Review in RVing America:

The next time you are in a quandary on what to buy that outdoorsy
>friend, or to treat yourself, consider one of the Better Birdwatching
>CD-ROMs from Joseph A LaFleur, a qualified wildlife biologist and
>multimedia developer.
> I tried the Better Birdwatching in Colorado Volumes 3, 4, and 5 version
>that provides information and photos for 258 species of birds found in
>Colorado. As an educational tool for learning about birds, the program
>was easy and fast to work with. From the alphabetical index a single
>click takes you to a group page, such as warblers or sparrows where the
>general characteristics are detailed along with the names of the species
>from that group that are found in Colorado.
>Click a link (in blue type) onany of the birds on the list and you go to
>that particular species page. The page then provides detail, with two or
>more color photographs and identification text blocks pointing to the
>feature. The information is more complete and extensive than in most
>field guides and the links to video and audio clips with the efficiency
>of the click of a mouse makes the CD-ROM an efficient learning tool.
>At first I was disappointed that the audio clips of the birds sometimes
>consisted of only a note or two spanning a couple of seconds with
>background noise, such as wind blowing across the microphone or tree
>rustling noises distracting me and making it difficult to clearly hear
>the bird calls.
>The video clips were fleeting also. However, the clips were obviously
>shot and recorded in the field under the actual conditions that exist
>for the birdwatcher, frequently sighting a bird for only a moment before
>it disappears or hearing only a note or two. Does that make
>identifications difficult? Yes. But it is probably better to learn the
>birdÕs behavior characteristics and to hear its calls as you actually
>would in the field, rather than from studio-produced clips.
>With the CD-ROM you can run the song or the video repeatedly until you
>learn it. In the field you canÕt tell a bird to Òsing that again, would
>youÓ or Òhey buddy, fly up to that tree again.Ó
>One of the parts of the program I had the most fun with was the
>Betterbird Quiz, 147 interactive quizzes which offer succeedingly easier
>clues to a birdÕs identity and a final riddle relating to its name. If
>you guess the wrong choice, you will get a recording of birds
>Òlaughing,Ó while the right selection produces a clip of a parrot
>ringing a bell.
>SUMMARY
>THE BEST PARTS
>Photos and extensive informative individual species pages.
>Realistic field-produced audio and visual clips.
>Easy to use and get around.
>Ability to freeze and repeat clips.
>A single click on a map icon helps eliminate similar species by
>displaying a range map and probable seasonal presence.
>The identification quizzes.
>
>FEATURES I WOULD LIKE TO SEE
>Initial identification features to narrow a sighting down to a species
>group, such as body shape silhouettes, beak shapes, or size comparisons.
>
>More links and specific diagnostic differences to help in separating and
>identifying similar species.
>This program is an effective, easy to use educational lesson in bird
>identification tools. Any birder, from beginner through advanced, will
>become better informed and more knowledgeable with this CD-ROM in their
>library.
>
>Better Birdwatching CD-ROMs, Joseph A. LaFleur, 616 W. Olive St., Fort
>Collins, CO 80251. 1 (888) 414-2837 or (970) 221-9619.