Watching birds and other visitors in the garden is something I enjoy sharing through Birds And Visitors. But I also wanted to make something useful for the people who share that interest: a place to organise favourite wildlife channels, save videos to watch later, and keep a record of the visitors appearing in their own garden.
That is the idea behind BirdsAndVisitors, an Android app I’m currently testing before a planned Google Play release.
It brings together two parts of the same hobby: watching wildlife online and noticing what is happening right outside your own window.
More than an app for my channel
My Birds And Visitors channel is part of the starting point, but I want the app to be useful beyond my own videos.
You can add the channels you enjoy, organise your own collection, and choose what to open. My channel can serve as an example, but you can replace that example with your own choices. If you run a channel yourself, there is also a space to keep your channel, website and livestream links together, alongside private notes and a stream schedule.
There are links back to BirdsAndVisitors.com and Aebe.nl, too. Of course, I hope the app helps more people discover my work. I want that connection to grow because people find the app useful and enjoy using it.
A journal for the visitors in your garden
The journal is not limited to birds. A hedgehog, squirrel, fox or interesting insect can be just as worth remembering.
In this first version, you can write down what you saw, the date, the place and your own notes. It is a simple way to build a personal record of your garden’s visitors over time.
It does not identify animals for you. You enter your own observations, in your own words. That also leaves room for the details that matter to you: unusual behaviour, a first visit, or something you would like to look out for again.
What the first version includes
The version being tested includes:
- A personal collection of channels and favourite links.
- A watchlist for videos and livestreams.
- An in-app YouTube player for supported video links.
- A journal for birds and other wildlife visitors.
- A workspace for your own channel links and notes.
- Light and dark themes.
- Manual backup and restore through a file you save yourself.
There are no automatic checks for new videos or live broadcasts. You choose a channel or video when you want to open it. Watching online content requires an internet connection, and YouTube’s own availability, restrictions and advertising can still apply.
Your records stay on your phone
I wanted to keep the app straightforward. There is no separate BirdsAndVisitors account to create and no central database where I collect your journal or saved channels.
Your records are stored locally on your phone. You can export a backup and choose where to keep it. Making that backup matters, especially before changing phones or removing the app.
Opening YouTube is different from using the local journal: it connects to Google’s service, which has its own privacy practices. The app includes a privacy explanation so that distinction is clear.
Help me decide what comes next
I still want to build more into BirdsAndVisitors, but I need help from the people who might actually use it.
Would a Dutch and English species picker help you? Would you use journal filters, sightings statistics, or a way to share a sighting as an image? Or is there something much simpler that would make the app more useful in your daily routine?
Those are ideas for future development, not promises about features already included. Your feedback will help me decide what deserves attention first.
Whether you watch garden livestreams, run a wildlife channel, or simply enjoy keeping track of the visitors outside your window, I would like to hear what you need. Tell me what works, what feels awkward, and what is missing.
BirdsAndVisitors is still being tested and is not yet published on Google Play. I will share availability updates here on Aebe.nl.
Send your ideas and feedback to aebe2025@gmail.com.
You can also visit BirdsAndVisitors.com to explore the project that started it all.
— Aebe
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