Jul, 4, 2008
OUTDOORS: Use your computer to beef up birding skills
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MCCLATCHY
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Bird watching’s fun but sometimes it can be pretty frustrating. My kids gave me an interactive CD-ROM, “Guide to Birds of North America,” for Father’s Day. It identifies 927 birds and has 2,700 photos.
The neat thing is that you can call up one bird and then hit the program for similar species. That way you can get details on telling look-alikes apart.
There’s also a place for keeping a log on the types of birds that you see, sort of like a life list.
It also has bird songs so you can start identifying the critters by their sounds.
This is pretty handy because sometimes you hear the bird before you see it.
The program includes videos, maps and a birder’s handbook.
It’s from Thayer Birding Software and available for Windows or Mac. Price ranges around $80.
