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The only versions of Band Manager that the BBL endorses for use by United States banders are what the BBL releases on this site. The most recent version of Band Manager that the BBL has officially released is version 2.1 and the update to 2.1, released 7 November 2002. All more recent versions should be regarded as test versions. We are preparing to release a new version shortly, at which time it will be available for download at this page. If you are attempting to use other versions, please recognize that the BBL has limited capability to support them at this time. Please report all bugs to bandmgr@usgs.gov and indicate what version you are using.
Band Manager is a computer program used throughout the USA and Canada for banders to report banding data to the Bird Banding Offices. This program is available free of charge to banders via download or CD. Click here for more information on the program and how to get it.
To ensure that the version of Band Manager that you are using is up to date, click here to go to the Band Manager Update page. The Band Manager CD included several versions of the Band Manager Manual in the "docs" folder. The Manual includes information on starting and using Band Manager, including data entry hints using Append to increment the next band number in the string, Auto Copy to automatically fill in data that do not change, and Blank Copy to fill in data that rarely change (but only when you want it to). Click here to view the manual on-line using Adobe Acrobat Reader.
For assistance in using Band Manager, all banders should first ensure that they have the latest update of Band Manager (click here to see the date of the most recent update). You can check the version that you are using by clicking on the "About" button at the top left of a Band Manager screen and checking the date located in the center of the new screen just below the title "Band Manager--Banding Data Management Program".
Only after checking to ensure that you have the latest update, US banders should contact the Band Manager Help Desk at bandmgr@usgs.gov or 301-497-5845 from 7AM to 3 PM Eastern Time. Esther Mills will be happy to field your questions on Band Manager. The Band Manager Help Desk should be the first contact for any US bander who needs assistance with the program. Canadian banders should contact the Bird Banding Office at (819) 997-1121 or BBO_CWS@ec.gc.ca.
Please note that if you get an error message you should write down all four lines of the error message, check your error against the frequently occurring error messages below, and ask for assistance if you don't find your error on the list.
Click here for more information on Error Codes
Click here for other FAQ's (Frequently Asked Questions)
Click here to go to the "quick start" instructions that were sent with the CD when the program was released.
Click here to join the Band Manager Yahoo! Group, another source for assistance.
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