Possibly, there are certainly a lot of new "toys" available -- especially electronic gadgets. Some which will make birding easier - no, no one (YET!) has developed software where you point a camera or microphone at a bird and the computer immediately analyzes and ID's it for you. (And wouldn't that really spoil things?)

We sort of stick to the "less is more" approach but do feel that some of the newer things can help. For example, our FRS radios have been invaluable and I never go out without them. We used GPS in Bhutan and found it mostly useful for pin-pointing sightings for important records, but in Australia's mallee country GPS saved some friends from being (literally) "terminally" lost. In areas where altitude determines a bird's range (such as in any Andean country), an altimeter is very helpful.

In Bhutan our group of 5 went equipped with lots of gadgets from FRS radios, to GPS, altimeter, MP3 players with bird calls and field-recording capabilities, to stand-by tape recorder/tapes, plus of course our bins and scopes, and several digital cameras and camcorders. Oh, the guide had a lap-top as well, plus a mobile phone (which didn't work most places).

The things (besides obviously, our optics) which proved most useful were the MP3 player and the altimeter.

Locally however our "kit" is: bins, maybe scope, FRS radios. DeLormes in the car. That's about it. Sometimes we bring a point-and-shoot camera, occasionally useful.

Gail Mackiernan
Colesville, MD


> Do I detect a little bit of "keeping up with the Joneses" or 
> "whoever has the most toys wins" in this thread? :)
> 
> June Tveekrem
> Columbia, Howard Co, MD
> tweekiebird AT toadmail DOT com