This is the latest version, released 31 July 07, it is VISTA compatible, and works on Windows 2000 and up. You can now download both songs and photos to your MP3 player. The icons seem smaller, making the site seem better organized. Other than that, and of course the Vista compatiblity, the improvements are pretty much invisible to the non-geek-programmer types!
Here is our description for the previous version:
Whether you are just beginning to learn to identify birds by sight or by call, or just enjoy learning about birds, this program will delight you. We have sold it to beginners, and some of the best birders in Texas (our home state). The best features are being able to see pictures while you play their calls, the one click to see similar birds and birds in the same family, and the identification page. We play the flash guide quizzes while we are at shows, and listen to both the calls and "Petey the Parrot" telling us the birds' names. We've had this program for years, and still haven't seen all the videos or looked at all the pictures. Plus, you use built-in lists, or create your own list and use it for your own quizzes or screen savers. There's also a simple checklist, so you can keep track of birds you've seen. A Mac version is due in September 2007.
See our extended review at NaturallyCurious.net.
From the publisher: "The Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Thayer Birding Software have joined forces to create Guide to Birds of North America v3.5 features all 926 birds ever seen in the U.S. or Canada (excluding Hawaii). Your have 2,788 color photos and songs for 707 species and 90 video clips at your fingertips. Identify unfamiliar birds by simply selecting the color, size, habitat, location or sound of your bird. You’ll then have a photo gallery of the birds that match your description!
Also included are 700 quizzes arranged into "Birding Hot Spots," "Christmas Bird Counts," "Favorite Birds" and more. Set the level at Easy or crank it all the way up to Difficult. Select Multiple Choice, Fill-in-the-blank, Flash Card or "Pick One" quizzes. This CD also includes a listing and recordkeeping program to help you remember the birds you have seen.
With version 3.5, you can also share Custom Lists with your friends, download songs to an iPod for your own personal use and add your own comments and photos for each bird. New colorful icons make it very easy to use the CD.
System Requirements Version 3.9 : Windows 2000, Me or XP, VISTA; Pentium 4 processor or equivalent; 128 MB RAM; CD-ROM drive; 50 MB on hard drive; plus hardware and software required to support multimedia applications. Some features of this CD-ROM require an Internet connection."
