Do you take notes while you zoo?

How do you keep track of what you've experienced at zoos?

  • Digital documentation (spreadsheet, word doc, etc)

    Votes: 31 42.5%

  • Physical documentation (notebook, pen and paper, etc)

    Votes: 5 6.8%

  • A mix of the two

    Votes: 16 21.9%

  • All in my noggin'!

    Votes: 21 28.8%
  • Total voters
    73
filovirus

filovirus

Well-Known Member
I see lots of folks in here who have comprehensive lists and records that I'm very envious of. Snowleopard's list comes to mind (and is something I'd quite like to replicate!), as does the Bovid species/subspecies thread, as do the folks who just generally keep very thorough track of what animals they see on any given visit. I love it! I love the recording of it all!

I'm just curious what your approach is? Do you keep a notebook with you, or mark things in your phone? Do you keep these lists analog or do you convert them to spreadsheets and the like?
 
I just use the notes app on my phone and write down all of the changes I have noticed since my last visit as bulletpoints so I can then report them in the news threads. I also take photos on my phone of things like new signage and exhibit changes which can cut down on the time it takes to write unfamiliar scientific names of new species or write detailed descriptions of exhibit changes and can just refer to a visual reference instead when I am reporting it to zoochat.
 
filovirus said:
I see lots of folks in here who have comprehensive lists and records that I'm very envious of. Snowleopard's list comes to mind (and is something I'd quite like to replicate!), as does the Bovid species/subspecies thread, as do the folks who just generally keep very thorough track of what animals they see on any given visit. I love it! I love the recording of it all!

I'm just curious what your approach is? Do you keep a notebook with you, or mark things in your phone? Do you keep these lists analog or do you convert them to spreadsheets and the like?
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I remember the bulk of what I learn from a visit e.g. exhibit changes or births, deaths etc. If I was recording an animal name, I might make a note of it if I was unsure of spelling, but I’m familiar with most common Swahili/Indonesian names and don’t usually have an issue remembering them.

Anything else e.g. a Scientific name or a name of a reptile/bird (mammals are more my area of interest), I snap a photo of it to write up on ZooChat in my own time.
 
If I'm taking notes at the zoo, I prefer pen and paper to quickly jot down notes, but I transfer these to a digital format once I get home. I keep a digital lifelist on excel, for both wild and captive animals.
 
I used to jot down species lists on notecards back when I was a 6- or 7-year-old child. Unfortunately, I didn't hold on to them. I now take digital documentation in the form of pictures of almost everything, which I feel should be an option in the poll.
 
I take notes, but not in written form. I gather together my species lists based on the photos I take (I always try to photograph some form of documentation for every species, whether that be a photo of the animal or the enclosure or the signage). If that isn't possible I'll use the notes in app in my phone.
 
Yes now and then. I photograph enclosures / signs in the main but also make notes if something interests me. I carry an analogue notebook as got used to notebooks and pencils in places where signals were hard to find, but I use Evernote more often than not - it also has my trip plans, schedules, notes about opening times, last admissions etc and travel details (favourite EV chargers etc) in it.
 
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I want to start taking notes on the animal names, ages, sex, and numbers. It could help me do an updated species list about a zoo. I think that I will be using notebook paper. I think that writing on paper is easier than doing it on the phone. I also take photos
 
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I take picture of every exhibit and every sign when I visit a zoo. I used to compile them into google docs and sheets, but I haven't had to time to do that recently. Good thing I have a lot of free time this summer ;).
 
Coelacanth18 said:
I have a camera and take extensive photos on every visit. I try to get a photo of every sign and every species I see. Then once I have time I compile everything into Word documents and Excel spreadsheets.
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Sounds like you do pretty much that exact same thing as me. My issue is that some of the photos are on my camera and some are on my phone, which means sometimes a few species get lost from the final list while moving between my two devices.

I always update my species list threads when I realize this has happened, and I try to me more careful about this now than in the past, but this has been an issue.
 
I used to use a notepad and pen every time I visited my local zoo; counting each animal I saw.

Every enclosure I would count and then write down how much animals I saw; and in the case of some, the specific individuals I saw as well.

The only flaw with this is birds; which I have to say, are the hardest by far to count. But then again, I guess it does provide some sort of useful number - eg. I sighted at least 4 Black Swans.

It does have benefits though. For enclosures like aviaries, it helped me keep track of specific species present in each aviary (which isn't something available on zoo maps and the like). It also helped me more easily identify when there was a new animal present. For example, I had counted the zoo's Fijian Crested Iguanas in one enclosure to three individuals for quite a while and was able to recognise that there was an additional animal present one day.

Obviously not the most accurate method; but it did allow me to gain quite a comprehensive list holdings for a while; which was very useful to share on Zoochat, and perhaps will be interesting to go back to one day too.
 
birdsandbats said:
My issue is that some of the photos are on my camera and some are on my phone, which means sometimes a few species get lost from the final list while moving between my two devices.
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I used to have problems with this too; I would take most animal photos with my camera and sign photos (as well as some herp/fish photos) with my phone, and then have trouble checking between two devices or sorting out what signs went to what enclosures. Nowadays I use my camera for almost everything, and only use my phone for more casual stuff - like phone screen backgrounds, to send to people, videos for sound, etc. Way easier to keep all the photos organized in one place and order that way. I just have to carry spare camera batteries and replace memory cards more frequently, neither of which is that big a deal for me.
 
Coelacanth18 said:
I used to have problems with this too; I would take most animal photos with my camera and sign photos (as well as some herp/fish photos) with my phone, and then have trouble checking between two devices or sorting out what signs went to what enclosures.
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This is exactly what I currently do.

Coelacanth18 said:
Nowadays I use my camera for almost everything, and only use my phone for more casual stuff - like phone screen backgrounds, to send to people, videos for sound, etc. Way easier to keep all the photos organized in one place and order that way. I just have to carry spare camera batteries and replace memory cards more frequently, neither of which is that big a deal for me.
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What sort of camera are you using to take both signage pictures and animal photos? I use a telephoto lens and signage can often be quite dark I've found, which is why I only really use my phone. I'm considering getting a point-and-shoot for signage and perhaps herps/smaller animals that are close to the glass.
 
CMP said:
What sort of camera are you using to take both signage pictures and animal photos? I use a telephoto lens and signage can often be quite dark I've found, which is why I only really use my phone. I'm considering getting a point-and-shoot for signage and perhaps herps/smaller animals that are close to the glass.
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I use a point-and-shoot.
 
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Zoo adventures said:
I want to start taking notes on the animal names, ages, sex, and numbers. It could help me do an updated species list about a zoo. I think that I will be using notebook paper. I think that writing on paper is easier than doing it on the phone. I also take photos
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If so, then use a pencil, not a pen. Pencil writings don't care about rain or damp weather. That is the first lesson for any field ecologist and should come in handy for zoo nerds too ;)
 
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