfall Trail), Mindo, Ecuador - 69,193 sightings    The enchanting Guianan cock-of-the-rock!   A whopping 500 species have been recorded in Mindo! So it’s an alluring destination for anyone, whether you want to ogle at the unique species of the area, or you’re an avid birder wanting to add new species to your life list, Mindo will deliver. Be sure to wake up early though, as the heat means that early risers are more likely to spot a bounty of birds. Aiming for birding outings between 6am and 10am will give you the most success.  One species that seems to have garnered a significant amount of attention recently is the Cock-of-the-Rock. Known for its spectacular appearance and ‘hopping’ courtship display ritual, this bird is quite the character and worth travelling for.

When you think of birds and love, a pair of doves are probably the most likely image that springs to mind. Many a wedding celebration has seen the release of a couple of doves. And while the typical symbolic white doves are mostly bred in captivity, their greyer cousins are just as striking and just as good at showing a connection, although seemingly less symbolic.  White doves are clear symbols of love, and they are a symbol of peace for many. These albino doves are often woven into rituals, and until recently, these doves were still released by the Vatican as ‘peace’ doves. Something that changed in 2014 when members of the public were shocked when the local birds, namely a Hooded Crow and a European Herring Gull, found these white birds an easy target (read more).   Image credit: Rajiv Bajaj   How do birds show love? Parental care and romantic courtship behaviour are both seen in various birds. We all recognise that birds are often seen on Valentine’s Day cards, but few of us actually know much about how birds show each other love and affection. Birds show that they are bonded with their mates with courtship behaviour like preening one another or sharing food: both gentle signs of affection. There is often a period of courtship for birds - dating in modern terms. From claiming territory to wooing a mate before actual copulation (mating) occurs. While cranes may be associated with new beginnings and, of course, the arrival of babies, their courtship displays mean they should probably get more kudos as symbols of love.  So is this love? The question remains, but you could hazard a guess that there must be more to it than pure reproduction. When it comes to parental love, it seems parent birds are just as caring to their hatchlings as they are to their mate - a probable sign that this is a way to show care and affection.    Do birds mate for life? We often hear people quoting that a particular species ‘mates for life’. But which birds specifically make up this list? And what does it mean to ‘mate for life’? Many bird species are monogamous, but that doesn’t mean they mate for life, and few bird species form long-term pair bonds that will last through multiple nesting seasons. Many species of birds will choose a mate and create a long-term pair bond. But it’s not as simple as it sounds. Just as with us humans, the death of a partner or even serious injury or infertility may make a bird seek another mate. In contrast, other birds will bond but not for their entire lives.  Here are a few of our favourite birds that form long-term pair bonds. Individual birds choose a mate for a given breeding season or an extended period.  Atlantic Puffins One of the most distinctive birds on the planet, the Atlantic Puffin, is our favourite candidate in the strong pair-bond category. These cuties nest in burrows or boulder screes and cracks. They may not have a single mate for life, but their bonds are clear.    Atlantic Puffins captured by Chirp member Andrew Duffield   Canada Geese Of the many creatures out there, the Canada Goose is one of the most emotional animals in the bird world. These geese are loyal to one another and look out for the other. A partner may stay with their mate if they are injured and the flock moves on. Most Canada Geese couples remain together throughout their lifetime, raising and protecting their young together. They can live up to 25 years. If a goose loses its mate, it appears that they grieve, remove themselves from the rest of their flock and honk mournfully. After some time, a goose may find a new partner.    Canada Goose captured by Chirp member Xavier Vrigneau   Common Ravens Ravens have a long lifespan, and it’s quite the commitment they seem to make, pairing for most of their 40 years. Raven pairs rear hatchlings together. They remain in the same territory, and while they may have sexual ‘infidelity’, they seldom split as pairs.    Common Raven captured by Chirp member Patrick Ryan   Snow Geese Snow Geese are common in North America, breeding far North in the Arctic. The birds pair off in their second year, forming a strong bond - although mating does not usually take place until their third year. Even though chicks can swim and eat independently within a day of hatching, parents and goslings remain together through the young's first winter.   Snow Geese captured by Chirp member Parick Ryan   Which birds do mating dances? Mating dances are quite specific to species, and not all birds (or indeed animals in general) show their mate that they have what it takes to re-populate in this dramatic way. Other animals show their strength or make specific calls or sounds; some show they care with the nesting space they create or their ability to fight. Other animals demonstrate just how physically attractive they are. Birds can employ a number of tactics to impress their future mates, and there are a host of mating dances (often called courtship displays) that will ensure the success of their bond.  Here are some of our favourite examples of birds that perform these mating dances. Western Grebe The Western Grebe shows its sass through two different courtship display ceremonies.  First, the ‘Rushing Ceremony’. Starting with the head dip - a sexy display of the most agile neck muscles - where the head is dipped underwater, and then a good old fashioned shakeout is bound to wow the potential mate. If the intended takes the bait, the grebes begin rushing. Hold on; we don’t mean gentle waterbird wading; we mean running across the water - on top of the water! Talk about a feat? To make matters more tricky, the mates must keep stride with one another, or it’s “cheers!” and on to the next bird. The birds run across the water alongside one another, flapping their wings. At the end of the rush, they seem to do a victory dive, where they plunge head-first into the water.  Next, the weed diving ceremony, and there is nothing quite as attractive to a Western Grebe as this. After the birds are paired off (by the ‘rush’ of love), they begin the next stage of courtship. The birds stretch their necks and begin bobbing and shaking. A deep dive underwater shows just how amazing they are, gathering vegetation from underwater, presenting their new mate with their latest weed catch. At this point, they shake their heads from side to side, sending all the weeds back below the surface.    Western Grebe captured by Chirp member Nate Renn   Sandhill Cranes  Jumping about rather energetically is what grabs the attention of Sandhill Cranes when it comes to courtship. The cranes sometimes lunge for bits of vegetation and throw them about, creating quite the show. There isn’t any set structure to the dance, so it's a sort of mash-up from bowing to leaping and wing-flapping. A bird of their size performing such a dance can’t go unnoticed and would certainly wow onlookers. Even though these cranes choose a mate for life, they have been known to return to their breeding ground to rehearse their dance skills. After all, dancing is fun!    Sandhill Cranes captured by Chirp member Nate Renn   Birds of Paradise Last but certainly not least, the extraordinary Bird of Paradise in the forests of New Guinea have gained plenty of attention in recent months. These birds have strange and spectacular courtship rituals, wowing audiences of Netflix and the BBC. Since Sir David Attenborough’s mind-blowing documentaries about these spectacular birds have been overwhelmingly popular, you may have seen a taste of the astonishing biodiversity in these forests. There are 42 different species of Birds of Paradise, most of which have their own mating rituals. In this video clip, part of the New Birds of Paradise series, Attenborough discusses the courtship of the Male 6-plumed Bird of Paradise, our personal favourite. He tidies up his dancing zone, lifts his feathers to create a black umbrella shape and jiggles about, strutting with peculiar dance-like steps hoping he might attract a female.    Where does the saying “pair of lovebirds” come from? With all this talk of love and birds, you’ve probably heard the term “love birds”, and no doubt it conjures up images of two people very much in love, normally demonstrated by some outwardly affectionate behaviour, or perhaps a cutesy pair of birds on the front of a greetings card. The devotion seen in a pair of bonded birds is therefore the likely origin of this expression. But what about real lovebirds? And are they related to the phrase?  “Lovebirds” are the name often given to a number of small, short-tailed parrots, Agapornis. Hailing from Africa and Madagascar, they have mostly blue, green or grey feathers. These birds are known for their caring natures and overly affectionate personalities. They are popular with humans as caged pet birds. In most cases, these birds mate for life. When these birds express their bond, you may see them “kissing”. They share food and play with one another’s tongues! These small parrots will often sit together and caress or preen one another.    Image credit: Jonah Pettrich   So, what are some of your favourite love-birds? Post your sightings on Chirp and tag them #lovebirds - we’d love to see!  New to Chirp? Download the app for Android and iOS here. If you have found this article useful, please share it via Facebook, Twitter, etc. Down here :point_down: , thanks :pray:  

  Did you know there are over 320 species of hummingbirds? These tiny birds are considered a great prize among many birders, both for their beauty and because of how difficult they can be to photograph! Identifying a hummingbird to the unpracticed eye can also be tricky. Knowing where the bird was seen will give more context in helping to identify these birds. The most well-known species found in the USA is the ruby-throated hummingbird (Archilochus colubris).  Ruby-throated Hummingbird by Nate Renn Where are hummingbirds found?  On Chirp Birding we have had 21,000+ sightings across 23 different countries. Whilst we can all admire the beauty of hummingbirds in our digital feeds, they are only found in the Americas and most hummingbirds live in the tropical forests of Central and South America. Despite being very small birds, hummingbirds are considered long-distance migrants and travel individually rather than in flocks. Each year in Spring they migrate north, Rufous Hummingbirds, in particular, are known for their amazing flying skills and travel 4,000 miles from Mexico to Alaska! Rufous Hummingbird by Leo Guzmán   Hummingbird sightings on Chirp How do hummingbirds sleep?  During the day, hummingbirds spend much of their time feeding. Their metabolisms are lightning-fast - the fastest of any animal - so at dusk, about half an hour before sunset, hummingbirds will find a safe place to latch onto a branch. At this point, some hummingbirds birds will lower their metabolisms and drop their body temperatures during winter or at night. This means they can achieve a hibernation-like state called Torpor. They do this so that they do not starve to death while sleeping. Wine-throated Hummingbird by Angel Fong What do hummingbirds eat? Hummingbirds feed on flower nectar, providing critical pollination for local flora. This nectar is high in energy and is a great treat. However, they also feed on small insects which provide a good source of protein. Hummingbirds need to eat very frequently and must feed roughly every 10 to 15 minutes consuming almost half their body weight every day.   Anna's Hummingbird by Nate Renn How do hummingbirds fly?  Their unique wings mean they are the only bird that can fly backward! Their wings can move 180 degrees at the shoulder joint and they move their wings in a figure of eight shape, meaning they only need to make small adjustments to move in any direction, including backward. Their fast flapping wings create a buzzing sound or hum, which gives the hummingbird its name. They can also fly as fast as a car, moving at between 30 and 45 mph. Broad-billed Hummingbird by Faby Galleta How big are hummingbirds? They are pretty small with most species measuring between 3-5 inches, in fact, the world’s smallest bird is the Bee Hummingbird, measuring just over 2 inches long and less than 2 grams in weight. At the other end of the scale is the Giant Hummingbird which measures around 9 inches long and weighs ten times more than the Bee Hummingbird. Their eggs are pretty tiny too, most are the size of a single jelly bean. Some are stranger looking than others too, for instance, the Sword-billed Hummingbird with its unusually long bill; it is the only bird to have a beak longer than the rest of its body. 
 Sword-billed Hummingbird by David Casas   Cover image: Rufous-tailed Hummingbird by Romel Romero   New to Chirp and don't have the app yet? Download it for iOS and Android.

We are pleased to announce version 1.0.10 of our iOS and Android apps. Once again, a big thank you to our users for all the valuable feedback. You have helped us fix some more bugs and hopefully, you will enjoy our improvements!   Improvements in version 1.0.10: Onboarding screens for new users Various menu updates to streamline the user journey Added 'All, Region and Following' feed filters Added warning that tagging a user in a sighting adds the species to the tagged user's life list Added push notification for users tagged in sighting Tapping on a life list location pin now opens in MapBox rather than Google Maps Fixed bug where the coordinates were not captured when adding a sighting     Onboarding screens for new users Once you have registered, getting up to speed with some of the important features and functionality in an app can be a daunting experience. To streamline this for users, we have started adding a series of onboarding screens for new users.   Menu Updates In version 1.0.10, we have provided access to all the main birding features directly from the menu and other intuitive locations in the app. This is our first step at reducing complexity and clutter in the app so that it is as easy as possible for users.   Filtering the main feed into All, Region and Following As the Chirp community has grown, the main feed has become much busier and has started featuring sightings and content from all over the world. In order to keep content relevant for users, we decided to filter the feed into two additional streams. The first is a broad regional feed that limits content to the users default region e.g. Europe, North America, Southern Africa etc. The second is a user-tailored feed that only provides content from people that you specifically follow. The All feed will remain in place and features all content posted on Chirp as before.   Tagging users in Sightings We have found that not all of our users were aware that tagging users in sightings is designed to be used only when the user you are tagging was present with you and also saw the bird species you are posting. As tagging other users in sightings also add the species to their life list, it is really important that tagging is only used as intended. To clarify this, we now provide users with a warning before they tag anyone and then also send tagged users a notification to let them know they have been tagged in a sighting.   Displaying the Location of Lifers in your Life List In our previous releases, we started migrating all maps from Google Maps to MapBox maps in order to support some of our future features and functionality. Displaying the location of lifers on a map is one of the last few changes that we need to make a full transition to MapBox.   Squashed bugs in version 1.0.10: Fixed bug where the coordinates were not captured when adding a sighting   Get Involved in Beta Testing: Fancy getting access to all of our updates before the masses? Join our iOS or Android Beta Testing Program and start testing all our latest features and functionality! For more information, take a look at this blog: How to join Chirp Birding's Beta Testing program.   New to Chirp and don't have the app yet? Download it for iOS and Android. Happy birding! Team Chirp

The Chirp Team is growing and we caught up with Dom Barker, the newest member of the team to introduce him to you.   Dom Barker, 37 Bit Botherer and Boffin Whisperer; Chief Technology Officer (CTO) at Chirp Birding https://dombarker.co.uk, https://github.com/Dakuan/   Give us your elevator-pitch work and life experience.  I’m Dom. I like to make and fix things. I’ve never really been overly interested in computers themselves, but, it turns out they are really useful for making things. Somehow this led to me getting hooked on building and fixing computer things.    Why did you choose Chirp as your next big move?  I’m really excited about the prospect of encouraging people to engage more with the natural world. I'm hoping that if people appreciate the critters that continue to dwindle around us, then perhaps, they might make different choices about how they treat our environment.    Where are you locked down?  Hitchin, Hertfordshire with my dog Biggles. He’s not the most useful birding companion but he’s still dead impressed with crows.     What’s your favourite place on earth? Snowdonia National Park, Wales. It’s only a few hours drive away from me and full of amazing hiking and biking trails.     Where would you live if tax and carbon emissions weren’t a thing? Odd years: Summer in Whistler BC, winter in Whistler BC,  Even years: Summer in Innerleithen Scotland, winter: Malaga, Spain Bring on the carbon-neutral teleporter!   How long have you been birding? That depends on what you count as birding! I’ve always been interested in nature and the sort of person to look up a novel or interesting creature to find out what it was and random information about them. Recording sightings is a new one for me, but it’s surprisingly addictive. I don’t leave the house without my camera now.   Do you have any birding goals? Raptors are my favourite. I recently read and was very taken with a book titled ‘H is for Hawk’ which is all about a Goshawk. So, I’d love to get a good look at one of those soon.   What do you see the future of birding looking like?  I got out of the ‘predicting the actual future business’ after those elections in 2016. I can say what I hope it looks like... and I’m hoping that all the extra interest in the outdoors generally will translate into a much larger interest in nature and thus birding too. Virtually everyone carrying GPS camera phones around with them can’t not be changing birding too. I want to help build a better notebook for birders and it’ll be fascinating to see what effects that’ll have on the hobby.   Tell me what makes you tick (passions and pains)  Passions: being outside, music, literature, science, my pets Pains: public transport, crap technology     The Chirp Team is beyond excited to have Dom on board and wishes him well for this leg of his journey with us.      New to Chirp and don't have the app yet? Download it for iOS and Android.

Have your birding habits changed this year? Did you see more birds than you thought you would? While we look to the future for more birding trips and travelling, we will always remember 2020 as a distinct one, and the start of a new way of living.  For Chirp it's been an exciting year; great community growth, birding conversations across the globe and a game-changing investment.  Let's take a closer look at some of our highlights...      We are very excited to roll out new and exciting features in 2021 which we know you will love. If you'd like to be involved in Beta testing then please join us here.   New to Chirp and don't have the app yet? Download it for iOS and Android. Wishing you a safe and happy festive season!  

We are pleased to announce version 1.0.9 of our iOS and Android apps. Once again, a big thank you to our users for all the valuable feedback. You have helped us fix a few unwanted bugs and hopefully you will enjoy our improvements!   Improvements in version 1.0.9: 1. Enabled sightings to be shared on Facebook, Twitter etc 2. Translated app to Portuguese 3. Enabled adding/editing location privacy settings in group sighting posts 4. Users creating accounts via Facebook or 'Sign In with Apple' are now prompted to define their country & birding preferences 5. Existing users are prompted to populate their country & birding preferences if they have not already done so 6. Leaderboard provinces/states & birding areas are now collapsed under country     Enabled sightings to be shared on Facebook, Twitter etc We recognise that many of our users are also using Facebook and Twitter. To make it easier for people to share their own or another user's sighting,  we have implemented the sharing of sightings via various other apps.   Portuguese Translation With an estimated 220 million native speakers, Portuguese is the sixth most widely spoken language in the world. Now that we have a workflow in place to translate the Chirp platform, we will make a start with the next language. If you have suggestions on what language should be next, send us a message on support@chirpbirding.com To change language in the app, tap the menu icon in the bottom right > System Settings > Langauge and then select the language of your preference. Please note that species common names are already translated into over 20 different languages and the settings are therefore controlled separately under Birding Preferences via Menu > System Settings > Edit Profile Info.   Enabled adding/editing location privacy settings in group sighting posts Privacy is important to us and our users. For birdwatchers, the location privacy of the sightings they share on Chirp is especially important. As we already feature location privacy for sightings posted out of groups, we decided to give users additional control of their privacy settings by adding the location privacy settings to sightings posted within groups.    Defining country & birding preferences Up until now, users have had to manually define their default Region, Taxonomic Authority and Species Name Language. This unfortunatly resulted in users seeing incorrect species lists if they selected an incorrect region or unfamiliar species common names if they failed to define their Species Name Language. To mitigate these issues, we now ask users to define their country and then we automatically define the users Region, Taxonomic Authority and Species Name Language to that which is most likely to be used in that country.   Squashed bugs in version 1.0.9: 1. Unidentified species notifications are now sent in the recipient users language   Get Involved in Beta Testing: Fancy getting access to all of our updates before the masses? Join our iOS or Android Beta Testing Program and start testing all our latest features and fuctionality! For more information, take a look at this blog of ours: How to join Chirp Birding's Beta Testing program.   New to Chirp and don't have the app yet? Download it for iOS and Android. Happy birding! Team Chirp

Fancy getting access to all our latest updates before the masses? Follow the steps below to join our Beta Testing Program and get starting trying out all of our latest features and fuctionality!  Apple iOS Beta Testing  Step 1: Download and install TestFlight iOS app (TestFlight is Apple's app to manage Beta Testing) on device that you’ll use for testing. Step 2: Open Chirp's Beta Testing invitation link to add you as a tester. Step 3: The invitation link will open in TestFlight. Read the detail about what to test and then tap accept. Step 4: Now simply tap the install button next to Chirp to install the latest beta version Step 5: If you want to revert back to the standard Chirp Birding app, just download it again from the Apple App Store and it will replace the beta version.     Android Beta Testing Step 1: Join our Android Beta Testing Program here Step 2: You'll receive an update to the Chirp Birding app if you already have it installed on your device (Note: This may take a while for you to receive the upate). If you don't have the Chirp Birding app installed, download it on Google Play. Step 3: Once the test verision has installed, get start with testing Step 4: Send any bugs or sugestion you may have to our customer support email address Step 5: To switch to the public version, uninstall the testing version and install the public version on Google Play. Step 6: Want to leave the testing program? Then just open the same link you joined with and click LEAVE THE PROGRAM in the bottom right.

We are pleased to announce version 1.0.8 of our iOS and Android apps. A big thanks to all of our users for all the valuable feedback. You have helped us make some great improvements and fix a few unwanted bugs.   Improvements in version 1.0.8: 1. Enable tagging of users in comments 2. Support for autosuggestion when typing 3. Translated app to Spanish 4. Hiding some profile updates from the main feed 5. Reduce load time for photos in iOS Photo Library 6. Support for JPEG 2000, JPEG XR and WebP image uploads   Tagging of users in comments In this latest update we have enabled tagging of other users in comments. Tagging users in comments sends the tagged user a push notification to alert them of the tagging so it is a great way of bringing someone into a conversation.   Autosuggestion Autosuggestions don't always get suggestions correct but they do get it right most of the time. We have become so used to typying with autosuggestions that when it is suddenly missing, you really notice it! So, to keep everyone in their comfort zones, autosuggestions is now live in v1.0.8.   Spanish Translation With an estimated 437 million native speakers, Spanish is the fourth most widely spoken language in the world. Now that we have a workflow in place to translate the Chrip platform, we will make a start with the next language. If you have suggestions on what language should be next, send us a message on support@chirpbirding.com To change language in the app, tap the menu icon in the bottom right  System Settings Langauge and then select the language of your preference.   Hiding profile updates from feed Prior to this update, the feed was occasionaly swamped with updates to a users profile as the user got their profile setup. To keep the main feed relevant and focused on birds and birdling, we decided to remove some user profile updates from the main feed.   Squashed bugs in version 1.0.8: 1. Fix bug that prevented user from editing the location of sightings   Get Involved in Beta Testing: Fancy getting access to all of our updates before the masses? Join our iOS or Android Beta Testing Program and start testing all our latest features and fuctionality!   New to Chirp and don't have the app yet? Download it for iOS and Android. Happy birding! Team Chirp

We are pleased to announce version 1.0.5 of our iOS and Android apps. A big thanks to all of our users for all the valuable feedback. You have helped us make some great improvements and fix a few unwanted bugs. Your input really helps make Chirp what it is today :)   Improvements in version 1.0.5: 1. Added support to edit sightings 2. Added 'Post Privacy' to new sighting posts 3. Enabled posting sighting from Groups and Pages Editing Sightings Editing sighting is probably the largest and most important improvement in version 1.0.5 of the Chirp app. It is functionality that we have been keen to release so that users can quickly edit sightings where necessary rather than having to delete and repost them. This edit sightings functionality also sets the groundwork for some exciting developments that will change the way our community log their bird sightings, especially those that keep checklists of their birding trips.   Post Privacy Prior to version 1.0.5 of the Chirp app, it was possible to define the sighting location privacy but it was not possible to alter post privacy (i.e. which members of the community can view a user's sighting posts). In version 1.0.5 we decided to add this functionality so that users have better control over what categories (Everyone, Friends, Friend of Friends, Only Me) of the Chirp community can view their sighting posts.   Posting sighting from Groups and Pages Up until now, it has only been possible to post sightings from the main feed or from a users profile. With groups and pages being integral to the Chirp platform, they were a important area where our community wanted to post sightings. This update forms part of a series of updates that we are going to be making to improve how users post sightings. This update is the first step in that direction.   Squashed bugs in version 1.0.5: 1. Fixed bug with new follower email notifications 2. Fixed Search, Sort and Filter bug in Followers and Following screens 3. Fixed bug in Life Lists 4. Fixed a bug with leaderboard refreshing   Don't have the Chirp Birding app yet? Download it for iOS and Android.   Happy birding! Team Chirp

We are excited to announce version 1.0.4 of our iOS and Android apps. A big thanks to all of our users for all the valuable feedback. You have helped us make some great improvements and fix a few unwanted bugs. Your input goes a long way to making Chirp what it is today :)   Improvements in version 1.0.4: 1. We have transitioned towards being more 'follower centric' by replacing 'Add Friend' with 'Follow' in some places 2. Updated the footer menu to include Add Sighting and Leaderboard buttons 3. Updated the Chirp Birding logo   Squashed bugs in version 1.0.4: 1. Fixed bug that caused the app to crash when opening notifications on devices running iOS 13.5.1   Chirp's transition towards a 'follower centric' app The first improvement in version 1.0.4 is an app-wide transition towards a being more 'follower centric' by replacing 'Add Friend' with 'Follow'. So, the idea is for users to follow other users they are intersted in and only add users as friends where a closer relationship exists. By taking this approach, we hope to reduce the number of friend requests coming from people a user has no relationship with. Users will still be able to add other users as friends, they will just have to do so via a user's profile screen. We will be making the same updates to our website in the near future.   Another benefit of taking this approach is the control it gives users when sharing content. For example, if you were to see a really interesting bird and only want to share the location of the sighting with your real birding friends, then you can set the location privacy to 'Friends Only' when posting a sighting. On the other hand, if the sighting is something you are happy sharing with anyone, then you can just set location privacy to 'Everyone'. We will be making a few more updates in the future to support this distinction between friends and followers.   Showcasing Chirp's Leaderboards Prior to version 1.0.4 of the Chirp app, a user's leaderboard could only be accessed via their profile page. In version 1.0.4 we decided to give the leaderboard the attention it deserves with its own footer menu button. Now users can simply tap on the leaderboard icon in the footer to display their leaderboard. In future updates we are going to work on including the global leaderboard so that users can browse leaderboards for regions, countries, states/provinces and birding areas around the world!   If don't yet have a lifelist on Chirp, then get started by importing your digital records or life lists via the import page on our website. If you are an eBird user, you can export your records from eBird and import them direclty into Chirp via the eBird import file tab on the import page. See this step-by-step guide to importing from eBird. You can also import your eBird records multiple times and Chirp will automatically just add the new eBird sighting records to your Chirp sighting records. If you are using another logging app, then click on the 'Chirp import file' tab, download the Chirp Excel Import Tool to transform and then upload your records to Chirp. Send us a message if you would like us to import your records for you.   Adding Sightings in the Chirp Birding App We also received feedback that it was not clear how to add sightings from within the app. To resolve this issue, we have added a + icon to the footer menu so that users can quickly access the add sighting functionality. We are going to be putting a lot more work into add sighting and listing functionality in the future so keep your eyes peeled for some exciting changes!   Don't have the Chirp Birding app yet? Download it for iOS and Android.   Happy birding! Team Chirp

We are excited to announce the latest version of our iOS and Android app. A big thanks to all of our users for all the valuable feedback. You have helped us make improvements and fix a number of sneaky bugs. Your input goes a long way to making Chirp what it is today :) Since the launch of the first version of the app, users have been asking for localised species names and improvements to the way species are searched for when adding a new sighting. Version 1.0.3 of the iOS and Android app is the solution to these problems. We have integrated the app with species common names in 29 different languages and also included English localised species names for the UK, US, Australia and South Africa. We have also updated our species database to include alternative common names for thousands of species. By integrating the taxonomic common names, alternative common names, scientific names and different launguages into our search engine, we have made it a whole lot easier for users to find the species that they are looking for. So for example, if a user were to search for Fiscal Shrike (an alternative name), they are now shown the 'Common Name' and 'Sceintific Name' matching their default Taxanomic authority as well as the matching search term (Fiscal Shrike in this case). See below example:     Improvements in version 1.0.3: Added species common names in 29 different languages. See full list below. Added localised species names for English language bird names e.g. English (UK), English (US), English (South Africa), English (Australia). Added alternative common names to our species database to help users find the species using multiple name variants. Improved species search functionality that searches against taxonomic common names, default language common names, alternative common names and scientific names. Added scientific name and alternative names to the species search results shown to users. Added the 'Birding Preferences' section to Edit Profile screen so users can edit their default Region, Taxonomy and Species Common Name Language.   Squashed bugs in version 1.0.3: Fixed bug that caused empty species lists with some regions.   Full list of the 29 species common names languages now supported on Chirp: Afrikaans Catalan Chinese Chinese (Traditional) Czech Danish Dutch English Estonian Finnish French German Hungarian Icelandic Indonesian Italian Japanese Latvian Lithuanian Norwegian Polish Portuguese Russian Slovak Slovenian Spanish Swedish Thai Ukrainian