Which Southern African Bird App is the Best Value for Money? - Part 1
The question that comes up almost daily on one of the Southern African birding social media platforms is this sentence - ‘Which is the best bird app to get?’.
As someone who often has more budget than money in my bank account, I am aware of the cost of the various apps on the market. You can spend up to R500 for some of the bird apps – which for many people is a significant financial outlay. Although it’s good to get advice before purchasing an app – the problem is that what someone else finds suitable for their needs, might not be what you require for your needs (or for your level of expertise as a birder). I have heard stories of people that have been advised to get a certain app and after buying it finding they are disappointed because it was not what they were looking for.
Earlier this year I had the opportunity to interview a representative from each one of the Southern African birding app developers and ask them as many questions about their apps as possible. Many of the questions that are asked on social media about these apps are answered in the interviews. I am busy working on an intensive article in which we will take a detailed look at each of the apps, providing all the statistics that matter. In the meantime, to help you find the relevant episode about an app that you might have a question about, this blog article puts all the links for the app podcasts in one place. If you are looking to buy an app, I would encourage you to take a listen to the relevant episode (or even better listen to a few episodes and compare what the various apps will offer you as a user).
Feel free to share this post with anyone that you feel might benefit from this resource.
Let us know which app you feel is the best value on the Southern African market.
Please note that I have posted a link with each of the episodes to where you can play it on various platforms
Newman’s Birds of Southern Africa App – interview with Nick Newman
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/user-979230693/the-birding-life-podcast-episode-11-newmans-bird-app
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/1n6eb2A0FLTNhSblqLqKr8
Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-birding-life-podcast/e/72486078
Google Podcasts http://bit.ly/googlenewmans
BirdPro App – interview with Herman van Den Berg
Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/user-979230693/the-birding-life-podcast-episode-12-birdpro-app
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/5LUKW8zlHWFI4esIfRKIuU
Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-birding-life-podcast/e/74110918
Google Podcasts http://bit.ly/googlebirdpro
Sasol Ebirds of Southern Africa App – interview with Niall Perrins and Dominic Rollinson
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/3oaBUiUjaOZre9CcIW9qsC
Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-birding-life-podcast/e/75130976
Google Podcasts http://bit.ly/googlesasol
Roberts Bird Guide Second Edition – interview with Calvin Harris (please note that we were not able to get someone to interview from the app team)
Spotify https://open.spotify.com/episode/3RzwnzZNFAFJpMua2IxUFl
Stitcher https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/the-birding-life-podcast/e/76233533
Google Podcasts http://bit.ly/googleroberts