FieldDex is developed by Kevin Chaves. Your birding journal is stored on your device. Online reference features send requests to external services, as described below. No FieldDex account is required.
Your journal and photos
FieldDex stores bird names, sighting dates, counts, notes, detection types, locations you enter or permit it to record, selected photos, and your collection progress in its local app storage. Imported CSV records are processed on your device. Importing an eBird export does not sign you into eBird or upload your journal.
Camera access lets you attach a photo to a sighting. Photos you choose or take are copied into the app’s local storage. FieldDex does not upload your sighting photos, notes, or imported CSV files to a developer-operated server.
Microphone and sound identification
With microphone permission, FieldDex records short audio clips and analyzes them on your device using bundled BirdNET+ models. Audio is written to temporary device storage. Scan records, predictions, timestamps, and optional coordinates are stored locally. Recordings are not sent to a remote identification service.
If location access is available, local sound analysis can use your coordinates and the date to refine its suggestions. This model analysis happens on your device.
Nearby observations
When you use Nearby with location permission, FieldDex sends your latitude and longitude, search radius, and observation date range to the eBird API operated by Cornell Lab of Ornithology. This service receives your coordinates and ordinary connection information, including your IP address. FieldDex does not need background location access.
Reference photos and calls
Opening bird reference content can send species names or taxon identifiers to iNaturalist and species queries to xeno-canto. Displaying photos and playing calls connects to those providers’ media servers. These services receive the requested content and ordinary network information, including your IP address. Reference metadata and network responses may be cached on your device.
External links open the selected website, which handles your activity under its own practices. External services control their own request logging and retention; FieldDex does not control those records.
Settings, analytics, and backups
Preferences such as button sounds and capture animations are saved locally. FieldDex does not include advertising or a third-party analytics SDK and does not use an advertising identifier. It does not operate a developer-hosted journal service.
Device backups may include app data according to your Apple settings. Backups are separate from the app’s local storage.
Retention and your choices
You can remove sightings and species records in the app. Removing a record may leave associated photo files, cached reference material, or audio scan records in app storage. Removing FieldDex and its data from the device removes that local storage; offloading the app may retain it. Exports, device backups, and records held by external providers are separate copies.
You can change camera, microphone, and location permissions in your device’s Settings. Avoid Nearby, online reference content, and external links if you do not want to make those network requests. Your local journal and bundled catalog can be used offline.
Support and this website
If you contact Kevin Chaves for support, your email address and message are used to respond and troubleshoot. Avoid including private sighting locations or recordings unless necessary. You can request deletion of support messages by emailing the address below.
This website’s hosting providers process ordinary request information to deliver and protect the site. The website contact form stores your name, email address, and message in a private inbox and may send an email notification. Website support records are separate from your FieldDex journal.
Changes and contact
This page will be updated when FieldDex’s data handling changes. For privacy questions, contact Kevin Chaves at hello@kevinchaves.com.