More on How We Bird.

I really enjoyed, “How We Bird,” in the April issue of Birding. I loved the format of getting ideas from different generations. But I was surprised that no one mentioned a dedicated GPS device under, “Essential Extras.” I probably do more than 90% of my birding off the grid in the Great Basin, where there in no, erratic, or inaccurate location service on my phone.

Because I eBird all my bird observations (and I hope you do too), a dedicated device is essential. There are several bonuses: 1) you can turn off the location service on your phone, thereby saving its battery life, 2) you can set proximity alarms of any diameter – also essential for relocating and resampling remote points, 3) these devices work anywhere in the world (where I’ve been anyway) with no adjustment, and 4) I use one that runs on AA batteries, so you are never, ever out of juice if you keep a few extra batteries in your day pack.

So now I’m curious, what do YOU think? What are some of those “essential extras” that you (literally) don’t leave home without?” You might offer something that wasn’t mentioned in the article or support something that was mentioned.

We’re not looking for favorite binoculars and some of the other “major” categories considered in Diana’s article. We’re really asking folks to focus in on that last category of “Essential Extras.” So let’s hear what you think!