For Apple iPhone and iPad and iPod Touch; now also for Android "smartphones" , Australia's first fully interactive electronic bird guide includes all the paper book's approximate 3000 illustrations, plus several thousand bird calls, all at lower cost than the paper book alone.

The MICHAEL MORCOMBE

eGuide to Australian Birds

Michael Morcombe’s Field Guide to Australian Birds is now perfectly complimented by this eGuide, which features:

iPhone optimised controls ­ swipe to next or previous species, one-tap enlargement of an image and rotate the device (landscape) to enlarge an image completely (and fit the width of the screen).

Over 3000 hi-res bird images covering over 790 bird species.

Most bird species have a detailed distribution map showing any subspecies that occur. Also descriptions of almost all bird species including songs and calls, measurements and breeding behaviour.

Over 1800 carefully-selected and edited sound recordings by David Stewart, for some 600 species. Many species are represented with multiple call examples showing the full range of vocalizations.

There is the ability to compare any two images, maps, or sounds, side by side on the screen. The ability to filter by geographic location, so that you see only the species likely to occur in your location, and to further reduce the possibilities to usual or vagrant species in the selected area.

A “Smart Search” that gives the ability to search by distinguishing features such as size, colour, physical features, habitat and exclude certain types of birds (eg. Passerines).

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Taxonomic and Alphabetic searches are the most direct and simple way to find any bird species. But you must either know the common or scientific name of the bird, or look throught the bird list, perhaps up to 800, in hope of recognizing the bird you have seen.

To reduce the number of possibilities, choosing in My Location, of one of the twenty land or sea regions will greatly reduce the number of species to be considered, from near 800 down to a far smaller number.

The "Smart Search" feature, where the observer of a bird may select physical features such as long bill long legs, upcurved or downcurved bill. This futher shortens the list of possible names for the bird. Likewise the colours of its pumage, the habitat, and the size. Future editions will bring in other search criteria to further refine and close in on the identity of the species.

Also from the Main Menu can be chosen My List, for recording sightings, and at the top right hand corner, access to the Introduction, under which heading are sub-menus for Help, Introduction, Acknowledgements, and Copyright .

The "My Location" menu allows the user to choose one of twenty regions, thirteen land and seven surrounding seas. With one of these selected, all searches are confined to that region.

The region choice limits the search for the species, to that region. This applies to all searches, Taxonomic, Alphabetic, and the Smart Search.

On this screen, above the map, the user can also choose "Usual" to limit the search to those species birds usually in the region, or "All" to include also the rare and vagrant species, or pick "Vagrant" to search only among only the rare vagrant, stormblown and sometimes slightly doubtful records.

When any bird species is displayed, whether found by taxonomic, alphabetic or 'Smart' search routes, the first screen (right) will show in its top 2/3, the illustrations . These can be scrolled upwards to display illustrations and their identifying markings.

The bottom 1/3 displays the text, which scrolls upwards. A tap om either art or text expans that part to full screen.

At top right, to right of species name, is a notebook-pen symbol, which takes user into pageswhere sightings can be recorded.

When the music note symbol at top right of screen is touched, the song selector appears, with a selection of calls and songs displayed. When the "Compare" feature is in use, its easy to switch between calls of any two species or races, and to the illustrations.

When the map symbol near the top right-hand corner is tapped, the text is relaced by the map for the species.

The Varied Sittella, shown here at left, as an example, has five subspecies (races). The colours on the map show the range for each species, with a dot of that same colour beside each illustration to link the illustration with its range on the map.

The bird images can be scrolled vertically, sothat that each illustratied race can be viewed above the map.

AT RIGHT In the Compare mode ("Comp" ) any two species can be compared on the screen,.eg both males together, . or both females, or bth in both breeding plumages, both maps, both sets of songs.

The species in the lower half remains fixed, while many differnt species can be scrolled across the upper half to compare with the lower species.

BELOW Whether viewing a single species, or comparing, the iPhone can be turned on it side for an enlarged view.

This is but a short summary of the features of this application. Other abilities will be added in future upgrades, usually free. .Many new maps to better display range, include new boundaries, or take in range updates.

This App is, to end of December 2011, is available for "Smartphones"using Google's Android OS, and for Apple iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.

For direct access to this item in the Apple Store, copy into browser: http://itunes.apple.com/app/id397979505

Alternatively, less directly, enter into "google" search: eguide australian birds or eguide michael morcombe

This eGuide can be used with the Apple iphone, or with the Apple iPod Touch at less than half the price of the cheapest iPhone. The app has, mid to late 2011, become available for the many smartphones usingthe Gookgle Android operating system for phones using the Android OS. To be followed in 2012by an dedicated iPad version, and Blackberry version

BIRD CALLS PROVI DED BY DAVID STEWART, NATURE SOUND www.naturesound.com.au

THE BOOK EDITIONS Published by Steve Parish Publishing To contact eGuide publisher, MyDigitalEarth, South Africa, see above

Since 2000: a most comprehensive Australian guide despite its compact 'pocket' size.....over 800 species covered, including sub-species (races), many of which are more distinctive than others thatare full species.

Some have in the past been classified as species, and retainwidely recognized common names. This is most comprehensive of all guides for identification of these interesting variations.

Across the great distances and varied of habitats many species show variations of plumage, song and behavior tthat may lead in time to evolution of new species, as has occurred in the past.

Unique multi-coloured maps show the distribution of both species and subspecies, as well as approximate frequency of sightings.

This smaller format guide has been created in response to many requests for a smaller "pocket" version. the original guide has larger page size, greater weight, but includes the nests and eggs, and the birds of Australia;s island territories.

WHERE TO BUY

http:/www.mmbirds.com

http//www.michaelmorcombe.com.au

Website concept, design and construction by Michael K Morcombe, Copyright 2002 Reproduction or copying of site or contents for commercial use is forbidden except with written permission of the copyright owners

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