Home > Frequently Asked Questions
(Frequently Asked Questions about the online surveys)
The Frequently Asked Questions below are a selection of topics where users of BTO Online surveys have benefited from further explanation. If you have any specific topics that are causing you trouble yet you cannot find any information in the FAQ, please write to web.support@bto.org and we will try to help as best we can and add it to the FAQ - this may help other birdwatchers use the BTO Online surveys more easily.
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| General Online Questions |
What are cookies? |
| Cookies are small pieces of text that are stored on your computer
that allow the BTO to recognise who you are. They are only used to
store your BTO username and password. This facility, if enabled on
your computer, makes it easier for you to access the surveys as they
do not have to login while moving between different surveys, nor should
you have to login again if returning to the site after some time. |
Why should I register? |
| Anyone who wishes to take part in any of the BTO Online surveys
must register for a specific Username and Password. The registration
process is a one off (you should not have to repeat it!) and asks
only a few details. You cannot access any of the surveys without registering. |
Why do you want my e-mail address? |
| We email all our online recorders regularly with updates on our
existing projects and news of new surveys The email address also allows
us to correspond with you quickly and to help you with your problems. |
Will all BTO surveys be run on the web in future? |
| No! Existing surveys will be run as at present, though where it
is useful to do so we shall be adding facilities to allow people to
submit data on the web. New surveys will only be web-based if it is
appropriate. We do not intend to cut out the participation of people
without computers. |
Your site does not work well using some browsers |
We have developed the website so it can be used by as many browsers as possible. We are aware that some older versions of some browsers may still have problems. We would appreciate if you do experience problems, that you could contact us (web.support@bto.org) with details of what exactly happens and we will do our best to help you.
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I've forgotten my password and can't log on to Survey Home. What can I do? |
| Please use the Password Reminder Form. When you try to login you
will see a question 'Forgotten your password?', click here and follow
instructions. |
What is Survey Home? |
| Survey Home is the central point where you can access all the BTO
Online surveys that are open to you as a registered user. It allows
you to move easily between your different surveys. |
| BirdTrack Questions |
Why is BirdTrack Internet only? |
BirdTrack is designed to draw large numbers of people into the fun
and value of systematic recording, including people who do not normally
take part in surveys. We chose the web-based approach instead for
three reasons:
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I am a teacher - can my class be involved? |
| Yes. BirdTrack is a great project for getting children enthused
about birds and migration. Register your school grounds as a site
and record the birds that you see and hear. There are already a number
of schools participating. You could also encourage pupils to watch
out for migrants on their way to and from school. |
I've only just heard about BirdTrack - is it too late to start submitting data now? |
| No. We welcome records from any time during the year. Ideally we
would like recorders to submit records throughout the year. The system
will also allow you to enter data for earlier years. |
I've only just started birdwatching and don't recognise many of the species that I see. Do you need to be an expert to take part in BirdTrack? |
| No. You can submit a Casual Record for just the species that you
do know. You can also use the list recording ystem to record lists
of the species that you are able to identify. However, if you are
seeing substantial numbers of birds that you can't identify please
don't check the box to say that the list is complete. |
I am not very confident about identifying some of the species. Should I make a guess? |
| Please only record the species that you can confidently identify. |
I travel all over the country for my job, can I keep notes on everything I see and enter these? |
| Yes. Often the best approach is to use the Casual Records Form.
This allows you to enter one-off records. Complete lists from individual
sites are even more valuable even if you only make a single visit.
Ideally we would like you to make regular visits to a site as this
provides more valuable information. Remember that whatever data you
can contribute will be combined with that from other birdwatchers
to improve our knowledge of birds. |
What regions have you used to display your results? |
| We have adopted the Government Office Regions to present our regional
results. For more information visit: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/counties_nonmet_ua.asp |
I can't find my county on your list? |
| We have adopted the counties that are described by the Local Authority
Districts, Counties and Unitary Authorities (1998). These counties
are not necessarily the same as those used by county bird clubs. These
counties are used mainly to check for serious errors in grid references.
Provided that you supply us with a reasonably accurate grid reference
we will be able to conduct analyses based on other boundaries in the
future. |
There appears to be someone already recording in the 10km square where I live, is there any point in me recording as well? |
| Absolutely. It is unlikely that someone is recording in exactly
the same place as you. Even if there is more than one person recording
from a well-known nature reserve such as Cley Marshes, we are able
to identify this (from Grid References) and only use the record once.
You might actually record more birds and different species during
your visit! If you go birdwatching in a group we would prefer it if
only one copy of your list was entered into BirdTrack. |
How can I update my e-mail address? |
| You can update or correct the e-mail address you originally registered
with from within the BirdTrack system. Once you have logged in as
yourself, click on the MyDetails button (above 'Your Options'). Then
simply enter your new e-mail address in the box provided. |
| Garden BirdWatch Questions |
Why do I need to review my Scarcer List before other species in GBW? |
| The 'Review my Scarcer Species' comes before the other species because
the Scarcer Species list is personalised for each user (which is more
convenient in the long run). It needs to query the database to see
which species you have chosen, and if you add to this list, it needs
to 'refresh' the species count page to show you the new species -
as a result you would have to re-type any counts that you were in
the middle of entering. |
What is 'My garden species-list'? |
| The garden species list is a running total of all the species you
have ever seen in your garden (and entered into GBW), ranked by the
number of weeks and reporting rate for each species. |
| WeBS Online Questions |
| I sent paper forms in for last year but they don't appear on the online system yet - do I need to type them in to WeBS Online again? |
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No. The counts from paper forms are initially loaded to our master database, then checked and run through analysis programs for the purposes of producing the annual report for that year. Only once analyses are complete are the counts then moved across to the online database also. For example, any 2007-08 counts submitted on paper would be visible on WeBS Online in summer 2009. |
Last updated: 27 April, 2009 |