Nature Notebook – Nature Apps

Technology and nature are combined more than ever these days. Staff at Sarett have found so many useful (and free) smartphone apps that help us, and can help you, become a better naturalist! Here are some of our favorites.

• iNaturalist and Seek – Identify plants, fungi, and animals with a quick snapshot and log your sightings through the apps! See what others are finding around you as well.

• Merlin Bird ID and Audubon – Get help identifying the birds around you! Enter in characteristics of birds you see to help you ID the bird species, learn its’ sounds, and interesting facts. 

• Ebird – This birding app made by the Cornell Lab allows you to take part in citizen science and log your bird sightings as checklists, find nearby hotspots, and see what other birders are finding.

• Star Walk 2 – There are a number of stargazing apps available, but we like this one in particular because of its ease of use. Open the app and it will show you what stars and planets are visible and align with the sky so you can see the constellations right on your phone. There is also a Star Walk Kids app.

• AllTrails and Avenza Maps – Find new hiking trails! Log your trail activity, download maps for offline use, and follow your GPS location as you go down the trail.

What are your favorites?