We’ve all heard the complaints about technology ruining real life. C.J. Hirschfield has this rebuttal.
I happen to live very close to both an international airport, and a bird sanctuary. Both fascinate me. And while I’m a strong proponent of ditching screens in favor of interacting with the real world all around us, I’ve come to believe that screens can actually be used to enhance our experience in the great outdoors.
On my daily shoreline walks, the skies are always full of birds– and airplanes.
I’m trying to learn to identify the many shorebirds that migrate through the Bay on a regular basis. I mean to the person relatively new to birdwatching, curlews look like whimbrels which resemble avocets. They can be distinguished by how they look, act, and sound. When I need to, I pull out my bird identification app, and by following steps to describe a bird, or by submitting a photo, or even by recording its calls, I can instantly name it. It’s magic.
And if I walk past a plant I’ve never seen before, there’s another app which allows me to take a photo of a specimen, and have it immediately recognized. And yet another app, whose stated goal is to have you “explore and connect with nature” will take your photo of any organism (insects are really fun), and identify it for you. You can then share your observation with the local community to discuss and confirm. Your sighting can even be vetted as Research Grade and shared with scientists working to understand and protect nature.