Pizzey & Knight Digital Edition review

I guess the solution is that if you don’t like them, don’t use them. But to claim they lead to “lazy thinking”????? Cheers and happy birding all – with whatever particular aids your choose to use, John Tongue Ulverstone, Tas. On 22/11/2013, at 3:05 PM, Dave Torr <davidtorr@gmail.com> wrote: > I expect bins and scopes were once thought of as “gadgets”…… > > > On 22 November 2013 14:01, Tony Russell <pratincole08@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Well said David, you sort of agree with most of my own thoughts. I think >> that mostly the old ways of birding are still the best. Nothing like >> getting >> out there and learning from others. Gadgets are mostly unnecessary and just >> lead to lazy thinking. All one needs are a scope, binoculars , and a field >> guide (book). >> T. >> >> —–Original Message—– >> From: birding-aus-bounces@lists.vicnet.net.au >> [mailto:birding-aus-bounces@lists.vicnet.net.au] On Behalf Of David Adams >> Sent: Friday, 22 November 2013 12:52 PM >> To: Birding-Aus >> Subject: Re: [Birding-Aus] Pizzey & Knight Digital Edition review >> >>> I personally don’t use any of these electronic gadgets for bird IDs, >>> in >> fact >>> I wouldn’t know how to switch one on, let alone cart the thing around >>> with me. Isn’t it better to really get to know your birds?, then >>> these thingamajigs are not needed. Having to carry binoculars is bad >>> enough as >> it is. >> >> Gadgets aren’t for everyone but one more great tool for getting to really >> know your birds. Below are a list of good ways that I’ve tried, use >> regularly, seen others do or heard about: >> >> * Put a seed tray near your window and watch what comes in closely. (How so >> many of us first saw birds as children, I’d assume.) >> >> * Go out with binoculars and watch birds from a hide, shore, etc. >> >> * Go out with a guide or group and learn from others. I can’t think of >> anything more effective. >> >> * Take others out and show them what you know. >> >> * Write about what you know, meaning field notes on behavior and field >> identification. I don’t learn much from saying “I saw a Square-tailed Kite >> today” but I would from writing up how I would try and distinguish a Little >> Eagle from a Whistling Kite. >> >> * Sketch or paint what you see! Probably the best technique of all for >> individual study…I’m sadly wretched at it. Even still, just making the >> effort to transcribe visual details visually can be a real help in >> improving >> your “seeing”. >> >> * Buy better optics 😉 Man, I wish I’d gotten good binoculars sooner. >> >> * Use a camera to snap pictures and then go home and study the results. >> I’ve gotten a lot from this: >> >> — It’s very helpful for harder groups as you can often narrow down >> something like a pair of peeps to one of 2-4 species. From there you can >> study the guides and figure out what field marks are relevant for the next >> time. >> >> — Huh. I. Could. Have. Sworn. It. Had. Two. *White*. Wing-bars. And. A. >> *Yellow*. Bill. Yeah, a picture can keep you honest. A fish-watching friend >> said that with the fishes, it is incredibly easy to remember colors in >> reverse – she pops up to the surface and narrates a description to try and >> get it fixed in her head. >> >> * Build a database and collect images, sounds and text about the birds. I >> don’t think this technique is broadly useful but since I’m a programmer, I >> end up putting a lot of time into this several times a year. (Particularly >> before a trip to a new place.) Apart from helping to learn species, it’s >> helped me *enormously* learning larger taxonomic and biogeographical >> relationships. Anyone can make themselves a series of folders to collect >> info about a species, if they like that sort of thing. >> >> * Go out into the field and wait until you can match sounds to birds. (I’m >> really not great at calls..but I slowly get better.) >> >> * Sonograms…or so I’m told…I’ve managed to get a copy of “The Sound >> Approach to Birding” but it’s still sitting on the desk. >> >> * Get and use an app. Why not? When I first saw a good birding app, I >> realized they’re the future. They’re better than paper: >> >> — Integrated sounds. >> >> — Plates *and* photographs. I’ve never loved an all-photo paper guide but >> I >> love my apps with pictures. >> >> — Off-line access. (Well, paper has that…) >> >> — A structured information space. A lot of phone/tablet apps are, well, >> sort of pointless but not apps that create a nice, tight information space. >> With a birding app, you can move through data hierarchically, laterally >> (like similar species or groups of related birds), geographically (if the >> app has the data), or non-sequentially (search for a bird.) >> >> — Particularly useful when you travel to a new country where you don’t >> know >> the birds. You can study up before you arrive and have a good idea about >> calls of common birds and what various groups look like, what habitat they >> prefer, etc. Yeah, apps are great for this…paper guides too. >> >> There are a few advantages to paper guides that are hard to beat: >> >> — No batteries. >> — Not so expensive. >> — I find it easier to flip through a paper guide somehow. Particularly for >> a country where I don’t already know the birds. There’s something >> hard-to-replace about feeling “wow, 16 plates for raptors!” that just >> doesn’t come across electronically. >> >> I’m hoping to get the new iPad Mini because I suspect that it is the >> ultimate birding gadget. I still buy, use and carry paper guides…but I’m >> reluctant to travel anywhere that doesn’t have an electronic guide. And, I >> carry fewer paper guides than I used to. >> >> With all of that said, to each their own. If you find electronic guides >> useful, great. If not, that’s fine too. Also, no all electronic guides are >> created equal any more than paper guides are of identical quality. >> =============================== >> >> To unsubscribe from this mailing list, >> send the message: >> unsubscribe >> (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) >> to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au >> >> http://birding-aus.org >> =============================== >> >> =============================== >> >> To unsubscribe from this mailing list, >> send the message: >> unsubscribe >> (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) >> to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au >> >> http://birding-aus.org >> =============================== >> > =============================== > > To unsubscribe from this mailing list, > send the message: > unsubscribe > (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) > to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au > > http://birding-aus.org > =============================== =============================== To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message: unsubscribe (in the body of the message, with no Subject line) to: birding-aus-request@vicnet.net.au http://birding-aus.org ===============================