- Files must be uploaded in Comma Separated Values (CSV) format.
- Two separate files must be provided: a survey file and a sightings file.
- The first row of each file must contain column headings. The columns may be in any order. Unrecognized column names will be ignored.
- The supported columns are listed in the tables below:
| Column Name | Format | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyID | Alphanumeric (max 255 characters) | A survey identifier which must be unique for the selected source. Typically this is a survey ID number from the original system in which the survey was recorded. This important reference is used to trace imported surveys back to their original source.
If the survey ID already exists in Birdata for a given source, then the survey will not be imported | Required |
| Latitude | Decimal degrees (-90 to +90) | Latitude of survey location | Required |
| Longitude | Decimal degrees (-180 to +180) | Longitude of survey location | Required |
| AccuracyInMetres | Integer | Accuracy of coordinates in metres | Optional |
| SurveyPointName | Text (max 255 characters) | Name of survey location or shared site | Required |
| StartDate | Date (DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD) | Date survey was performed | Required |
| FinishDate | Date (DD/MM/YYYY or YYYY-MM-DD) | Last date of survey (for multi-day surveys) | Optional |
| StartTime | Time (HH:MM, 24 hour time) | Time of survey | Optional |
| DurationInMinutes | Integer | Number of minutes spent surveying. For multi-day surveys, this should be the actual time spent surveying, not the entire survey period. For 2ha 20min surveys, this must be 20. | Optional |
| NumberOfObservers | Integer | Number of observers participating in survey | Optional |
| SurveyType | One of:
| Survey methodology | Required |
| UserID | No longer supported. | See next 3 columns for different ways that the observer can be identified. | |
| RaisersEdgeID | Text | The observer’s Raiser’s Edge ID. | One of these 3 fields required* |
| BirdataUserID | Integer | The observers Birdata User ID. Use the ID 1 to assign data to a generic import user. | One of these 3 fields required* |
| Valid email address | The observer’s email address. The survey will be assigned to an account with the email address, creating a new account if necessary. | One of these 3 fields required* | |
| SurveyNotes | Text | Survey related comments (note: there is also a comments field for individual sightings) | Optional |
| AllSpeciesRecorded | Boolean (true/false) | Were all species detected during the survey recorded? | Optional |
| WaterLevel | One of
| Water level if applicable | Optional |
| Column Name | Format | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SurveyID | Alphanumeric (max 255 characters) | This must match the Survey ID for the survey which this sighting belongs | Required |
| Species | Text | Common name of observed species. The common name must exist in the current Working List of Australian Birds in order for the sighting to be imported. | Required |
| Count | Integer (or ‘P’) | Number of birds observed. ‘P’ or a blank value will be imported as a presence sighting with indeterminate count. Sightings with counts of zero will not be imported. | Optional |
| BreedingActivity | One of:
| Breeding activity observed | Optional |
| VettingStatus | One of:
| Vetting status (defaults to unvetted) | Optional |
| SightingNotes | Text | Sighting related comments | Optional |
