2. If the species I wish to study is listed in a different region on the CD and species list, can I still survey for this bird or should I only study the birds listed in my region?
You can study any species in any region as long as it has the potential of breeding within the habitat that you have selected. Species that breed in multiple regions were listed in the region where we have the least amount of data for these birds.

3. When should I begin my surveys for BFL?
Visit 1 should take place on the earliest date that all of your study species are present and expected to be breeding. Determine your first visit date by consulting the summary table of breeding chronology under Survey Instructions.

4. When should I complete Visit 2?
Visit 2 should occur approximately two to four weeks after Visit 1, when you have the maximum chance of confirming breeding activity for all your study species.

5. Can I use contiguous forest patches or do all my study sites have to be in isolated patches of forest?
We need data from all forest types so feel free to select sites in very small patches of forest to large contiguous stands.

6. How many Field Forms do I use per study site?
You should use 2 Field Forms per study site. Fill out the front of the form for each visit. You only need to fill out the back of the form once, so one back will be blank.

7. If I am using the same study sites that I used for BFL in the past do I need to fill out the Habitat Characteristics portion of the Field Form again?
If you are using the same sites, you do not need to fill out the backside of the Field Form and Habitat Characteristics on the web unless one of these variables has changed at your site. If something has changed, on the back of your Field Form please only fill in the field(s) that have changed. On the web under the “Add Site” button, copy your BFL survey point from a previous season and make the appropriate change under the “Describe Habitat Characteristics” button, then save your data.

8. If I do not see or hear my study species do I still need to fill out a data form for this species?
Even if you do not detect one or all of your study species, please still fill out a data form. Negative data, or no detection of a species, is just as important as finding the bird since we need to know where these birds are breeding as well as where they are not breeding.

9. What do I do if I detect the target species before or after I do the official protocol, but I don't detect it during the actual survey periods?
You should mark "not seen or heard" for each of the three survey periods (O, P, and B), and then make notes about your detection of the target species in the comments section.

10. Am I still required to make additional visits to my study sites to search for nests after I have finished Visit 1 and Visit 2?
No. We added a 10-minute Behavior Watch Period to the protocol to provide a low impact method of determining your study species’ breeding status. This consists of a 5-minute mobbing call sequence that you will play in the field and then a 5-minute look and listen period. We expect this protocol to be less invasive than nest searching and less time consuming for you, the participant.

11. Do I need to fill out all the habitat variables on the back side of the Field Form and the web data form?
Yes, please try and fill in all the fields on the backside of your Field Form to the best of your ability. Good estimates are better than leaving boxes blank since we can not analyze your data without all the variables. If you need help, please contact your local site coordinator or contact the BFL staff for help.

12. What number do I record for Forest Patch Size if my forest patch is contiguous across a large landmass such as an entire state?
Try to come up with your best estimate, if it exceeds the number of characters that we allow then enter 999,999 and record the number in the comments section.

13. If I fill out the web data form, do I still need to send in copies of my Field Forms?
Yes, please still send in photocopies of your Field Forms in case we have questions related to your data.

14. Where can I find maps for BFL?
See the information about map resources.

PRIVACY STATEMENT: Please note that if you enter the latitude and longitude of your study site, the precise location of your study site will appear on maps when people retrieve bird data from our site. Your name and personal information will NOT appear, however, unless the "unique site name" that you chose for this site includes that information.

2. What does "Remember my password" mean?
If you select this option, you won't have to remember your password the next time you enter the data entry site. In fact, you won't even see the Log-in box at all. This is true, however, only if you do NOT log out between sessions.

If you choose to log out after a session, you will be prompted for your password the next time you enter the site, even if you clicked on 'Remember my password' before exiting your browser.

4. Where do I find my “Login ID Number”?
Your ID number can be found just above your name on the mailing label of the Research Kit you received in the mail.  If you do not have this item anymore and have no idea what your ID number is, contact us at forest_birds@cornell.edu and we can send you your ID number.

5. When logging in I receive a message that an “identity certificate has expired.” How do I fix it?
This is a browser problem that is fixed by upgrading to a newer version of your web browser. We recommend using Internet Explorer version 4.0 or higher, or Netscape Navigator version 4.0 or higher.

For either PCs or Macintosh, if you would like to update your version of Netscape, click here.

Because this is a new Login Name, it needs a valid BFL ID to access the site. But because their ID was already acknowledged by their prior, successful login, the user becomes stuck.

Furthermore, their computer "remembers" this NEW Login Name when they come back to login, so they are immediately sent right to the "Project Sign-In" page and are asked to enter their BFL ID.

To fix the problem, you must erase any 'memory' your computer has of your newest Login Name and enter your FIRST original, successful Login Name. To do this:

1. Close your browser and open it again, go to BFL’s home page (http://www.birds.cornell.edu/bfl) and click on the Data Entry button.
2. Click "Click here to Log In.”  This should call up the Login Box.
3. Enter your FIRST Login Name and password. If you don't remember your password, click on "Forgot your password? Click here for an e-mail reminder." Be sure to enter the Login Name that you ORIGINALLY selected.
4. If you don't see the Login Box when you click on Data Entry (after exiting your browser), but are sent immediately to the Project Sign-in page that requests your ID, carefully read it. Look for the line that says: "If you have seen this page before, then you probably have inadvertently created a second profile. If this was not your intention, click here." This should present you with the Log-In box. If it doesn't, then you must "delete your cookies." See the next FAQ (#6, below) to learn how.

On Macintosh, you can find your cookies file by going to the Apple file menu and scrolling down to "Find File."

• Enter "cookies" in the blank "name contains" box.
• Click "Find" to find the file. Delete it.
• If you run Netscape on your Mac, please contact us instead.

Return to Data Entry and log in using the appropriate Login Name and password.

9. Should I log out of the database?
You don't have to log out of our server, but in doing so, it will prevent anyone else who might use your computer from accessing the server in your name.

You can log out of the server by clicking "Log out of database" under the Options/HELP menu tab or,  unless you check "Remember my password," by exiting your browser (by pressing "exit" of your browser's file menu).  Please note that if you choose to log out after a session, this will automatically clear the 'Remember my password' box and you will be prompted for your password on your next visit to the site.

12. What does it mean to "Copy my sites from a previous season?"
This is relevant only for returning BFL participants who have submitted data to us in the past. If your previous season's data were successfully submitted, each study site was tagged with your BFL ID number.  When you log in and enter your authorization code (ID number),  our database will automatically retrieve the information associated with that ID number.

If you submitted site data for a previous year and they are not available to be recalled, contact Jim Lowe at  (607) 254-2413 or jdl6@cornell.edu

Because the BFL web pages are updated frequently, it is important to set up your computer to grab our latest changes. Below are instructions for checking your cache settings.

If you own a MAC, go to Edit/Preferences from the main menu bar. Click on "Advanced" and make sure the Cache Updated selection is set to "Always."

If you own a MAC, go to Edit/Preferences. Then click on "Advanced" in the left column to view subcategories. Cache will show as a choice. Click on "Cache" and make sure that "Once per session" is selected.

If you find that changing your cache settings slows down your Internet connection too much, you may return to your original cache settings for general web surfing, but you really should either hit "Reload" or "Refresh" on each of our online data entry pages that you visit. If this is too cumbersome, then another option is to use our recommended cache settings during each visit to our site. These latter options require you to fiddle with your pages or your settings on each visit, but it is very important that you get the latest changes to our web pages.

20. How do I determine which web browser I'm using?
The BFL web site was programmed to work with the most widely available web browsers (click here for supported browsers). However, each web browser functions slightly differently on different computers, so you may encounter problems that are unique to your computer set up. To help us troubleshoot what your problem is, we need to know the exact web browsing software you use and what operating system is installed on your computer.