G'day Holly,
When I first tried to access the new site, I was getting all sorts of page errors (sql, etc.) I tried to email you at the time and send a screen shot, but the email didn't work either. Later that evening I got in OK, but other people I sent the link to have been having the same problem.
Henry Mydlarz
Everything that could go wrong did yesterday!
We sent the email out to members (and to BirdLife Australia members) - everyone flocked to the site and the server crashed!
Totally unrelated, our BirdLife Australia emails also went down yesterday afternoon - a terrible coincidence.
There are still some glitches with the site and I thank everyone for their patience whilst they are being ironed out.
Hello Holly,
Sorry for sounding so grumpy the other night. I still cant log in so l thought l'd try a new name/password but being connected to the internet, your end recognizes me and somehow wants me to stay the same name/password but at the same time not let me in.
Help please!
Holly, I forget to add that it is logging into the BIBY survey that is causing the problem. As you can see, the forum is letting me in.
Thanks for that - there is a problem with the surveys that the web guys are trying to fix. I find that the first time I go across to the survey page it doesn't work but the second time it does!
Are you going to this page and then logging in or selecting "Access the backyard bird survey" from the drop down list?
Hello Holly,
It seems to occur when l use the drop down list. I tried from the BA site where l have an atlasser number but all it would do was give me a google earth map and nothing else. Our internet line is the old telephony job which stops when it rains so downloading Google Earth never helps matters.
Cheers.
PS What's happened to Araminta? Haven't seen any entries in the forum from her - l always enjoy reading her comments even if l don't always agree!
I had that problem when trykng ot access surveys too Mtck. Hopefully they will get it fixed soon. Don't know why you havent seen any comments from Araminta... She is posting as per normal !!!! Can't keep that woman down LOL
It is harder to keep track of new posts in a way as we are all used to the previous easy system, but I am gradually getting used to finding every thing ! Have been trhying to spend a lot of time on here looking up stuff and experimenting . Cheers!!
Sunshine Coast Queensland
The surveys have been a big challenge and seem to be were most of the glitches are. It was great that we could take advantage of the Atlas of Living Australia software as I don't think we could have afforded to have the survey functionality on the site now without it but some issues to be ironed out.
And as birdie says - Araminta is here and posting.
Sat down last night and worked my way around the forum and found Araminta! Now all l have to do is get into the BIBY surveys.
Hi mtck, boy am I gald you found me. So nice to know someone missed me?LOL Also great to hear you don't always agree with me, wouldn't life be dull and boring if we had all the same opinion. As birdie said, although I'm not all that happy with the new forum, I'm not that easy to get ridd of. M-L
M-L
Oh yes, there is one thing that I'm missing, there aren't any discussions and spirited exchanges happening, mainly photos or ID requests. Trust me, I'm working on it, I'll think of something. (Don't worry Holly, nothing too drastic. ) I just want people to wake up, they seem to have gone to sleep. LOL
M-L
I'm sure you will keep me on my toes ML :)
I am supposed to be on leave today! Haven't stepped away from the computer for longer than 10 mins so far...
Hi Araminta,
I think l was somewhere near you looking at an open garden at Sassafras last weekend. Drove for nearly 5 hours there and back to go! Lovely garden along a gully lined with towering Mountain Ash and Tree Ferns higher than the rooves of houses. But there were so few birds - it might have been the people at the open garden but whilst l was there, they only numbered 6 and a dog! You could here wrens, magpies and saw a crimson rosella but that was all. I thought there might have been some Honeyeaters around as there were gardens with lots of flowering plants (both native and exotics) but no. However the lycra birds of many colors were unbelievable. I thought it was bad up here in the north east but.........how does anyone drive around Melbourne without killing that lot beggars belief.
I have been looking for the nests of those "Lycra birds", they must be hiding somewhere? Judging by the increase in numbers and distribution, they must be good breeders. At lest we don't have any "Leotards" crossing the roads yet? Love your sense of humour,back later, have to go and find some birds, M-L
M-L
Hi Holly,
Don't know whether it is the thunderstorms or rain (no doubt in the telephone line!) but l was trying to put in the survey results for 15012012 and the survey got lost going to Barnaby's cockatoo (error 500 - whatever that means) site. I cant get back in to find out whether the last two surveys were actually received or not.
I also sent a message back about not being able to record owls in the survey results. During January both southern boobooks and a powerful owl were in the garden. Hopefully the listing will include the owls soon.
If l could make a suggestion about the survey site - is it possible to 'fix' the recorded location so that the google earth map does not come up every time? I have to wait for what seems a long time for it to come up and then have to correct the yellow dot to the actual recording site. Perhaps we could have a numbered/code type system that automatically logs back to a lat/long which will make entering the survey data easier.
Hi mtck
Sounds like there were some server issues (probably due to the weather). You should be able to see your past surveys to determine if they went through or not.
I emailed you back about the owls not being in the list of birds - thanks for picking that up, they have been added now so when you type additional birds in the box then their names will appear (e.g. owl will bring up every bird with 'owl' in the name).
re changes to the portal - unfortunately we are pretty restricted there - this is a service that the entire organisation uses, however I have been keeping a list of potential improvements that may be able to be made.
Cheers
Holly