Value of GPS (1 Viewer)

lmans66

Out Birding....

Supporter

• Mar 4, 2012

• #1

Well birding has slowly evolved...with better binoc's, scopes, cameras of all sorts, field guides and now as an option....GPS.

I am not sold on GPS yet as the marking of the exact spot of a particular bird doesn't really help me out next time as the birds move.... I would sooner take note of the general area and write down particulars concerning the habitat in general etc.

Thoughts...does GPS hold value to you? ...

 

Xenospiza

Distracted

• Mar 4, 2012

• #2

Yes it does. I found it very helpful to find sites in China.
You should however be careful with publishing GPS details as not everyone will be there to watch the bird.

 

P

pppppvvvv

Guest

• Mar 4, 2012

• #3

Yes, I've used GPS for years. Especially useful during surveys when you want to mark the boundaries of each section of the survey, or waypoints when publishing sightings.
Also good for sunrise / sunset times wherever you are.

Smartphones look to be changing the game though.. GPS, sunrise/sunset calendars, Terrain maps and aerial photos off the web, plus tide tables. Every bit as good as a GPS except the battery life and waterproofing.

Peter

 

Last edited: Mar 4, 2012

B

bobsofpa

Well-known member

• Mar 9, 2012

• #4

I could not get along without my GPS. I can read about a bird site and find my way there. For example, I just completed a 3 week trip to Hawaii. By researching the web I found several birding sites on the islands we were going to visit. By loading these sites onto my GPS unit I was able to drive directly to them even though I had never been in Hawii before this trip. Oh, and very importantly, I could then find my way back to the hotel we were staying at.

 

Bird_Bill

Well-known member

• Mar 9, 2012

• #5

Say it tongue in cheek... never had to replace batteries in my topo's.
No joking... security that GPS offers in an emergency is beyond words.
Thankfully hasnt been required in extreme.

 

njlarsen

Gallery Moderator

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Mar 9, 2012

• #6

I do not have a GPS as of yet, but I could see one come in handy in a few ways (if I were to remember to read it off):

Record start time and end time for a set of records, and help in determining how long a distance I covered, all relevant when uploading data to Ebird.

Help with determining elevation when birding in for example the Andes. This is helpful because some similar birds replace each other as one travels up or down.

Niels

 

Birdingcraft

Well-known member

• Mar 9, 2012

• #7

Yes, a great tool to have when birding and essential when doing surveys. When you have a GPS, you can also upload more accurate data to eBird and therefore help with bird monitoring projects that could be used for conservation efforts.

 

Richard Klim

-------------------------

• Mar 9, 2012

• #8

GPS was essential for Western Palearctic birding in Mauritania, exploring wadis extending north into the WP. Unfortunately the promising-looking vegetation often seemed to cruelly expire a few hundred metres south of the all-important 21degN line. :C

As a Holarctic lister, GPS (with supplementary pressure altimeter) is also very useful when birding in Himalaya, where the Palearctic boundary is defined by elevation. [OK, you can sometimes get away with just a pressure altimeter, but they're impossible to calibrate away from known reference points.] But it's extremely frustrating to find that an important target is a hundred metres too low to count!

 

njlarsen

Gallery Moderator

Opus Editor

Supporter

• Mar 9, 2012

• #9

Ah, those problems! What about your life list? :-O

Niels

 

Bird_Bill

Well-known member

• Mar 9, 2012

• #10

Interpolated average of several GPS units will often calibrate out single unit errors.

Of course, a stroll to sea level beach to validate analog barometer/altimeter's
is an option:eek!:.... "Hold on, be right back"

 

jmepler

It's just a flesh wound.

• Mar 10, 2012

• #11

njlarsen said:

Record start time and end time for a set of records, and help in determining how long a distance I covered, all relevant when uploading data to Ebird.

Click to expand...

This is exactly how I use mine. I have a Garmin and I use Basecamp to check start and stop times and distance covered at each location for my eBird records.

Mike

 

Bird_Bill

Well-known member

• Mar 10, 2012

• #12

Google earth comes in handy at times. Often here at a favorite spot, I'll be 91degrees, etc, etc, west of prime meridian and bird will be just east at 90`59 59.45 w. Want to be fairly accurate if data is passed along to patuxent, Ebird, so on. Just one degree longitude here is around 54.5 miles, do want to mind those minutes and seconds and meridians.