Data Entry Help
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To Begin Data Entry
To make the data entry process run as smoothly as possible we have tried to replicate the American Woodcock Singing-ground Survey form each observer receives in the spring from their state/province coordinators. We have also included a sample data entry form that observers are more than welcome to take a look at. This will give you some idea as to how to fill out the form electronically.
Are you using a compatible browser? Once you are sure your web browser is compatible with the data entry program, please read over everything before you begin to enter your data electronically. As stated above, the data entry screen is laid out very similar to the actual woodcock survey form.Please note: To move between text boxes on a screen
move to the next text box with Tab or
click on a text box with the mouse or
move to previous box with Shift-Tab
To move between radio buttons on a screen
move to the next button with right arrow or
move to the previous button with left arrow
Section 1: This section includes the route information that does not change from year to year, with the exception of the Survey Year. Based on your query input, we fill the following information in for you: Survey Year, State or Province, County code, Route number, and Route name. If you did not enter the route data the previous year under the same username, the route name will be blank. This is a required field, so please either enter a description or road name that can possibly identify the route another way.
Section 2: This section includes the contact information from the previous year's route observer. Please review all fields to make sure they are correctly filled in. If you are a new observer, please change the fields accordingly. All fields are required except the "middle initial," "telephone extension," and "email." Drop down and text boxes are used in this section as well as radio buttons. The drop down boxes enable the user to choose one of the following in a list. You will use the radio button when selecting the agency you belong to. The radio button allows the user to only choose one of the following within the list. We ask for your current contact information because it is very important that we are able to contact you if a problem or concern arises within the data processing. If there is a problem or concern and we are unable to contact you, your data could be invalid and not be used in the final analyses. There are limitations on the text you may enter within each text box, so please refer back to the field formats for proper data entry.
Section 3: This section asks you to fill in environmental variables associated with your survey run, the Official Sunset for the survey evening, and the date you conducted the survey on. All fields are required. Radio buttons and text boxes are used in this section. Remember you are only allowed to choose one of the following under each environmental variable. When filling out the Official Sunset text boxes, please review the field formats to make sure you are entering the correct time (hh:mm) in the correct text boxes. Please do not use military time when entering the time. If you need help converting military time into civilian time, please see below. If you ran your route when the temperature was below 40° F (5°C), in heavy precipitation or strong wind, please rerun the route. If this is not possible please contact the Webless Survey Coordinator (301) 497-5862 immediately. You may still enter the data into our database, but unfortunately we will not be able to use your data for our data analysis. So please make sure to follow all directions for future survey routes you may conduct.
Section 4: This section is the main section of the data entry form. It includes the odometer reading, time, number of woodcock heard peenting, disturbance level, total woodcock heard peenting, total stops completed, and a remarks section. All fields are required. Please do not forget to fill out whether your odometer readings are in miles or kilometers. Again there are limitations on the text you may enter within each text box, so please refer back to the field formats for proper data entry. Pertinent info under the "Remarks" field may include extreme traffic, really noisy spring peepers, people stopping to talk with you, a missed turn which causes the mileage to be off, etc. Other interesting info you may want to include might be a drastic habitat change at one or more stops over the course of the year.
Please make sure to double check all data you have entered electronically before you submit your data. We cannot stress this enough. Many data entry errors are often made by typing mistakes that the user was not aware of.
Please fill section 4 out completely including fields you may not think are necessary or important. Every field is important to us. In order for the Laurel office to edit check the data and make sure the survey was run properly, all required fields must be filled out completely. If not, then time and money are wasted contacting observers who have not followed the original instructions to get this pertinent information. We have set up the data entry system so that the only way you can send in your survey data is to have all required fields filled out. If you forget or do not have the needed data, you will not be able to send the data electronically. If you find out that this is the case, please contact the Webless Survey Coordinator, (301) 497-5862, directly and do one of the following:
- scan/upload to the FileShare link following the instructions given to you;
- scan/email to WeblessSurveyCoordinator@fws.gov (please indicate the State/Province & Route # in the subject line);
- Fax to (301) 497-5981;
- or if one of the above is not possible, then submit the original to:
Woodcock Survey
US Fish & Wildlife Service
11510 American Holly Drive-Merriam Bldg.
Laurel, MD 20708
Last Updated: Please direct website questions/comments/survey related inquiries to WeblessSurveyCoordinator@fws.gov, USFWS, Division of Migratory Bird Management.