Birdstar is an interactive guide to birds of North America for the Windows operating system. It is the oldest most comprehensive of any of the electronic bird guides. The author, Larry Bond, is a wildlife biologist and birding expert. He started developing Birdstar and selling it in 1987. It began as a simple "question and answer" expert system without pictures or sound. It was known then as “The Electronic Birder”. Birdstar now incorporates stunning photographs as well as the bird’s songs and calls and much more. Today’s laptops and modern Windows operating systems provide a unique multimedia way to show and hear birds.

This guide is comprised of several components. These are listed on the main menu. They are ADVISOR, INDEX, SongGAME, SongJIZZ, BirdLISTER, and SlideSHOW. The DEMO section allows you to experience exactly how they work.

The ADVISOR is designed to identify that unknown bird. This expert system was the first component developed. As a wildlife biologist teaching birding skills, Larry recognized that many birders were delayed in their skill development by a heavy reliance on good field guides. Often birds disappear before a match can be made to a picture-book representation. Also there was no easy way to learn bird songs, which greatly facilitates identification. What better way he reasoned to identify birds, than by simply answering questions such as where and when the bird was seen, its size and field marks. The ADVISOR acts like an expert over your shoulder asking you questions about what was seen. And like a good birder asking the right ones ADVISOR often takes very few questions to draw an accurate conclusion. This system also allows easy identification by asking how the bird behaves. It is surprising to many novice birders how easy a bird may be recognized by simply watching its behaviours. This is one key to how experts do it. Birders call this the Jizz. The shape, posture and flight are lumped together to form a general impression of the bird. It takes practice and time to get to know birds this well. And Jizz should be combined with field marks to come up with an accurate identification of a bird. ADVISOR provides a great way to practice by focusing on field marks. It not only focuses on field marks but also the bird’s song thus providing a great way to accelerate your overall birding skills.

The INDEX allows easy access to pictures, songs distribution maps and other information based simply on the bird's name. It acts like an encyclopaedia to quickly look up descriptions, songs, distributions and abundances of any individual bird or related group of species.

Two song-based games, SongGAME and SongJIZZ, challenge you to identify hidden and randomly selected birds from their songs and calls. You can choose to be tested from different categories such as Common , Intermediate, or Expert skill levels, or from a species-specific category such as Warblers, Vireos, Thrushes, Flycatchers, or Sparrows. In SongGAME you hear the song and must "Name that Bird". In SongJIZZ you must match the two identical songs from silhouetted bird-tiles. It requires you match the same songs by hearing them in succession on a 36-tile play-board. Like the game of concentration, where you visually match pairs of items, hitting two of the same songs within a try causes the tiles to flip over revealing the bird that the song belongs to. There are 18 birds randomly chosen on each tile board. Both programs offer an engaging way to identify birds based solely on their songs.

BirdLISTER offers a way to record and search your bird sighting by making year, yard, or life-lists. It is simply a structured database for easily tracking of your sightings.

SlideSHOW displays a selection of birds found in Birdstar based on your preferences ranging from skill levels of Common, Intermediate or Expert, to species-specific categories such as Wren, Thrushes, and Warblers. SlideSHOW randomly cycles through these birds displaying their photos and distribution maps while playing their songs. This is a great way to enjoy, year-round, the "eye-candy" of colour and sound that birds provide us.

The best way to see exactly how the different programs work is to spend some time in the DEMO section.

Features of the Guide include:

Birdstar is an effective and fun teaching aid and reference to North American birds. It will assist beginners in learning how to make accurate identifications. Experienced birders can test and sharpen their skills by identifying birds from memory. Schools, Outdoor Educational programs, nature interpretive centers, libraries, and individuals use Birdstar as a reference source. It makes an ideal and affordable gift for the nature enthusiast.

Birdstar has always offered a 100% satisfaction Guarantee.

NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS

Exceptional photographs taken by myself and appearing in Birdstar are framed and available for purchase in the PHOTOS section.

I initially used the amateur collection of photos available through the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology for Birdstar. It became evident upon my renewed interest and passion for bird photography, that many of these photos could be improved. Since 2002, after digital quality became equivalent to film, I have incorporated new and improved photographs taken by myself. The criterion for replacement was that these new photographs would be of a "portrait" nature. They must depict the bird for easy identification but also represent an artistic achievement. They must show not only the species but also the bird as an individual.

Since 2002 I have used a professional SLR Nikon camera to better capture these images. A good telephoto lens is essential to capture a bird as you would see it through a good pair of binoculars or scope. Indeed, as important as the camera is, the quality of the lens is probably more important. A professional lens, often prohibitively expensive, is crucial to capture birds, especially the smaller ones. Only such lens can capture the detail needed to show the subject as an individual. Beyond equipment needs, knowledge of the subject and a great deal of patience is required. And yes, at times, luck.

Anyone who has lifted a camera to capture a wild bird's essence will know how difficulty this is. Not only do birds not cooperate for their portraits they seldom remain stationary for a snapshot. Balancing light and subject to create that perfect image can indeed produce a rare magic moment.

Photography allows me to see much more of the beauty that exists in everyday objects. Obtaining photographs for Birdstar has forced me to systematically take pictures of birds in a way I might have missed otherwise. The Brown-headed Cowbird shown in PHOTOS is an example.

For most people a Cowbird is reviled for its parasitism. By laying its eggs in other birds’ nests it impacts these host-bird numbers. Yet its behaviour is adaptive and just part of the variety we call Nature. It is still a bird, which when viewed properly, can elicit an awe-inspiring respect for its beauty.

When I took the picture of the Brown-headed Cowbird used in Birdstar I was walking along a trail along the Grand River near my home in Ontario . It was a very cloudy and threatening day in May. Needing a picture of a Brown-headed Cowbird for the guide and seeing several along the trail ahead, I crouched down and focused upon a male. To my great delight he turned and looked at me at the exact moment the sun came out and shone upon his back, revealing the iridescence in a way seldom seen. Serendipity is a bird photographer’s best friend.

Going to digital photography in 2002 allowed me to expand my creative potential. Mostly by taking more pictures with better equipment. However, all my pictures are natural without employing digital manipulations to enhance them. I'm a purist in the sense that I believe nature can provide all the necessary opportunity you need, if you have the patience and skill.

All pictures come framed as shown printed on acid-free Kodak paper in 8 X 10 sizes.

Any and all comments are welcomed.

Thank you for taking the time to view my images,

Larry

Website Designed, Created, and hosted by Kevin Bond.