The Gadgets Page

Parabolic microphones have been the tools of spy novels, private detectives and paranoids, but they have been appropriated by a quieter class of people: birdwatchers:

• 10,000 Birds — Birding, blogging, bombast

“Birdwatchers have long headed into the woods with little more equipment than binoculars and a notebook. But when Laura Erickson sets out on a birding trip, she now brings along two digital cameras, a Palm device with a bird-species database and an iPod loaded with bird songs.”

Instead of that bulky Audobon book in your pocket EVERY bird on the planet can fit in your Treo. Instead of a sketch pad and waterproof ink, a camera can capture the bird far better. Instead of memory and stealth, you can listen to the bird calls from far away.

Sounds like birdwatching has gotten a whole lot more interesting…