General Birdata Surveys

  • 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 in each file are listed below.

Surveys file

Column Name Format Notes Required

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:

  • 5_min_point_search

  • 2_ha_non_20_minute_search

  • 2_ha_search

  • area_search_within_500_m

  • area_search_within_5_km

  • bird_list

  • fixed_route_search

  • incidental_search

Survey methodology

Required

PrivateSurvey

Boolean (true/false)

If true, the survey will be hidden from public view

Required

UserID

N/A

No longer supported. See next 3 columns for different ways that the observer can be identified.

N/A

RaisersEdgeID

Text

The observer’s Raiser’s Edge ID.

One of these 3 fields required*

BirdataUserID

Integer

The observer’s Birdata User ID. Use the ID 1 to assign data to a generic import user.

One of these 3 fields required*

Email

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

  • dry

  • below_capacity

  • nearly_empty

  • at_capacity

  • flooding

Water level if applicable

Optional

PlaybackTargetSpecies

Text

The common name(s) of any species that were targeted by playback in this survey. Multiple species names must be separated by commas.

Optional

Sightings file

Column Name Format Notes Required

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:

  • none

  • adults_on_nest

  • diagnostic_behaviour

  • nest_with_eggs

  • nest_with_young

  • nonspecific_breeding_activity

  • recently_fledged_young

  • suggestive_behaviour

  • young_out_of_nest

Breeding activity observed

Optional

VettingStatus

One of:

  • accepted

  • accepted_escapee

  • queried

  • rejected

  • unvetted

  • within_range

Vetting status (defaults to unvetted)

Optional

SightingNotes

Text

Sighting related comments

Optional

Aussie Bird Count surveys

  • Data format is based on the survey import data specification for General Birdata Surveys

  • The ABC-specific columns are listed in the table below:

Extra columns for surveys file

Column Name Format Required

Experience

One of: Novice, Intermediate, Advanced

Required

Extra columns for sightings file

None

Shorebirds Surveys

  • Data format is based on the survey import data specification for General Birdata Surveys

  • The SurveyType field must not be included. This will automatically be populated with the Shorebirds Count type.

  • The Shorebirds-specific columns are listed in the below:

Extra columns for surveys file

Column Name Format Required

AllShorebirdsVisibleCounted

true/false

Required

CompleteWaterbirdCount

true/false

Required

CompleteCount

true/false

Optional

PartOfBiannualCount

true/false

Optional

WindSpeed

One of: Calm, Light breeze, Windy

Optional

WindDirection

One of: None, N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW, Variable

Optional

Tide

One of: High, Rising, Falling, Low

Optional

Extra columns for sightings file

None

Sydney Olympic Park Surveys

  • Data format is based on the survey import data specification for General Birdata Surveys

  • The SurveyType field must not be included. This will automatically be populated based on the SOPSurveyType field

  • The SOP-specific columns are listed in the tables below:

Extra columns for surveys file

Column Name Format Notes Required

SOPSurveyType

One of:

  • Black-winged Stilt survey

  • Nocturnal bird survey

  • Bird - Migratory shorebirds

  • Bird - State Sports Centre survey

  • Bird - Bicentennial Park pre-SOPA

  • Bird - Bird census pre-Spring 2004

  • Fauna - NNR Survey

  • Bird - Breeding waterbirds

  • Bird - Bush Bird Study

  • Incidental record

  • Bird - Latham’s Snipe surveys

  • Bird - Annual spring census

  • Bird - White-fronted Chat surveys

  • Fauna - Great Escape monitoring

  • Bird - Evening waterbird surveys

  • Reptile - Annual census

  • Fauna - V8 monitoring

  • Fauna - Pest animal control

  • Bird - Monthly ibis count

  • Bird - Monthly raven count

  • Fauna - General fauna surveys

  • Bird - Ibis study

  • Bird - NNR hollow study

  • 2011 Bush Bird Study

  • Fauna - nocturnal survey

  • Bird - Red-rumped Parrot autumn survey

  • Bird - WBR islands

  • Bird - lantana study

  • Bird - Revegetation study

  • Frog - GGBF monitoring

  • Frog - FATS auditory surveys

  • Bat - Microbat surveys

  • Bat - White-striped Free-tailed Bat monitoring

SOP-specific survey type.

Required

Extra columns for sightings file

Column Name Format Notes Required

DetectionMethod a

One of:

- seen - heard - captured

How was the observation detected

Required

Behaviour

One of:

  • perching

  • roosting

  • feeding

  • flying_in

  • flying_out

  • flying_over

  • drinking

  • investigating

  • other

Behaviour of observed species (birds only)

Optional

LifeStage

One of:

  • egg

  • tadpole

  • metamorph

  • juvenile

  • adult

  • mixed

Life stage

Optional

VitalStatus

One of:

  • live

  • dead

  • sick

Vital status

Optional

Sex

m/f/mixed

Sex

Optional

WeightInGrams

Number

Weight in grams

Optional

LengthInMillimetres

Number

Length in mm

Optional

LegLengthInMillimetres

Number

Leg length in mm

Optional

SnoutLengthInMillimetres

Number

Snout length in mm

Optional

NuptialPads

true/false

Presence of nuptial pads

Optional

TagNumber

Text (max 64 characters)

Tag number/ID e.g. 05FE2AF4

Optional

Recapture

true/false

Recapture

Optional