Hi-Tech Birdwatching

As the weather gets colder in New Hampshire, bird watchers are keeping their eyes to the sky to catch a glimpse of migratory birds heading towards warmer climates. Birding is a year-round activity in this part of the country, and new high-tech devices are bringing more people into the hobby. A couple of months ago on this show, we heard from Noah Strycker, a birding enthusiast who uses his i-Pod to bring him closer to his subjects. But i-Pods are just one of the new devices employed by the birding community. Tour guide and naturalist Mark Suamala joins us on Word of Mouth to tell us all about other new-fangled do-dads used in the field.

Useful Links

Tracking a Peregrine Falcon using Satellites
Tracking Bird Migrations using Weather Satellites
Digital Bird Song Hearing Device
Bird Song Recognition Software

Also, producer David Gorn of KQED's QUEST radio series reports on the fate of the Condors who lost their sanctuary in this Summer's Big Sur fires.Click here to listen, see a slide show and read David's reporter notes.

(Photo by Glen Scott)