The exponential increase in bird photography over the past two decades, stimulated largely by digital technology, has had a profound effect on how most birdwatchers operate, compared with the practices of thirty or forty years ago.
Killian Mullarney will examine the pros (and some cons) of this change, and identify ways in which we might maximise the benefits associated with modern technology and at the same time minimise the losses that can occur if we disregard the fundamental importance of looking at (and listening to) the live bird in the field!
On the way, he will compare the efficacy of field guides that employ photographs with more traditional works that rely on painted plates.
