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To me, birdwatching and technology seem like a perfect match. It seems that I am not the only one to realize this. There are many tools available to the tech inclined birder. Over the last couple of weeks I have joined that group with the purchase of an iPod touch. Based on my initial experience with it, I have to wonder if the iPod touch
A Music Player And Much More
The primary reason I got the iPod, at least at the beginning, was to upgrade my 4 year old mp3 player. But when I was researching the options the touch stood out as a way to do much more than just play music. With a decent sized screen and wifi I quickly saw the touch as a way to have a portable computer capable of accessing the internet while on the road (at least wherever there is free wifi). Then I saw that there were a number of birding applications that could be used on the touch, including birdJam and iBird Explorer. That was all it took, I decided to get an iPod touch 16 GB (1st Generation)
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Loading It Up
I purchased birdJam and loaded it up on the touch along with a bunch of music and I still had plenty of room left. So, I decided to get iBird Explorer from the iTunes store (the full version was $19.95) and install it as well. I now had a comprehensive list of 800+ North American birds along with their songs available to me instantly. There is some duplication between the two applications when it comes to songs but that’s OK. I bought iBird more for the pictures and search features than the songs. I’ve had some time to play around with both applications and I’m impressed so far. I’ll do a more extensive review in a later post once Pam and I have actually used it in the field. Stay tuned for those…
Accessorizing
I want to protect my investment from scratches, drops, etc. So I purchased a Marware Sport Grip Backwinder Case for iPod touch 1G (Clear)
The Future Of Birding
Are devices such as the iPod touch, iPhone, and other compact multi-function electronics the future of birding? They certainly seem to be making inroads and I think they will only gain in popularity, especially for younger and/or newer birders who aren’t intimidated with technology or set in their birdwatching ways. There seem to be many advantages to having an electronic directory right in the palm of your hand. New applications should be coming along soon as well. For example, iBird Explorer is looking to add observation logging capability that will allow you to upload your bird checklists to your e-bird account. Only time will tell how these tools are accepted by the birding community but my guess is that the impact will be significant.
As for us, we will report our experiences with our iPod touch in the field as soon as we get some time.
Do you use an iPod or similar device in your birding? How do you like it? Tell us about those experiences in the comments.
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great post. I use the ipod touch for email, social networking, checking the weather, newsfeeds, etc. And I have iBird Explorer Plus, which is developing into an essential birding tool.
Thanks for the iPod Touch article. I have been following your Twitter tweets on iBird. I think that I am going to join you and get it for my iPod.
Love the blog,
Jeff
Jeff,
IBird has impressed me so far. Once we get some more time to use it I’ll post a detailed review of it. So far though, it has definitely been worth the $20.
I’m glad you like the blog and thanks for reading it!
Stephen,
I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
I need to thank you for suggesting I go “all in” and get the full version of iBird. I really enjoy it so far. I think it will become a regular part of our birding as well.
As for using the touch for web related stuff, I haven’t done a lot of that yet. I guess I’ll just need to hang out at a Starbucks one day and play around with it. I do like Tweetie though. It seems to work very well with multiple accounts.
A really interesting use of the iPod…
A.
Thanks for commenting!
I think the color screen on the iPod is one of the reasons birders are using it. It can display a picture of the bird you are seeing, or trying to identify. That, along with the ability to play the bird’s song, can be a big advantage.
Yeah… I’m from Australia, and i enjoy watching birds. I try to look them up in books but it seems to take ages. Is there software that will cover Australian Birds?
I’m sure there is software that is specific to Australian birds. Just do a Google search. I know Amazon has books w/Australian birds. I’d suggest if you can’t get software at least get a field guide and study it so you can identify the common birds in your area. Once you can identify a few you will get better at it. We keep a field guide by our window all the time just to look things up quickly.
Good luck and keep reading!
Well. I did it. Thanks for the recommendation. What a great piece of software. Now, it I could find a great dictionary.
Well…I read your article on the cost of birdfood, and my birdfeed budget is going sky high (probably, partly because not only do the birds eat it, but many, many other creatures)….And now, I read about the IPod Touch…and of course now I feel compelled to purchase one. This hobby is getting extremely expensive. Thanks, Mark. Thank you very much!
lol
Sandy,
Thanks for reading!
Yeah, I guess birdwatching can be like any other hobby. There’s always something you can buy or upgrade. But, think of it like I do, it’s all for the benefit of the birds!
Birdseed is going to be the biggest ongoing expense but the iPod is definitely a little pricey. I use it primarily for a lot of non-birding activities so I guess the cost is spread out a bit.
Have a great day!
Mark
I will probably wind up buying one before my Cape Cod vacation. It will be much easier than carrying around 5 field guides! I just found out about this blog and have added it to my favorites. Keep up the good work!
I would be interested in knowing whereabouts you live. (I don’t need to know exact location, but roundabouts section of the map would be nice. I notice a lot of the birds that visit your feeders also visit mine.
Sandy
Hi Sandy,
Glad you found the blog and like it. Thanks for reading!
I’m sure that when you get the iPod Touch/iPhone you will enjoy it. We plan on doing a little more in-depth review of birdJam and ibird explorer in the next week or two so stay tuned for that.
We live in the Northeast area of Atlanta, just outside the perimeter. If you are familiar with the “perimeter” that encircles the city then we are between 1 and 2 o’clock, while the airport is at 6 o’clock. We are a couple of miles away from the Chattahoochee river.
Thanks, Mark. I knew it your pictures looked warmer than mine!
(I live in Mass. and am one of those peope that have had to endure negative temperatures.) I have been to the Atlanta area only a couple of times, several years ago. A friend of mine lived in Kennesaw, but since they did all the driving…I didn’t become to familiar with directions.
I have been doing quite a bit of research on this “new birding tool” e.g. iPod Touch, and have stumbled upon “Thayer Birding Software” that has a whole lot of other features, but includes being able to upload pics and songs on you iPod. It, too, is expensive but it seemed to offer a whole lot more than the ones that you were referring to (many tools that would be used on a pc/laptop). Are you familiar with this program at all? And if so, have you heard positive feedback on it? Thanks!
The Thayer software looks interesting. I have no experience with it. I’ll explore their site some more when I have time. What I can tell you is that iBird is a nice piece of software and birdjam works very well. Maybe you will want to contact Thayer and ask a few questions about iPod integration, etc. If you find anything out let me know.
Here are some pros and cons from a thayer user:
“I have used the Thayer’s Guide to Birds of North America: http://www.thayerbirding.com/
This may be a good choice because it is a program for Windows and Mac that allows you to easily put the bird calls on an ipod. You can also choose which bird calls you want on there. If birding only in Mass, you can have only the species that have ever shown up in Mass on there, including the rarities which you may need.
When playing the song on the iPod, a picture of the bird is displayed.
Another plus to this route is that on the comp. you can use the program to set up quizes, which can be by pic, video, or song or pic and song. As with the songs, you can be quized on just common backyard birds of Mass, all birds of Mass, or shorebirds etc. Or just sparrows of N America and so on.
It’s ~ $80, which may be a lot more than the birdjam or ibird, but you get a great deal more.
The con is that some of the selected bird recordings are of sub-par quality and some are extremely short, like the Eastern Screech-Owl song they have is only about 45 seconds which is a bummer when using it in the field. However, when using that in the field, just set the iPod to repeat and let it roll.
To some this may be a con, but the name of the bird is not said before the call. The name of the bird is clearly displayed but this may be inconvenient if using it in the car. Though having the name of the bird said before the call in the field can be a nuisance. ”
The website states they will be coming out with a “64 bit” in mid 2009 as oposed to the “32 bit” that is currently on the market. I am not real knowledgable in the computer tech department, but my laptop is Vista~64 bit…So I would assume I should wait!
Sandy,
Thanks for the info. The Thayer software looks pretty good. I’d contact them to confirm that you will have to wait until the 64-bit version is released. The current version might work fine. let me know what you find out and definitely let me know what your impressions are if you end up getting it!
Does anyone have thoughts on how the ibird pro and Sibley eguide compare w/ each other?
Hi,
I am also from Australia and I own an iPod which I would love to have bird calls on so I can learn them or check out what I am hearing.
I have just learnt that Michael Morcombe has released an e book which goes on an iPhone and it has 1800 sound recordings of Australian Birds. So, maybe it wont be long and this app will be available for the iPod as well??? keep an eye on his site, I will be. (I am not affiliated in any way with Michael Morcombe, I just read about this in the Birds Queensland Newsletter)