Naturally Wild

 

 

Technology vs. Outdoors

This past weekend while I was out birding it came to my attention, with a little bit of embarrassment that I did not know much about identifying bird species. Now the little group that was with me had a blast exploring the trails and guessing what kind of birds we came across, but I could not help but feel a little hesitant about pulling out my phone to help with our observations. Since we are in the 21^st century that’s what you commonly do when you have questions, you turn to the aid of the internet. However, cell phones have become quite a controversy in today’s society. Most articles or studies you come across say we spend too much time “glued” to our devices. While that may be true, it has become socially acceptable to convert to our phones in times of boredom or even to avoid awkward encounters. On the contrary, I went to my phone to use a handy app for bird identification and not to check social media, is that not an exception? In a society where we are constantly “instagramming” or “snapchatting” our every move, one may say “put your phone away and enjoy the nature in front of you”. At some point we do cross the line of the proper use of our devices, but there are appropriate situations where our phones can be very useful. In honor of those useful times I found some tools and uses for our phones with outdoor benefits.

Apps

Identifying wildlife is a big part of how I spend my time outdoors. I love to learn about what types of plants or animals I am observing, since indigenous species tell you more about your native environment.

There are plenty of apps that help you quickly identify what you’re looking at:

Like That Garden; photo based flower identification

PlantNet; photo based plant identification

Merlin Bird ID; helps identify birds by locations and asking certain questions

Wildlife of North America; prepares you for your adventure by getting you more familiar with the wildlife found in North America

Navigation apps are usefully in telling you what trails are around you, if you are still on the right trail and even help you find hidden treasure!

ALLTrails; list of hiking trails in the area by closest to you or even by trial difficulty

Polaris Navigation GPS; great for navigating off road and backcountry

Geocaching; Geocaching is the hunt for boxes where people leave little trinkets and notes behind. They can be found indoors or outdoors but either way the hunt will be an adventure!

I hope these apps give you all some inspiration to get outdoors with your phones in ways you haven’t thought of before!