Why birding is better than Pokemon Go.

This past summer there was a big craze in smart phone

gaming called Pokemon Go. I never played the game myself and perhaps it has seen it's 15 minutes of fame and faded into gaming obscurity. If so, it would render this comparison fairly obsolete. Even so, I am reminded of an incident last fall while birding in a popular local park. I was peering through my binoculars at a Raven high in a spruce tree when a small group of pre-teens accompanied by a couple of adults walked by. They paused as they walked up to me, and curiously asked what I was looking at. I simply said "bird watching."  They looked puzzled for a second as I'm sure they mulled over in their minds why anyone would be standing there just watching a bird. As their confused looks turned to acceptance, they replied "oh, ok" and turned to continue walking. As they departed, I took the opportunity to quip "It's better than Pokemon!" which got a few muffled chuckles from the adults.



During the summer months I would see many teenagers and collage age kids walking around parks, seemingly aimless, with their eyes glued to their little smart phone screens. No doubt playing Pokemon Go, looking for their next Pokemon monster creature thingy.  I don't know exactly how the game works, but I believe that, generally, the player looks for digital monster characters that are scattered around various GEO locations. Similar to how GEO Caching works I imagine. Except you don't find anything tangible when you get to a designated spot, the player is rewarded with a new Pokemon monster to add to their arsenal. Or something like that...I think.

So why is birding better than Pokemon Go? Well, for starters, instead of walking around with your eyes glued to a tiny screen, you could be out in nature looking all around you, listening for bird calls and watching for movement. When a bird is heard, it is fun to then try to spot it. Sometimes spotting it is impossible, which means you have to try to identify it based on the sound you've heard. But if you are able to spot the bird, you can open your handy bird guide or smartphone app and look for a bird that matches the bird you've seen. Sometimes there can be several birds that match that description so paying attention to details is important. In a way, birding is similar to Pokemon Go, but I think far more rewarding, and I would guess, more satisfying too. I would be remiss if I didn't mention the fact that birding is also better than Pokemon Go because there are real living, breathing animals

involved. As a photographer, I also have the opportunity to capture the birds I see with my camera and enjoy them long after I've seen them in the wild. Every new bird you "catch" can be added to a yearly list or life list. Most birders I know keep a life list. This is a record of all the bird species they have seen in their life. Or at least since they started birding. I keep a life list that has been added to quite a bit this year in addition to my yearly list. In fact, this year being my second year of birding, I've had to update my life list as frequently as I've updated my yearly list. I will continue adding to my life list come January, although I probably will not do another yearly list. My family and I also have a house list that we add to whenever a new bird wanders close enough for us to see from home. So far that list is at around 22 species and growing.

I hope this has inspired you to give birding a try. It's a fun, challenging, enjoyable hobby and a great excuse to get outside and enjoy the natural world around you.  The birding community is also very supportive and most birders I know are very friendly and more than willing to help out a newby with identification and good birding areas. So get out there, get some exercise, fresh air, and start playing! Once you start, you'll wanna catch 'em all!

As always, keep your eyes peeled and your binoculars handy!