January Update

As we leave the old year behind and step into the new, I’d like to start by sharing a few recent birding experiences, followed by an update on some exciting new features we’ve added to the app.

In September, we set up a table at the inaugural Headlands Birding Festival, on the shore of Lake Erie northeast of Cleveland, Ohio. It was a fantastic and laid-back outdoor space to engage with birders, look at neotropical migrants, and enjoy the early fall lake breeze. Naturally, we had BirdingApp’s birding mode ON the entire way there and back!

After Hurricane Helene, an unprecedented backlog of birds led to daytime visible migration of typically nocturnal migrants over east Tennessee, such as Rose-breasted Grosbeaks and Gray-cheeked Thrushes. The birds are outside living their lives every day, whether we’re out to observe them or not. Thanks to a timely message in the nearby chat, many local birders were able to step outside that morning and enjoy the spectacle.

Sometimes, as with Christmas Bird Counts, we dedicate an entire day to spend with the birds. I was invited to participate in the Reelfoot CBC, at Reelfoot Lake in the far northwestern corner of Tennessee. It’s the only natural lake in the state, formed by a series of powerful earthquakes in the 19th century that caused the Mississippi River to briefly flow the opposite direction! Chatting with other CBC birders sparked some ideas for new features in the app..

How often have you been out in the field and had someone spit out directions (wanted or not) to Bald Eagle nest locations, parking areas, or special birding locations? Or perhaps the place you typically park at a hotspot is confusingly not where it is plotted in eBird. Now, you can quickly save these spots as favorites on the BirdingApp map. Simply long-press to add a new favorite or toggle pins on and off, or tap the menu in the upper right corner for more options. Tap on the pin to either get directions or share it in a convo with a friend. For those participating in “five-mile radius” yard competitions, you can optionally save a radius with your spot to see which nearby birding hotspots fall within your area of interest. You can even use this feature to display an entire CBC circle!

Another feature we’ve recently added is the ability to quickly share a post about your visit to your daily Arena Hotspot. After attaching the eBird list, simply tap “Share and Post”. It’s a great informal way to share your birding without the effort of a long write-up.

When you needed to post an RBA from the field, it used to be a bit clunky if the bird wasn’t at a hotspot. Now, you can add a custom location name to help reduce confusion for others receiving your alert.

It’s winter, so we’ve also adjusted the timing of statewide alerts. Previously, they ran at 10 AM, 5 PM, and 9 PM. However, since it’s often dark by 5 PM, that second alert wasn’t very useful. For now, we’ve shifted the 5 PM alert to 3 PM, giving you two hours to chase that statewide rarity before dark. Additionally, we’ve stopped checking for rarities between midnight and sunrise depending on where you are. After all, is it worse to wait until then to post your rarity, or to wake up and chase it at such a ridiculous hour?

Finally, we’ve been busy updating color themes and adding a few new fonts for extra fun. Most themes have received improvements, but supporters should be sure to check out the awesome new Macaw theme!

Wishing everyone the best for 2025!