Hi Philip,
In the U.S. the Song Sleuth is only
provided with your local area module, this only contains approx 56 of the most
common local birds, there are 14 of these modules, but even if you buy the
combined version with all 14 modules (at U.S. $174.95 extra) you still only get
a total of 130 birds.
As you state, many birders would already
know the most common birds in their area, so this would be pretty pointless.
Of course at the risk of being stoned for
being a heretic, I have my doubts about the ability of many of our so called ‘experts’
to reliably differentiate between many similar species. I myself am both poor
of hearing as I suffer from tinnitus and am tone-deaf to boot. However the last
time I went on a birding expedition in the UK with a bunch of experts, for
virtually every call heard there was more than one answer (blood nearly
flowed), and here in OZ with so many birds capable of mimicry, how do you know
that a bird sound you hear is a particular species, a mimic, or even another
birder sitting behind the next bush with his tape-recorder?
Personally, if I do not see it, then it
might as well not be there.
