Editing Birdwatching (section)

==Equipment and technology==
{{Original research|section|date=November 2023}}
[[File:Birdwatchers Liminka Bay 2006 04 14.JPG|thumb|Birders using a tower hide to gain views over foreground vegetation. Bay of Liminka, south of [[Oulu]], [[Finland]]]]

Equipment commonly used for birding includes [[binoculars]], a [[spotting scope]] with [[Tripod (photography)|tripod]], a [[smartphone]], a notepad, and one or more [[field guide]]s. Hides (known as ''blinds'' in North America) or observation towers are often used to conceal the observers from birds, and/or to improve viewing conditions. Virtually all optics manufacturers offer specific binoculars for birding, and some have even geared their whole brand to birders.

===Sound equipment===
Recognition of [[bird vocalization]]s is an important part of a birder's toolkit. Sound information can assist in the locating, watching, identification, and sometimes sexing of birds. Recent developments in audio technology have seen [[Portable audio|recording and reproduction]] devices shrink in both size and price, making them accessible to a greater portion of the birding community.

The non-linear nature of digital audio technology has also made selecting and accessing the required recordings much more flexible than tape-based models. It is now possible to take a recording of every bird call you are likely to encounter in a given area out into the field stored on a device that will slip into your pocket and to retrieve calls for playback and comparison in any order you choose.

As the technology continues to improve, researchers and hobby birders have started using convolutional neural networks to mine sound recordings to identify and track specific bird calls.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240502113710.htm |title=Artificial intelligence enhances monitoring of threatened marbled murrelet |publisher=Oregon State University |via=Science Daily |date=2 May 2024 |access-date=15 May 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |title=Passive acoustic monitoring and convolutional neural networks facilitate high-resolution and broadscale monitoring of a threatened species |first1=Adam |last1=Duarte |first2=Matthew J. |last2=Weldy |first3=Damon B. |last3=Lesmeister |first4=Zachary J. |last4=Ruff |first5=Julianna M. A. |last5=Jenkins |first6=Jonathon J. |last6=Valente |first7=Matthew G. |last7=Betts |display-authors=2 |journal=Ecological Indicators |volume=162 |date=May 2024 |doi=10.1016/j.ecolind.2024.112016 |doi-access=free |bibcode=2024EcInd.16212016D }}</ref>

===Photography===
[[Photography]] has always been a part of birding, but in the past the cost of cameras with [[super-telephoto lenses]] made this a minority, often semi-professional, interest. The advent of affordable [[digital camera]]s, which can be used in conjunction with a spotting scope or binoculars (using the technique of [[afocal photography]], referred to by the [[neologism]] "''[[digiscoping]]''" or sometimes ''digibinning'' for binoculars), have made this a much more widespread aspect of the hobby.

===Videography===
As with the arrival of affordable [[digital camera]]s, the development of more compact and affordable [[camcorder|digital video cameras]] has made them more attractive and accessible to the birding community. Cross-over, non-linear digital models now exist that take high-quality stills at acceptable resolutions, as well as being able to record and play audio and video. The ability to capture and reproduce not only the visual characteristics of a bird, but also its patterns of movement and its sound, has wide applications for birders in the field.

===Portable media players===
This class of product includes devices that can play (and in some cases record) a range of digital media, typically video, audio and still image files. Many modern [[digital camera]]s, [[mobile phone]]s, and [[camcorder]]s can be classified as [[portable media player]]s. With the ability to store and play large quantities of information, pocket-sized devices allow a full birding multimedia library to be taken into the field and mobile Internet access makes obtaining and transmitting information possible in near real time.

===Remote birdwatching===
New technologies are allowing birdwatching activities to take place over the Internet, using robotic camera installations and mobile phones set up in remote wildlife areas. Projects such as CONE [https://web.archive.org/web/20080725090118/http://cone.berkeley.edu/] allow users to observe and photograph birds over the web; similarly, robotic cameras set up in largely inhospitable areas are being used to attempt the first photographs of the rare [[ivory-billed woodpecker]]. These systems represent new technologies in the birdwatcher's toolkit.<ref>{{cite journal|title="Well its remote, I suppose, innit?" The relational politics of bird-watching through the CCTV lens|first= Charlotte N. L. |last=Chambers|doi=10.1080/14702540701624568|journal=Scottish Geographical Journal|volume=123|issue=2|year=2007|pages=122–134|bibcode= 2007ScGJ..123..122C |s2cid= 128827585}}</ref>

===Communication===
In the early 1950s, the only way of communicating new bird sightings was through the postal system and it was generally too late for the recipients to act on the information. In 1953 James Ferguson-Lees began broadcasting rare bird news on the radio in Eric Simms' ''Countryside'' program but this did not catch on. In the 1960s people began using the telephone and some people became hubs for communication. In the 1970s some cafés, such as that in [[Cley next the Sea|Cley, Norfolk]] run by Nancy Gull, became centers for meeting and communication. This was replaced by telephone hotline services such as "Birdline" and "Bird Information Service".<ref>Moss 2004:267–275</ref>

With the advent of the [[World Wide Web]], birders have been using the [[Internet]] to convey information; this can be via [[Electronic mailing lists|mailing list]]s, [[Internet forum|forums]], [[bulletin board systems|bulletin-boards]], web-based [[database]]s and other [[social media]].<ref>{{cite journal|first1=Peter |last1=Montague |first2=Maria B. |last2=Pellerano |title=Toxicology and environmental digital resources from and for citizen groups|journal=Toxicology|volume=157|issue=1–2|year=2001|pages=77–88|doi=10.1016/S0300-483X(00)00342-5|pmid=11164976|bibcode=2001Toxgy.157...77M }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|first1=Kaisa |last1=Still |first2=Minna |last2=Isomursu |first3=Soili |last3=Vainamo |year=2005|title=Exploring the integration of community communication technologies: case birdwatchers|journal=International Journal of Web Based Communities|volume=1|issue=3|pages=346–359|doi=10.1504/IJWBC.2005.006932}}</ref> While most birding lists are geographic in scope, there are special-interest lists that cater to bird-identification, 'twitchers', seabirds and raptor enthusiasts to name but a few. Messages can range from the serious to trivial, notifying others of rarities, questioning the taxonomy or identification of a species, discussing field guides and other resources, asking for advice and guidance, or organizing groups to help save habitats.

Occasional postings are mentioned in academic journals and therefore can be a valuable resource for professional and amateur birders alike.<ref>{{cite book|last=Hailman |first=J. P.|title=Computer networking in ornithology ''in'' Computer Networking and Scholarly Communication in the Twenty-first-Century University (Eds. Teresa M. Harrison, Timothy Stephen)|pages=[https://archive.org/details/computernetworki0000unse_q8a0/page/167 167–175]|publisher=SUNY Press|year=1996|isbn=978-0-7914-2853-5|url=https://archive.org/details/computernetworki0000unse_q8a0/page/167}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Ecology and Conservation of Owls: Proceedings of the Owls 2000, Canberra, Australia|first1=Ian |last1=Newton |first2=Rodney |last2=Kavanagh |first3=Jerry |last3=Olsen |first4=Iain |last4=Taylor |publisher=CSIRO Publishing|year=2002|isbn=978-0-643-06794-3|page=353}}</ref> One of the oldest, ''Birdchat''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.k-state.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html |title=BirdChat Guidelines |access-date=6 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080512012633/http://www.k-state.edu/audubon/chatguidelines.html |archive-date=12 May 2008}}</ref> (based in the US), probably has the most subscribers, followed by the English-language fork of ''Eurobirdnet'',<ref>{{cite web |url=http://physis.pnw.fi/mailman/listinfo/ebn |title=EBN Info Page |access-date=6 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080620060616/http://physis.pnw.fi/mailman/listinfo/ebn |archive-date=20 June 2008}}</ref> Birding-Aus<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html |title=Birding-Au |access-date=26 October 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060917233426/http://www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html |archive-date=17 September 2006}}</ref> from Australia, SABirdnet<ref>{{cite web |url=http://lists.nu.ac.za/mailman/listinfo/sabirdnet |title=Sabirdnet Info Page |access-date=6 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080423190917/http://lists.nu.ac.za/mailman/listinfo/sabirdnet |archive-date=23 April 2008}}</ref> from South Africa and Orientalbirding.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/news/emailgroups.html |title=OBC &#124; club news &#124; email groups |access-date=6 August 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080704121852/http://www.orientalbirdclub.org/news/emailgroups.html |archive-date=4 July 2008}}</ref>

=== Mobile applications ===
The increasing availability of mobile devices in the 2010s allowed the smartphone to become a useful tool for birding. Mobile apps can be used as replacements for physical birding field guides, such as the digital version of the ''[[The Sibley Guide to Birds|Sibley Guide to Birds]]'' and the official Audubon Society app.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |date=2015-08-04 |title=The Best Birding Apps and Field Guides |url=https://www.audubon.org/news/the-best-birding-apps-and-field-guides |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.audubon.org |language=en}}</ref> Other apps utilize [[machine learning]] to automatically identifying birds from photographs and audio recordings, such as the Cornell Lab of Ornithology's [[Cornell Lab of Ornithology#Merlin Bird ID|Merlin Bird ID]] application and [[iNaturalist]].<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Bowman |first=Dale |date=2021-07-08 |title=App-solutely enhancing outdoors experience: iNaturalist, Seek and Merlin Bird ID apps; plus Stray Cast |url=https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/7/8/22568173/appsolutely-enhancing-outdoors-experience-inaturalist-seek-merlin-bird-id-apps-stray-cast |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=Chicago Sun-Times |language=en}}</ref>

[[Cornell Lab of Ornithology]]'s [[eBird]] database is a popular tool used by birders to document their sightings. In addition to serving as a [[citizen science]] project used by ornithologists to document trends in bird populations,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-22 |title=We Helped Scientists Track Birds This Summer |website=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/explain/2023/birds-science |access-date=2023-11-03}}</ref> it allows birders see recent reports by other birders and search by species and location.<ref>{{Cite web |last=McKee |first=Jenny |date=2022-10-07 |title=A Beginner's Guide to Using eBird |url=https://www.audubon.org/news/a-beginners-guide-using-ebird |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.audubon.org |language=en}}</ref> Some species, including endangered species and others likely to be disrupted by increased human activity, are designated "sensitive species" by eBird and have locations of sightings hidden from the general public.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Minor |first=Nick |date=2018-03-07 |title=eBird Is Now Censoring Sightings for 325 At-Risk Species |url=https://www.audubon.org/news/ebird-now-censoring-sightings-325-risk-species |access-date=2023-11-03 |website=www.audubon.org |language=en}}</ref>

===Code of conduct===
As the numbers of birdwatchers increases, there is growing concern about the impact of birdwatching on the birds and their habitat. Birdwatching etiquette is evolving in response to this concern.<ref>{{cite book|last=Bumstead |first=Pat|year=2004|title=The Art of Birdwatching|publisher=Simply Wild Publications Inc.|isbn=978-0-9689278-2-3|oclc=56329274}}</ref> Some examples of birdwatching etiquette include promoting the welfare of birds and their environment, limiting use of photography, [[pish]]ing and playback devices to mitigate stress caused to birds, maintaining a distance away from nests and nesting colonies, and respecting private property.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aba.org/aba-code-of-birding-ethics/ |title=Code of Birding Ethics |date=3 January 2020 |publisher=American Birding Association  |access-date=12 December 2022}}</ref>

The lack of definite evidence, except arguably in the form of photographs, makes birding records difficult to prove but birdwatchers strive to build trust in their identification.<ref>{{cite journal|journal=Qualitative Sociology|title=Take my word for it: Trust in the context of birding and mountaineering|volume=17|issue=3|pages=215–241|year=1994|last=Donnelly |first=Peter|doi=10.1007/BF02422253|s2cid=144678537}}</ref> One of the few major disputes was the case of the [[Hastings Rarities]].