AFICIONADO In this photo provided by law student and bird watcher Conner Brown, he is seen looking out for birds on Cedar Island, Maryland. 鈥擜P
Conner Brown, a 25-year-old law student at Stanford University, spent the early days of the pandemic following his brother as he spotted and collected characters in the Pokemon Go mobile game.
Then, Brown noticed the birds.
鈥淚 thought, 鈥榃hy don鈥檛 I take up birding?鈥� It鈥檚 like real-life Pokemon Go. It鈥檚 super addicting because you can start logging them and you get a little collection. It鈥檚 really cool,鈥� Brown said.
He paused, then added, 鈥淭hey should really game-ify it.鈥�
Brown, who鈥檚 living near Annapolis, Maryland, can now identify 30 different bird species.
He bought a special set of binoculars that attaches to his iPhone camera, downloaded bird identification and bird-logging apps, and is giving birding advice on Twitter.
Downloads, uploads
Even with coronavirus restrictions dragging on, interest in bird-watching has soared as bored Americans notice a fascinating world just outside their windows.
Downloads of popular bird identification apps have spiked, and preliminary numbers show sales of bird feeders, nesting boxes and birdseed have jumped even as demand for other nonessential goods plummets.
The trend coincides with peak migration for hundreds of species and nesting season, giving newfound birders a front-row seat to some of nature鈥檚 biggest shows.
鈥淭he birds don鈥檛 know that there鈥檚 a pandemic. They鈥檙e migrating, building nests and laying eggs, just like they always have,鈥� said Michael Kopack Jr., who put up a birdhouse at his home in Angier, North Carolina, and is watching a pair of bluebirds hatch their eggs.
Magical time
鈥淚t kind of takes us back to a magical time six or eight weeks ago when there was no pandemic,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t lets me decompress and get away from everything that鈥檚 going on in the world, at least for a little while.鈥�
Downloads of the National Audubon Society鈥檚 bird identification app in March and April doubled over that period last year, and unique visits to its website are up by a half-million.
The prestigious Cornell Lab of Ornithology in Ithaca, New York, has seen downloads of its free bird identification app, Merlin ID, shoot up 102 percent over the same time last year, with 8,500 downloads on Easter weekend alone.Visits to Cornell鈥檚 live bird cams have doubled, and uploads of bird photos and calls have increased 45 percent and 84 percent, respectively, on Cornell鈥檚 crowdsourced bird-logging app, eBird.
Even retailers seem to be cashing in despite the crashing economy. Preliminary marketing data shows overall sales rising 10 percent to 15 percent this season in the 鈥渂irding category,鈥� according to data from Panacea Products Corp., which makes bird-feeding products.
Distancing
Amid the surging interest, spring bird counts nationwide are getting some adjustments for social distancing. The counts are critical for understanding how migratory birds are faring and are a high point for avid birders each year.
In Portland, Oregon, those participating in the Birdathon鈥攁 fundraiser for the Audubon Society of Portland鈥攚ill go bird-watching individually over a period of weeks instead of heading out in teams for a day or a weekend.
They will report their sightings by virtual check-in, ending with a Zoom celebration on May 9, said Sarah Swanson, the fundraiser鈥檚 coordinator.
鈥淏irds are everywhere now. They鈥檙e singing, they鈥檙e migrating, they鈥檙e nesting,鈥� she said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e busy every minute of the day doing all these interesting behaviors鈥攁nd I think that鈥檚 what draws people in.鈥�
Rediscovery
Even people who loved the outdoors before the pandemic have discovered鈥攐r rediscovered鈥攂irding in new ways.
Phillip Torres, host of Discovery Channel鈥檚 Expedition X, knows a lot about nature but hadn鈥檛 paid much attention to birds, preferring to study insects, snakes and plants.
When the virus forced his show into hiatus, Torres moved from New York City to Seattle. He noticed birds in his new backyard, watching robins pluck worms from the ground 鈥渏ust like in the cartoons.鈥�
Torres put up hummingbird feeders and invested in a spotting scope and clamps to attach his iPhone to the feeders.
He recorded stunning slow-motion video of an Anna鈥檚 hummingbird coming to his feeder that he shared on Twitter.鈥淚鈥檓 really reconnecting with what鈥檚 immediately around me,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got some pretty amazing stuff right out our window鈥攁nd it鈥檚 really good for the soul.鈥�