BirdSounds Costa Rica app
£13.99 | 1.02 GB | Requires iOS 5.1 or later | See it in the iTunes Store
The ability to learn and play back calls of the birds you encounter can make all the difference to a successful overseas trip. Nowhere is this more true than the tropics, where not only can most of the species be unfamiliar, but the number is far greater and some groups are also extremely skulking.
Audio collections, primarily on CD but latterly also in MP3 format, are available for a number of well-known destinations. In the age of the app, however, there is new scope for trip preparation and for facilitating playback in the field, and BirdSounds’ Costa Rica offering is an excellent example of how this mobile technology can benefit birders.
Essentially a reworking of the company’s MP3 recordings, the app features 764 species which can be searched or browsed by first name, last name or family. Navigation is intuitive and it’s quick to select recently played tracks or store and retrieve a playlist of favourites. An Info section even includes a basic map showing nine key sites with accommodation links. The recordings are high quality and there are multiple vocalisations for many species, with full-length tracks rather than looped clips. This results in more than 2,000 tracks and 15 hours of playing time, meaning the app requires a hefty 1.02 GB of space, so it is something to sync to your device only when you need it.
As a tester, there’s also a free ‘Lite’ version featuring 70 species to give a flavour of the full app. Recommended.